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Adolescents, Volume 2, Issue 3 (September 2022) – 5 articles

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13 pages, 283 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Perceived Influence of Food and Beverage Posts on Social Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study with U.S. Adolescents and Their Parents

by Adam J. Kucharczuk and Tracy L. Oliver

Adolescents 2022, 2(3), 400-412; https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents2030031 - 6 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3889

Abstract

Additional time spent on social media (SM) due to nationwide lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has increased adolescents’ exposure to food and beverage (FB) advertisements, which may increase one’s risk of developing unfavorable health outcomes. This study aimed to explore U.S. adolescents’ and their parents’ perceptions of social media’s influence on adolescents’ food and beverage preferences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured focus groups were conducted virtually with seven dyads of sixth grade students and their parents (n = 14). Six themes were identified from the focus groups: (1) perceived increased accessibility to SM usage, (2) factors that increased consumption, (3) perceived increased recall of memorable aspects of FB advertisements, (4) parental observations of adolescents’ less healthy eating behaviors, (5) parental influence over FB purchases, and (6) perceived increased engagement with food trends from SM. Increased SM use influenced adolescents’ preference toward specific FB brands and possibly influenced consumption habits during the pandemic. Parents may be aware of the targeted marketing used on SM and may minimize some of this influence. Additionally, these findings should encourage parents and adolescent healthcare professionals to proactively discuss the marketing tactics FB companies use and continue to educate adolescents on the importance of maintaining healthy eating behaviors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adolescents Alone and Together between Well-Being and Distress: The Path to Adulthood at the Time of Covid-19)

11 pages, 261 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Distance Learning during the 2020 COVID-19 Lockdown: The Experience of Italian Middle School Students

by Lynda S. Lattke, Aurelia De Lorenzo, Beatrice Tesauri and Emanuela Rabaglietti

Adolescents 2022, 2(3), 389-399; https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents2030030 - 28 Aug 2022

Viewed by 2145

Abstract

Northern Italy was one of the first European regions to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions which led to school closures and the compulsion to learn from home. This article examines middle school students’ experiences with distance learning to determine what they found most difficult, what they liked most and what they liked least during the 2020 lockdown. A total of 285 students (56% female; 44% male) with mean age of 13 years (±1 year; min = 11; max = 15) completed the online questionnaire. Responses to three open-ended questions were analyzed and coded using content analysis and an inductive approach. SPSS 26 was then used for descriptive analysis based on the frequencies of the categories that emerged: Learning, Device, Relationship, Other, Environment, Nothing, and Time. The results suggest that important aspects of students’ lives during the lockdown had dual meanings. For example, technological devices were experienced as a means of communication, learning, and maintaining relationships, but were also associated with inequities, technical difficulties, and misunderstandings. Student responses support schools’ role as a place to foster technological skills, especially social and emotional skills, in order to develop concrete strategies to assist students and teachers improve their relationship skills and be better prepared for future pandemics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adolescents Alone and Together between Well-Being and Distress: The Path to Adulthood at the Time of Covid-19)

8 pages, 493 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Asthma Prevalence in Adolescent Students from a Portuguese Primary and Secondary School

by Pedro Flores, José E. Teixeira, Anna K. Leal, Luís Branquinho, Rui Brito Fonseca, Sandra Silva-Santos, Amanda Batista, Samuel Encarnação, António M. Monteiro, Joana Ribeiro and Pedro Forte

Adolescents 2022, 2(3), 381-388; https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents2030029 - 10 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2248

Abstract

Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide, with a considerable increase, especially in children. It is considered the main cause of childhood morbidity, school absenteeism, and limitations in sports practice. The causes are multifactorial, and their prevalence varies from region to region, thus verifying a great disparity in the estimates of the prevalence of asthma. In this sense, the objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of asthma, its control, as well as the frequency of associated symptoms, in adolescents who attended the 3rd cycle of basic education and secondary education in schools in the municipalities of Paços de Ferreira, Paredes, and Penafiel. The sample consisted of 1222 (587 males and 635 females) (p = 0.17) aged between 12 and 17 years. The instruments used to diagnose asthma-associated symptoms were the standard questionnaire of the “International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood—ISAAC” and to check whether asthma was controlled, the “Test for Asthma Control” questionnaire was used. The results reveal a high prevalence of adolescents with asthma (8.9%) with a significant percentage that did not have the disease under control (38%). There was also a considerable percentage of adolescents who, despite not having asthma, have many symptoms associated with the disease. These results may be associated with environmental factors. Full article

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23 pages, 1320 KiB

Open AccessReview

Understanding the Role of Prosocial Behavior in Youth Mental Health: Findings from a Scoping Review

by Saima Hirani, Emmanuela Ojukwu and Nilanga Aki Bandara

Adolescents 2022, 2(3), 358-380; https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents2030028 - 9 Aug 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 7366

Abstract

Background: Mental health during a person’s adolescence plays a key role in setting the stage for their mental health over the rest of their life. Hence, initiatives that promote adolescents’ wellbeing are an important public health goal. Helping others can take a variety of forms, and the literature suggests that helping others can positively impact a person’s wellbeing. However, there is a lack of data that synthesizes the impact of helping others on adolescents’ wellbeing. Therefore, this review aims to synthesize the available evidence related to helping others and to youth wellbeing. Methods: A scoping review search was undertaken with no date restrictions. CINAHL, Medline and PyschINFO, were searched for studies that analyzed the relationship between helping others and youth mental health. Results: Data from 213 papers were included in the scoping review. Three main themes were observed: (1) the relationship between helping others and mental health outcomes among youths (positive and negative); (2) factors associated with youth engagement in prosocial behavior (facilitators and barriers); (3) the impact of interventions related to helping others, and to youth mental health (positive and negative). Conclusions: An overwhelmingly positive relationship exists between youth prosocial behavior and its influence on youth mental health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Adolescent Health and Mental Health)

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8 pages, 449 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Polydrug Use of Tobacco and Cannabis in a Cohort of Young People from Central Catalonia (2012–2020)

by Eva Codinach-Danés, Núria Obradors-Rial, Helena González-Casals, Maria Rosa Cirera-Guàrdia, Queralt Miró Catalina, Josep Vidal-Alaball and Albert Espelt

Adolescents 2022, 2(3), 350-357; https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents2030027 - 23 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2069

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of tobacco and cannabis use, and their relationship, in a cohort of adolescents from Central Catalonia in the period 2012–2020. The study had a prospective longitudinal design with 828 students in the 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education. In 2012, 828 adolescents answered a health behaviour survey; in 2016, 342; and in 2020, 265. The dependent variables were: exclusive last month tobacco use; exclusive last month cannabis use; polydrug use of tobacco and cannabis; and no use of tobacco and cannabis in the last month. Independent variables were sex and follow-up year. For the analysis, prevalences were used with a significance level of 0.05. Polydrug use went from 11.5% (95% CI: 7.4–17.6) among girls and 8.2% (95% CI: 4.3–15.2) among boys in 2012, to 7.0% (95% CI: 3.9–12.3) among girls and 13.7% (95% CI: 8.4–21.7) among boys in 2020. With regards to those girls who used polydrug in the last month in 2012, 33.3% (14.8–58.9) continued using it in 2016, and 22.2% (7.9–48.6) continued in 2020; among boys, 33.3% (14.8–58.9) of those polydrug users in 2012 continued using it in 2016, and 44.4% (14.5–79.0) continued in 2020. There is association between tobacco and cannabis use, and there is an important percentage of young people who do polydrug consumption at very early ages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Adolescent Health Behaviors)

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