What matters to girls and boys in a black primary school in South Africa

This article focuses on the construction of gender identities among young boys and girls in a black primary school. Against the backdrop of food insecurity, young boys' and girls' vulnerability to violence and to using violence as a means of getting food is increased. Violence is a clear manifestation of gender inequalities. Drawing on data derived from an ethnographic exploration of children's gender identities in the first years of primary schooling, this article examines how violence underscores much of social relations amongs boys and girls. The article further illustrates how different forms of masculinities and femininities are constructed. Violence is not the domain of boys only. Girls too take on violent femininities. The implications of recognizing children's gendered and violent cultures are discussed briefly in the concluding part of the paper.     

Gender bias in the food insecurity experience of Ethiopian adolescents

Food insecurity is a pressing public health concern in many developing countries. Despite widespread interest in the sociocultural determinants of food insecurity, little is known about whether youths living in food insecure households experience food insecurity. The buffering hypothesis reviewed here assumes that, to the extent possible, adult members of households will buffer younger household members from the ill effects of food insecurity. A variant of the buffering hypothesis argues that only certain members of the households will enjoy the benefits of buffering. We hypothesize that within the context of Ethiopia, where girls have historically experienced discrimination, buffering is preferentially aimed at boys, especially as the household experiences greater levels of food stress. These hypotheses are tested using data from a population-based study of 2084 adolescents living in southwestern Ethiopia. Results indicate that boys and girls were equally likely to be living in severely food insecure households. Despite no differences in their households' food insecurity status, girls were more likely than boys to report being food insecure themselves. This gender difference was the largest in severely food insecure households. This same pattern was observed when comparing male-female sibling pairs living in the same household. These results are among the first to show that household level measures of food insecurity predict adolescent experiences of food insecurity, and that in the Ethiopian socio-cultural context, the relationship between household level food insecurity and adolescent food insecurity varies by gender. We also show that adolescent food insecurity is strongly associated with measures of general health and well-being.     

Differential use of adolescent reproductive health programs in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia

PurposeAdolescent reproductive health programs in Africa have largely remained as small-scale pilot programs, however, there is increasing interest in bringing programs to scale. Evaluations have focused on individual programs and few have gathered population-based information on the reach of program models and the profile of adolescents who utilize services, versus those who do not. This study examines the coverage and utilization of existing adolescent programs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.MethodsPopulation-based surveys were undertaken among over 1000 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years in slum areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. An inventory of youth programs including youth centers and peer education programs was compiled in the study area.ResultsEight peer education programs and six youth centers were operating in the study area. Twenty percent of boys and only 7% of girls had visited a youth center in the last year; 27% of boys and 15% of girls had had contact with a peer educator. Older adolescents, especially boys, were more likely to utilize programs. Girls who work long hours and who are isolated are less likely to access and benefit from programs.ConclusionsGreater segmentation of the adolescent population is needed in the design and content of adolescent reproductive health programs. In addition, programmers should pay attention to the specific circumstances of young people in local settings, particularly vulnerable, hard-to-reach sub-groups of adolescents, including girls.     

COVID-19 Recession: Young Adult Food Insecurity,Racial Disparities,and Correlates

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted devastating health, social, and economic effects globally. This study examines the experiences of young adults in the United States with respect to food insecurity during the pandemic and factors associated with higher and lower risk for young adult food insecurity.MethodsUsing the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, a nationally representative survey collecting information on people's experiences throughout the pandemic, we analyzed prevalence of, and factors associated with young adult food insecurity during the pandemic.ResultsOverall, 13% of young adults aged 18–25 years reported often or sometimes not having enough to eat in the last 7 days at a given time during pandemic, on average, with Black and Hispanic young people facing higher rates of food insecurity (22% and 15%, respectively) than White non-Hispanic peers (11%). Over the observed pandemic period, we find a decline in food insecurity among young adults corresponding with economic policy actions. Factors associated with a higher risk of food insecurity include lower household income, expected job loss, renting as opposed to owning housing, behind on rent or mortgage payment, lack of confidence in an ability to pay next month's rent or mortgage, delayed medical care, and feeling worried or depressed.DiscussionOur analyses reveal alarming levels of food insecurity among young adults, especially Black and Hispanic young people. Policy actions should include multifaceted and sustained interventions with a focus on supporting historically disenfranchised youth and their communities. These should prevent and address food and housing insecurity and mental health needs holistically.     

Is something better than nothing? Food insecurity and eating patterns of young people experiencing homelessness

Objective: Food insecurity is an increasing problem in marginalised groups that affects diet quality. We aimed to examine the extent of food insecurity and the eating patterns of young people accessing support from specialist homelessness services. Methods: A cross‐sectional survey with a researcher‐administered food frequency and food insecurity questionnaire was undertaken with 50 young people experiencing homelessness, aged 14–26 years. Participants were recruited from 11 specialist homelessness services providing support and accommodation for young people in central and south‐western Sydney. Results: Food insecurity was a recent experience for 70% of participants. Eighty‐five per cent of participants living independently experienced food insecurity, compared to 66% of young people in supported accommodation. Consumption of core food groups was low, as almost all participants did not meet recommended daily servings of vegetables and breads and cereals. Consumption of sugar‐sweetened soft drinks was high. Conclusions: Food insecurity and poor diet quality are salient issues for this group of young people accessing support from specialist homelessness services. Implications: These findings highlight the need for a greater focus on advocacy and policy action to increase social supports and improve food security and nutrition for young people experiencing homelessness.     

Urban youth violence: Do definitions and reasons for violence vary by gender?

This study explored how young boys and girls living in low income urban neighborhoods defined and described reasons associated with youth violence. Five focus groups were conducted with 29 youth between the ages of 8 and 12 recruited from four selected study neighborhoods. Participants were asked to describe youth violence. Appropriate probes were used to explore similarities and differences by gender with regard to the reasons for violence. Definitions of youth violence were consistent across participants and included verbal threats, physical contact, and often the use of a weapon. Several common reasons for violence were found among both boys and girls; romantic relationships, respect, idle time, gangs.cliques, and witnessing violence. Reasons for violence unique to boys include fighting about issues related to money and illicit drugs. Gossip was identified as a reason specific to why girls engage in violence. Youth violence was perceived as a common problem impacting the lives of the boys and girls in this study. Although many of the reasons identified for violence are similar among boys and girls, select gender differences do exist. Future research and prevention efforts to address youth violence should engage young people in efforts to understand and address this important public health topic.     

Attitudes about Violence and Involvement in Peer Violence among Youth: Findings from a High-Risk Community

Peer violence perpetration and victimization are the most common types of violence among youth. This study determined the associations among violent attitudes toward peers, involvement in peer violence perpetration, and experience with peer violence victimization among boys and girls in a high-risk, urban community. Analyses were based on data from the 2004 Youth Violence Survey, which was administered to over 80% of public school students in grades 7, 9, 11, and 12 (N = 4,131) in a disadvantaged, urban, school district in the USA. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the associations between attitudes in support of violence and involvement in violent behaviors. Results show that among youth, attitudes supporting boys hitting boys significantly increased the odds of peer violence perpetration after controlling for potential confounders (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07, 1.72). However, stratified analyses for boys and girls show that attitudes supporting boys hitting boys increased the odds of peer violence perpetration for girls only after controlling for potential confounders (AOR, 1.49; 95% CI = 1.05, 2.13). The findings demonstrate that there are important differences between boys and girls in terms of their associations with violent attitudes and involvement in actual violent behaviors. However, additional research is needed to determine how attitude modifications can be incorporated into youth violence prevention programs.     

Psychological distress among older adolescents and young adults in Australia

Abstract: Youth mental health has been specially targeted in the National Health Goals and Targets process for mental health. The incidence of suicide among Australia's youth is one of the highest in the world. Yet there is little information on the mental health of young people in Australia. The most recent national data come from the longitudinal Australian Youth Survey conducted by the Department of Education, Employment and Training. In the 1994 wave of the survey, 8350 adolescents and young adults aged between 16 and 24 were surveyed. Psychological distress was measured by the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). High levels of psychological distress were evident, with girls being more distressed than boys at all ages. Forty-one per cent of girls were classified by the GHQ as mild or moderate cases, compared with 26 per cent of boys. Levels of distress peaked at age 17 for both boys and girls and tended to decrease with age for girls, but to be relatively stable over time for boys.     

Peer educators' perceptions of training for and implementing a community-based nutrition intervention for older adults

This study aimed to evaluate the use of peer educators in nutrition interventions with older people. A sample of 22 people aged 60+ were recruited and trained using an accredited course for Community Nutrition Assistants which included basic nutrition and group skills. They were paid to work as peer educators in a 20-week food club intervention which ran in 13 sheltered accommodation schemes for older people in northeast England. Clubs ran for 2 hours each week and included food preparation, food tasting and sharing information and ideas about food and health. This paper reports key findings from qualitative interviews with peer educators on their perspectives on their motivation to participate, their training and their implementation of the food club intervention. It discusses some of the issues involved in the training and use of peer educators and presents lessons learned, particularly the need to target training, according to prior experience and skills.     

Long-term food stamp program participation is differentially related to overweight in young girls and boys

This paper examines the relation between long-term Food Stamp Program (FSP) participation and overweight in children using data on children from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 Child Sample. A child was categorized as overweight if his or her BMI was >/= the 95th percentile of sex- and age-specific BMI. The data were arranged as a panel with multiple observations per child, and the preferred models of overweight included long-term FSP participation, additional demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental characteristics, and child fixed effects. Child fixed effects were used to take into account unobserved differences across children that did not vary over time. The models were estimated separately for younger (5-11 y old) and older (12-18 y old) children. In Ordinary Least Squares models, long-term FSP participation was positively and significantly related to overweight in young girls (P = 0.048), and negatively and significantly related to overweight in young boys (P = 0.100). Compared with girls and boys whose families did not participate in the FSP during the previous 5 y, FSP participation during all of the previous 5 y was associated with a 42.8% increase for young girls and a 28.8% decrease for young boys in the predicted probability of overweight. Long-term FSP participation was not significantly related to overweight in older children. Although these models did not control for food insecurity, the potential role of food insecurity in FSP participation was considered in the interpretation of the relation between FSP participation and child weight.     

Peer Educators' Perceptions of Training for and Implementing a Community-Based Nutrition Intervention for Older Adults

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the use of peer educators in nutrition interventions with older people. A sample of 22 people aged 60+ were recruited and trained using an accredited course for Community Nutrition Assistants which included basic nutrition and group skills. They were paid to work as peer educators in a 20-week food club intervention which ran in 13 sheltered accommodation schemes for older people in northeast England. Clubs ran for 2 hours each week and included food preparation, food tasting and sharing information and ideas about food and health. This paper reports key findings from qualitative interviews with peer educators on their perspectives on their motivation to participate, their training and their implementation of the food club intervention. It discusses some of the issues involved in the training and use of peer educators and presents lessons learned, particularly the need to target training, according to prior experience and skills.     

Assessing factors associated with HIV testing among adolescents in Malawi

Despite being at high risk of HIV/AIDS, most young people do not know their HIV status. Using survey data (n?=?2428) and applying multilevel models, this paper assesses factors associated with HIV testing among adolescents in Northern Malawi. The results show that among both boys (OR?=?0.39) and girls (OR?=?0.47), orphan status is associated with low likelihood of HIV testing. Correct knowledge about HIV/AIDS (OR?=?2.55) and having secondary education (OR?=?3.24) are associated with HIV testing among boys and girls, respectively. At the household level, living in a household whose head has secondary or higher education is positively associated with testing for boys (OR?=?2.63), while residing together with biological siblings predicts higher odds of testing (OR?=?2.67) for girls. Notably, orphaned girls’ disadvantage regarding HIV testing loses significance when residential arrangement is controlled. At the community level, having HIV testing facility (OR?=?2.70) or post-test club (OR?=?1.40) is positively associated with HIV testing for boys, while girls from areas where religious leaders hold judgmental views about HIV/AIDS are less likely (OR?=?0.45) to test. These findings suggest that efforts to scale up HIV testing among youth could benefit greatly from an understanding of how individual and community factors operate to influence adolescents to know their sero-status.     

The prediction of preschool children's weight from family environment factors: Gender-linked differences

The main objective of this study was to test an explanatory model predicting preschool girls' and boys' body weight from certain child variables (food intake, sedentary behaviors, and eating habits), as well as family variables (interaction during mealtime and level of family financial resources allocated to meeting children's eating needs). A randomized stratified subsample of parents was selected from a larger study (Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, QLSCD-1998–2002), with a breakdown of 581 girls and 611 boys of 4 years of age. Children's skin fold ratio, weight, height, and Body Mass Index (BMI) were recorded. Questionnaires were administered to parents (usually the mother). Using structural equation modeling (SEM) separately for girls and boys, the family environment model of healthy weight development was tested. Results yielded a good fit of the model for both genders. For boys, significant predictors of body weight in the model were family food insecurity and conflicts during mealtime. Healthy eating was predicted by food insecurity, mealtime conflicts, and sedentary behaviors. Mealtime conflicts predicted sedentary behaviors. For girls, none of the variables predicted body weight, however food insecurity predicted less healthy eating. These results outline the importance of prevention and intervention within families with young children.     

Adolescents' physical activity in relation to family income and parents' education

OBJECTIVE: Regular physical activity provides young people with important physical, mental, and social health benefits. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of family income and parents' level of education with physical activity in Finnish adolescents. METHOD: The study population consisted of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986, including 5457 boys and girls aged 15-16 years, and their parents who responded to a postal inquiry in 2001-2002. The associations between social background and adolescents' physical activity were analyzed in 2005 using cross-tabulation and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: High parental education was associated with adolescents being physically active. In boys father's high educational level (OR: 0.56; CI: 0.33, 0.95), and in girls both mother's (OR: 0.55; CI: 0.31, 0.98) and father's (OR: 0.35; CI: 0.20, 0.61) high educational levels were related to the least time spent watching TV. High family income was associated with being an active sports club member in boys (OR: 2.43; CI: 1.74, 3.40) and girls (OR: 2.67; CI: 1.81, 3.94). Adolescents' participation in different types of physical activity varied according to family income. CONCLUSIONS: Economic support for youth sports and informing parents on ways to encourage adolescents' physical activity are recommended to ensure equal opportunities for youths to participate in different physical activities.     

“I’ve changed so much within a year”: care leavers' perspectives on the aftercare planning process

ABSTRACT

Increasing the participation of children and young people in matters related to their care and aftercare is regarded as international best practice. While research demonstrates that children and young people benefit from involvement in care-related processes, participation continues to pose challenges for social work practitioners. Studies to date have tended to focus on in-care engagement and, consequently, relatively little is known about the experiences of young people as they age out of care, particularly in terms of their perceived involvement and engagement in the planning-to-leave care process. This paper examines young people’s experiences of the aftercare planning process in Ireland drawing on data from the first phase of a qualitative longitudinal study of young people leaving care. Sixteen participants were recruited at baseline and interviewed in-depth. The approach to interviewing was flexible and encouraged participants to talk about their experiences of care and the aftercare planning process. The findings indicate considerable diversity in how young people experience and attach meaning to the transition out of care. They also reveal complexities surrounding youth participation in the leaving care planning process and uncover a number of distinct facilitators and barriers to participation. Conclusions are drawn and the implications for practice are discussed.     

Food‐sharing among young children†

A study of food‐sharing among young children in a non‐experimental setting is reported. Boys and girls aged 5–8 years attending a city day camp were observed for a two‐week session. On the basis of daily observations of children in dyads, each child was ranked by the amount of his equal (peer) and unequal (dominant) relations with other members of his group. The nature, amount, and direction of food sharing was observed, and the relationship of equal and dominant behavior to food‐sharing activity was considered. Not only did girls tend to share food more often than boys, but they also tended to share food with more other children. The implications of these findings for the development of friendships and cliques among young children are discussed, and the importance of food exchange for children in peer groups is considered.     

Sexual health: some young people's views in Lima,Peru

Among lower-class youth in Lima, Peru, sexual activity is frequently initiated at 12 or 13 years of age, with little knowledge about pregnancy prevention or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Parents may send young boys to brothels, and sexual activity is often associated with alcohol drinking. Few young people receive guidance about sex from their parents, and most cases of sexual abuse are not disclosed. Young women who become pregnant often leave school, and many are banished from their parents' homes. Recommended, to address these issues, are formally scheduled times in the school schedule for students to discuss their sexual and emotional problems; school-based audiovisual presentations by neighborhood youth programs; opportunities, through neighborhood centers, health centers, and schools, for parents and children to talk to each other; and peer counseling in the schools on topics such as equality in relationships, pregnancy prevention, and sexuality.     

Child Food Insecurity Is Associated with Energy Intake among Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Girls

BackgroundFood insecurity is associated with poor diet and obesity among adult women, but evidence among children is mixed, and few studies have examined differences between boys and girls.ObjectiveThis study examined the relationship between self-reported food insecurity and dietary intake among boys and girls.DesignCross-sectional survey data were used from the Children’s PowerPlay! Campaign evaluation.Participants and settingIn all, 3,547 fourth- and fifth-grade students (9 to 11 years old) from 44 San Diego-area elementary schools in 2012 completed diary-assisted 24-hour recalls and a questionnaire that included five questions from the Child Food Security Assessment.Main outcome measuresIndividual dietary components (including total energy, nutrients, and sugar-sweetened beverages), Healthy Eating Index-2010 scores, and meal patterns (such as meal sizes and missed meals) were derived from 24-hour recalls.Statistical analysesMultivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to estimate the relationships between food insecurity and diet characteristics.ResultsGirls with the highest food insecurity consumed 135 total kilocalories (P<0.005) and 60 snack kilocalories (P<0.05) more per day than girls with no food insecurity. These relationships were absent among boys.ConclusionsFood insecurity among girls in grades 4 and 5 was associated with higher energy intake. Findings support the need for further research to better understand the nature of this relationship and its implications for energy balance.     

Differentiating the effects of maternal and peer encouragement to diet on child weight control attitudes and behaviors

Obese and overweight youth are more at risk for engaging in frequent dieting, unhealthy weight control behaviors and report more body dissatisfaction than their normal weight peers. Previous research has indicated that peer and maternal encouragement to diet is predictive of unhealthy weight related behaviors and attitudes. The current study aims to examine if maternal and peer encouragement to diet equally mediate the relationship between youth BMI z-score and (a) unhealthy weight control behaviors, (b) diet frequency and (c) body dissatisfaction in a sample of racially diverse boys and girls. Participants were 94 children/adolescents between the ages of 8-17. Results were stratified by gender. Three bootstrapped multiple mediation models were conducted to examine each outcome variable. Results indicated that maternal encouragement to diet mediated the relationships predicting unhealthy weight control and diet frequency for girls, but not for boys. Peer encouragement to diet significantly mediated the relationship predicting unhealthy weight control behaviors, with increased peer encouragement associated with fewer unhealthy weight control behaviors for girls. Peer encouragement to diet was not a significant mediator for any of the outcomes for boys. Results suggest that maternal encouragement to diet may play a larger role than peer encouragement to diet in predicting unhealthy weight attitudes and behaviors for girls.     

Health among teenagers and young adults

The objective of this article is to analyse different behaviours and opinions about health and health determinants of Spanish young people by age, sex, and place of residence. They have a broad concept of their health, tending to identify health as physical activity and healthy eating behaviours. Most of them (91%) declared enjoying good or very good health. Depending upon the age, sex, and place of residence 10 to 20% could have mental health problems. Young people consider illegal drugs as their main health problem. Boys have higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than girls. However, girls reported more often than boys that they perceived themselves as obese. Practice of sporting activities is influenced by family and friends. The proportion of young people that practice sport declines after the age of 15, both in boys and girls. Young people perceive cannabis consumption as normal, but remain ambivalent towards other illegal drugs and asked for more information about drugs. We found a high proportion of young people declaring that they not would try illegal drugs. In the urban settings, smoking is more common among girls than among boys, but the contrary happens in rural areas. Most of them know that smoking is harmful for health, and among those who are smokers, 20 to 40% declared that they want to stop smoking. They consider that health care services are useless for preventing health problems. It is necessary to improve behaviours involving safety, such as use of seat belts and helmets, mainly in rural areas. Young people associated traffic accidents with driving conditions rather than with identification of risk.