Randy M. Page

Is school sports participation a protective factor against adolescent health risk behaviors

This study investigated the relationship between participation in school sports and adolescent health risk behaviors in a nationally representative sample of 12,272 high school students. Male and f...

Hopelessness and Loneliness Among Suicide Attempters in School-Based Samples of Taiwanese, Philippine and Thai Adolescents

The aim of this study was to assess the level of suicide attempts in three school-based samples of Southeast Asian adolescents (Taipei, Taiwan; the Philippines; Chiang Mai, Thailand) and determine whether adolescent suicide attempters score higher on measures of hopelessness and loneliness relative to nonattempters. It was hypothesized that hopelessness and loneliness would be related to suicide attempts, and that hopelessness would continue to be associated with suicide attempts when controlling for loneliness. The prevalence of suicide attempts across the three samples of Asian youth were not consistent with Taiwanese girls and boys as the most likely to have ever attempted suicide. As expected, results showed that suicide attempters (in past 12 months and ever) scored higher on hopelessness and loneliness than nonattempters across all three samples and for both genders. However, the statistical control of loneliness demonstrably weakened the association between suicide attempt behaviour and hopelessness across the samples and for both genders, and resulted in nonsignificant ANCOVA tests for some of the sample-gender groups. These results attest to the need for more research investigating connections between youth suicide attempts, hopelessness and loneliness in adolescent populations. Loneliness should be included as a potential determinant of youth suicidal behaviour in future research.

Life Without TV? Cultivation Theory and Psychosocial Health Characteristics of Television-Free Individuals and Their Television-Viewing Counterparts

Much attention has been paid to the amount of time Americans spend watching television. Cultivation theory has been important in exploring behavioral effects of television viewing for many years. However, psychosocial health has received much less scrutiny in relation to television viewing time. This investigation examined the hypotheses that television-free individuals and viewers adhering to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations (up to 2 hr of viewing per day) would display a more positive psychosocial health profile when compared with more frequent television viewers. Results confirmed the hypothesis for women, but not for men. Our analysis showed that moderate television viewing, as defined by the AAP, provides a similar relation with psychosocial health as being television-free. Results are discussed in a cultivation theory framework.

Demographic Predictors of Self-Reported Loneliness in Adults

The relative magnitude of individual demographic characteristics, compared with other demographic characteristics, in the prediction or explanation of frequency of loneliness has not been examined or reported in the literature. The relative strengths of a series of demographic variables (gender, age, marital status, household income, educational attainment, race or ethnicity, employment status, and occupation) in explaining frequency of loneliness in a random sample of 8,634 adults residing in a large metropolitan county were examined. Logistic regression analysis indicated several variables significantly affected group membership as lonely vs not lonely: marital status, household income, gender, and educational attainment. The strongest predictor of all was marital status. Age group as a predictor variable approached significance, but employment status, occupation, and race/ethnicity were not significant predictors of group membership as lonely vs not lonely in the logistic regression model.

Multi-country, cross-national comparison of youth tobacco use: Findings from Global School-based Health Surveys

OBJECTIVE Describe the prevalence of current cigarette smoking and other tobacco use among 13-15year olds across 44 countries and 110 sites participating in the Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS), and compare these results with previous findings from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey. METHODS The GSHS is conducted in countries using standardized sampling and survey methodology procedures. Smoking and other tobacco use prevalence was compiled from fact sheets available on the GSHS web site from the available 110 sites where the survey has been conducted and resulting data processed. Tobacco use prevalence rates are weighted to adjust for the probabilities of nonresponse and varying probabilities of selection. Boy to girl ratios were calculated to examine gender differences in tobacco use prevalence. RESULTS Current smoking rates ranged widely from a low of approximately 1 in 100 students in Tajikistan and India to a high of more than 1 in 4 students in certain sites in Chile and Colombia, and more than 1 in 5 in other sites in Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, and Colombia. Other tobacco use prevalence ranged from a low of 1.0% in Hangzhou, China to a high of 43.7% in Northwest Namibia. CONCLUSION This is the first multi-country, cross-national study of tobacco use involving GSHS data. Results provide an opportunity to examine youth tobacco use in several countries and compare results with the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) which is a more extensive global surveillance of youth tobacco use.

Social Normative Perceptions of Alcohol Use and Episodic Heavy Drinking Among Central and Eastern European Adolescents

This study examined alcohol use and related social normative perceptions among a sample of 1,886 Central-Eastern European high school students. The youth represented in the study averaged 16.5 years of age and were from several localities in the countries of Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Romania. Data for the study were collected through a school-based alcohol use survey that was completed in June 2005. Our results support the hypothesis that drinking was related to perception of the prevalence of alcohol use by schoolmates and by the number of friends who drink and/or engage in episodic heavy drinking. Specific implications of findings in terms of substance use prevention are discussed. In addition, the need for future research and the limitations of the current research are discussed. This study was largely financially supported through an international grant from the College of Health and Human Performance, Brigham Young University.

Self-rated health, psychosocial functioning, and health-related behavior among Thai adolescents.

Background:  Despite the popularity of self‐rated health (SRH) in Western countries as a useful public health tool, it has only rarely been used in Asian countries. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether measures of psychosocial functioning and health‐related factors differ according to SRH in a school‐based sample of Thai adolescents.

Psychosocial Distress and Alcohol Use as Factors in Adolescent Sexual Behavior Among Sub‐Saharan African Adolescents

BACKGROUND This study examines the relationship between sexual behavior, alcohol use, and indicators of psychosocial distress (mental health) of adolescents in 6 sub-Saharan African countries using the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS). METHODS The sample consisted of 22,949 adolescents from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe who participated in 2003 or 2004 GSHS surveys. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine whether sexual behaviors increased with levels of psychosocial distress and alcohol use. RESULTS Sexual behaviors (having sex or having sex with 2 or more people) were associated with both psychosocial distress and alcohol use. Odds ratios showed that both boys and girls reporting psychosocial distress and alcohol use were at higher risk for having sex. Results also indicated that the likelihood of sexual behaviors increased when there was an increase in the number of psychosocial indicators and frequency of alcohol consumption. CONCLUSION The results of this study are consistent with those conducted in the United States suggesting that sexual behavior, psychosocial distress, and substance use are interconnected. These findings highlight the need for school health education and health services in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically the efforts to reduce psychosocial distress and prevent substance use in efforts to prevent the spread of human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted infections.

Depiction of Food as Having Drug-like Properties in Televised Food Advertisements Directed at Children: Portrayals as Pleasure Enhancing and Addictive

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was to examine food commercials airing during childrens TV programming for portrayals of behaviors associated with substance use, violence, disrespect, and stealing. It was hypothesized that these behaviors would be present and would be more frequent in commercials advertising specific products (e.g., ready-to-eat cereals) than for those advertising restaurants (e.g., fast food). METHOD A content analysis of 147 food commercials televised during childrens TV programming on U.S. broadcast networks examined commercials for behaviors associated with substance use behavior, physical violence, and other problematic behaviors for children. RESULTS Commercials contained depictions of exaggerated pleasure sensation and dependency/addiction, portrayals of physical violence, trickery, thievery/stealing, fighting and taking extreme measures to obtain a food, and treating adults with disrespect. More portrayals appeared in commercials for high-sugar cereals than in those for fast-food restaurants. DISCUSSION Findings raise concern about the presence of this content in televised food advertisements targeting children and serve to alert pediatric health professionals and other child health advocates to take a closer look at this issue.

Self-rated health, psychosocial functioning, and other dimensions of adolescent health in Central and Eastern European adolescents

Background and Objectives: Although studied extensively among adults, self-rated health (SRH) has not received the same research attention among adolescents. It has been suggested that SRH in adolescents may be a function of adolescents’ overall sense of functioning and may reflect psychosocial functioning more so than in adults. The rating of health as poor by adolescents might be a somatic expression of life distress and may be connected with risky behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate self-rated health (SRH) in Central and Eastern European (CEE) adolescents and determine its association with psychosocial functioning and other dimensions of adolescent health. Methods: A survey was administered to 3,123 students in 34 secondary schools across CEE which included measures of SRH, psychosocial functioning (loneliness, hopelessness, shyness, perceptions of social status, self-rated happiness, and perception of physical 102 RANDY M. PAGE ET AL.