It's About Time: A Look at Out-of-School Time for Urban Teens

Investigates after-school opportunities and experiences for high school age youth in 21 U.S. cities, with a focus on Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, and Fort Worth. Includes a look at the steps necessary for building a citywide collaboration

Healthy Out of School Time: Developing National Quality Standards for Healthy Eating and Physical Activity

Afternoon programs are an important venue for promoting healthy eating and physical activity in children and youth. This project, co-led by investigators at the Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST), UMass Boston, and YMCA of the USA, used quantitative and qualitative methods to assess and respond to the need for national standards for healthy eating and physical activity in afterschool programs. This presentation provides an overview of this translational research with emphasis on development and dissemination of the evidence-based national guidelines for health eating and physical activity in afterschool programs

Practices and Approaches of Out-of-School Time Programs Serving Immigrant and Refugee Youth

Opportunity to participate in an out-of-school time program may be a meaningful support mechanism towards school success and healthy development for immigrant and refugee children. This study extends existing research on best practices by examining the on-the-ground experiences of supporting immigrant and refugee youth in out-of-school time programs. Findings from semi-structured interviews with program directors in 17 Massachusetts and New Hampshire programs suggest a number of program strategies that were responsive to the needs of immigrant and refugee students, including support for the use of native language as well as English, knowing about and celebrating the heritage of the students’ homeland, including on staff or in leadership individuals with shared immigrant background, and giving consideration to the academic priorities of parents. The development of such intentional approaches to working with immigrant and refugee youth during the out-of-school time hours will encourage enrollment of, and enhance effectiveness with, this vulnerable population

Wesley Mission Financial Literacy Training-Program Operated for The Office of Responsible Gambling

The Wesley Financial Literacy Program's evaluation In Charge of My Money was conducted as a collaborative project between Wesley LifeForce Suicide Prevention Services and Western Sydney University. Australia has the most significant losses per capita in the world due to gambling; it also causes significant economic and social harm to the gamblers, their families, and the local communities. Wesley Financial Literacy Program tries to adjust people’s relationship with money and educate and empower them to make better decisions with their money, hoping to limit gambling harm in the future. Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively use financial skills, including personal management, budgeting, and investing. Having adequate financial literacy is the basis of a healthy relationship with money. The study involved a survey of the In Charge of My Money Wesley Financial Literacy Program participants. Participants were surveyed pre-program and at a three month follow up. Response rates at the pre-program were strong; however, difficulty was had to gain access to the post-program follow up due to the transient nature of the participants and the COVID-19 pandemic, which made follow up difficult without face-to-face contact. The program had many interruptions due to the lockdowns in NSW; the program was developed to be delivered face-to-face and needed to be adapted to be delivered in an online environment. Whilst the program was still effective, this caused many different disruptions and distractions as people could not focus on the program due to other distractions at home. Surveys were optional; however, there appears to be a good response rate during the pre-workshop period (n= 267), whereas the post-workshop numbers were substantially lower (n= 99). The majority of participants are reportedly from low socioeconomic or vulnerable circumstances. This is thought to have had a compounding effect on the likelihood of follow up responses (i.e., post-survey), particularly within the context of needing to move all aspects of the program to an online platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. The workshops appear to positively affect participant knowledge and awareness about gambling risks and financial challenges in society. Further evidence developed from the survey has shown that significant risk factors impact the individual's ability to control their spending. Factors such as level of education and gender play a role in the person's ability to manage budgets, stick to goals, and pay bills. As a result, attendees are more likely to make a conscious decision about their spending practices in the context of gambling. However, this presumption would require further follow up (i.e. focus groups or subsequent surveys) to be valid. Future endeavours may seek to capitalise upon this burgeoning behavioural change by designing a targeted approach to workshop delivery. The Wesley Financial Literacy Program, In Charge of My Money, has been shown to be an effective and beneficial educational program through the data analysis. It enhances people's understanding of their financial situations and empowers them to seek support if they feel they cannot cope. Further implementation of the program and ongoing data analysis through Western Sydney University and the Wesley LifeForce Suicide Prevention Services would provide longitudinal data and robust information regarding the program's long-term outcomes

The long-term impact of folic acid in pregnancy on offspring DNA methylation : follow-up of the Aberdeen folic acid supplementation trial (AFAST)

Funding This work was supported by the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health. R.C.R., G.C.S., N.K., T.G., G.D.S. and C.L.R. work in a unit that receives funds from the University of Bristol and the UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12013/1, MC_UU_12013/2 and MC_UU_12013/8). This work was also supported by CRUK (grant number C18281/A19169) and the ESRC (grant number ES/N000498/1). C.M.T. is supported by a Wellcome Trust Career Re-entry Fellowship (grant number 104077/Z/14/Z).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Fate of Irgarol 1051, diuron and their main metabolites in two UK marine systems after restrictions in antifouling paints

Two major antifouling biocides used worldwide, Irgarol 1051 and diuron, and their degradation products in Shoreham Harbour and Brighton Marina, UK were studied during 2003-2004. The highest concentrations of Irgarol 1051 were 136 and 102 ng L(-1) in water and 40 and 49 ng g(-1) dry weight in sediments for Shoreham Harbour and Brighton Marina, respectively. As the degradation product of Irgarol 1051, M1 was also widespread, with the highest concentration of 59 ng L(-1) in water and 23 ng g(-1) in sediments in Shoreham Harbour, and 37 ng L(-1) in water and 5.6 ng g(-1) in sediments in Brighton Marina. The target compounds showed enhanced concentrations during the boating season (May-July), when boats were being re-painted (January-February), and where the density of pleasure crafts was high. Overall, the concentration of Irgarol 1051 decreased significantly from late 2000 to early 2004, indicating the effectiveness of controlling its concentrations in the marine environment following restricted use. Diuron was only detected in 14% of water samples, and mostly absent from sediment samples

Research & Action Report, Spring/Summer 2010

In this issue: Q&A: Healthy Living in Out-of-School TimeNational Institute on Out-of-School Time Connecting through Technology with the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute Jean Baker Miller Training Institute Open Circle: Updates from WCW ’s Social Emotional Learning Program Open Circle Commentary: How Women Can Succeed: An Alternative View Global Connections: Testimony to the Congressional-Executive Commission on Chinahttps://repository.wellesley.edu/researchandactionreport/1016/thumbnail.jp

Healthy Dietary Intake Moderates the Effects of Age on Brain Iron Concentration and Working Memory Performance

Age-related brain iron accumulation is linked with oxidative stress, neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Certain nutrients can reduce brain iron concentration in animal models, however, this association is not well established in humans. Moreover, it remains unknown if nutrition can moderate the effects of age on brain iron concentration and/or cognition. Here, we explored these issues in a sample of 73 healthy older adults (61-86 years old), while controlling for several factors such as age, gender, years of education, physical fitness and alcohol-intake. Quantitative susceptibility mapping was used for assessment of brain iron concentration and participants performed an N-Back paradigm to evaluate working memory performance. Nutritional-intake was assessed via a validated questionnaire. Nutrients were grouped into nutrition factors based on previous literature and factor analysis. One factor, comprised of vitamin E, lysine, DHA omega-3 and LA omega-6 PUFA, representing food groups such as nuts, healthy oils and fish, moderated the effects of age on both brain iron concentration and working memory performance, suggesting that these nutrients may slow the rate of brain iron accumulation and working memory declines in aging

Practices and Approaches of Out-of-School Time Programs Serving Immigrant and Refugee Youth

Opportunity to participate in an out-of-school time program may be a meaningful support mechanism towards school success and healthy development for immigrant and refugee children. This study extends existing research on best practices by examining the on-the-ground experiences of supporting immigrant and refugee youth in out-of-school time programs. Findings from semi-structured interviews with program directors in 17 Massachusetts and New Hampshire programs suggest a number of program strategies that were responsive to the needs of immigrant and refugee students, including support for the use of native language as well as English, knowing about and celebrating the heritage of the students’ homeland, including on staff or in leadership individuals with shared immigrant background, and giving consideration to the academic priorities of parents. The development of such intentional approaches to working with immigrant and refugee youth during the out-of-school time hours will encourage enrollment of, and enhance effectiveness with, this vulnerable population

Social Media Friends From Afterschool are Associated With Positive Youth Development in Digital Settings

Positive youth development has been extensively documented in contexts such as the family, school, and afterschool. Emerging theory and research indicate that digital contexts such as social media may also be venues through which young people develop skills and attributes associated with the 5 Cs model of positive youth development and thriving. This research attempted to understand if and how middle school youth’s in-person and online networks connect, and if they do connect, do these connections relate to engaging in beliefs and behaviors associated with PYD. Results suggest that in this sample, middle school youth include peers from afterschool in their online networks, and those who have friends from afterschool and school engaged in PYD- related social media behaviors at higher rates than those who were not connected to in-person networks. No association was found between the amount of time spent in after-school contexts and any of the positive or problematic social media outcomes in this study. Implications for youth development professionals considering the influence of social media on youth, and next steps for research on after-school activities and social media use of middle school youth are discussed