Young parents’ experiences and perceptions of ‘Teen Mom’ reality shows

MTV’s hit reality shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom were produced with an agenda of preventing teen pregnancy. Researchers have examined their effectiveness as behavioral interventions, yet little attention has been paid to experiences of young parents themselves with these shows, nor to their ethical consequences, including the potential for compounding of stigma against young parents. This analysis qualitatively examines the experiences of young parents in British Columbia, Canada, with the media phenomenon referred to as ‘Teen Mom shows.’ Interview and observation data from a large, longitudinal, mixed-methods ethnographic study of young parents was analyzed using hybrid deductive-inductive qualitative content analysis. The dominant understanding was that Teen Mom depictions of young parenting were inaccurate and overly dramatic. Young mothers and fathers experienced stigma and judgement that directly or indirectly referred to Teen Mom portrayals of young mothers as immature, dramatic, and promiscuous, and young fathers as absentee parents

Ethics, effectiveness and population health information interventions: a Canadian analysis

Population health information interventions (PHIIs) use information in efforts to promote health. PHIIs may push information to a target audience (communication), pull information from the public (surveillance), or combine both in a bidirectional intervention. Although PHIIs have often been framed as non-invasive and ethically innocuous, in reality they may be intrusive into people’s lives, affecting not only their health but their senses of security, respect, and self-determination. Ethical acceptability of PHIIs may have impacts on intervention effectiveness, potentially giving rise to unintended consequences. This article examines push, pull, and bidirectional PHIIs using empirical data from an ethnographic study of young mothers in Greater Vancouver, Canada. Data were collected from October 2013 to December 2014 via naturalistic observation and individual interviews with 37 young mothers ages 16-22. Transcribed interviews and field notes were analyzed using inductive qualitative thematic analysis. Both push and pull interventions were experienced as non-neutral by the target population, and implementation factors on a structural and individual scale affected intervention ethics and effectiveness. Based on our findings, we suggest that careful ethical consideration be applied to use of PHIIs as health promotion tools. Advancing the ‘ethics of PHIIs’ will benefit from empirical data that is informed by information and computer science theory and methods. Information technologies, digital health promotion services, and integrated surveillance programs reflect important areas for investigation in terms of their effects and ethics. Health promotion researchers, practitioners, and ethicists should explore these across contexts and populations

Difficulty Accessing Syringes Mediates the Relationship Between Methamphetamine Use and Syringe Sharing Among Young Injection Drug Users

Injection drug users (IDU) who use methamphetamine (MA) are at an increased risk of HIV infection due to engagement in injection-related risk behavior including syringe sharing. In this cohort study of young IDU aged 18-30, we investigated the relationship between injection MA use and syringe sharing, and whether difficulty accessing sterile syringes mediated this association. Behavioral questionnaires were completed by 384 IDU in Vancouver, Canada between October 2005 and May 2008. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate direct and indirect effects. The median age of participants was 24 (IQR: 22–27) and 214 (55.7%) were male. Injecting MA was independently associated with syringe sharing. Mediation analyses revealed that difficulty accessing sterile syringes partially mediated the association between injecting MA and syringe sharing. Interventions to reduce syringe sharing among young methamphetamine injectors must address social and structural barriers to accessing HIV prevention programs

The experiences of Consortiums and Networks as a tool for the development of healthy urban planning

La implicación de diferentes sectores e instituciones en la planificación y gestión de los intereses comunes es una de las premisas centrales de las aproximaciones de la gobernanza, especialmente cuando estos intereses están relacionados con el desarrollo de ambientes urbanos saludables. Nuestro principal objetivo es describir ejemplos de Brasil y Canadá, que ilustran cómo el fortalecimiento de las capacidades colectivas puede ayudar a la planificación de ambientes saludables. Describimos la formación a ravés de redes sociotécnicas y de la participación social en el desarrollo de políticas públicas para comunidades urbanas. Comparamos diferentes técnicas para el desarrollo de redes y consorcios, identificando sus fortalezas y limitaciones. Los resultados demuestran la importancia de adaptar las oportunidades de participación considerando el contexto local y las necesidades de la planificación, señalando la importancia de la participación en la toma de decisiones. Las redes y herramientas de gobernanza tales como a participación social, el fortalecimiento y la comunidad ntersectorial, colaboran en el desarrollo y la expansión de espacios nclusivos y planes de ambientes saludables

Sex and straight young men: challenging and endorsing hegemonic masculinities and gender regimes

Young men are considered to have power and to be powerful in many social settings and in particular within the realm of sexual relations. This article details research that directly asks young men how they perceive, interact with, and deploy power within intimate heterosexual relationships. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 Canadian-based young men (aged 17-22 years) to explore how power was understood and enacted within their intimate heterosexual relationships. A social constructionist gendered analysis was used to inductively derive themes and situate the experiences of the participants within societal discourses of hegemonic masculinities and gender regimes. Power within relationships was most often described as operating equitably, with a few participants describing the deployment of power in coercive/controlling ways. Results reveal that the use of power by men can be understood as challenging or endorsing hegemonic masculinities and traditional heterosexual gender regimes. By including young men's voices in such discussions, our research contributes important understandings and some traction towards describing what might constitute more equitable gender and power relations

Correlates of Suicidality Among A Community-Based Cohort of Women Sex Workers: The Protective Effect of Social Cohesion

Suicide is a critical public health concern globally. Sex workers experience a disproportionate burden of social and health inequities driven by forms of violence, stigma, and criminalization, yet empirical research on suicidality is limited. This study longitudinally investigated the burden and socio-structural correlates of recent suicidality among women sex workers in Vancouver, Canada. Data (2010-2017) were drawn from a community-based, prospective cohort of cis and trans women sex workers across Metro Vancouver. Women completed biannual interviewer-administered questionnaires, and correlates of suicidality in the last 6 months were analyzed using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression with generalized estimating equations (GEE). Of 867 women at baseline, 48% (n = 413) reported lifetime suicidality, 16% (n = 141) reported suicidality in the last 6 months, and 29% reported suicidality at some point during the study. In multivariable analysis, factors independently associated with suicidality included physical/sexual childhood abuse (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.99; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.75, 5.10]), mental health issues (depression/anxiety/posttraumatic stress disorder; AOR = 2.19; 95% CI = [1.63, 2.95]), intimate partner violence (AOR: 2.11; 95% CI = [1.60, 2.80]), physical/sexual client violence (AOR: 1.82; 95% CI = [1.33, 2.50]), and homelessness (AOR: 1.44; 95% CI = [1.10, 1.89]). Older age (AOR: 0.97; 95% CI = [0.95, 0.99]) and higher social cohesion (AOR: 0.88; 95% CI = [0.78, 0.99]) were significantly associated with reduced odds of suicidality. Findings reveal key socio-structural correlates of suicidality among sex workers including experiences of historical and interpersonal violence, trauma/mental health issues, and homelessness. Strengthening social cohesion may have a protective effect on suicidality. Trauma-informed community-led structural interventions tailored to sex workers are urgently needed alongside a legal framework that enables collectivization and connectedness

Associations between household educational attainment and adolescent positive mental health in Canada

Investigating the determinants of positive mental health, as opposed to focusing on mental illness, is a new research direction with important implications for population health promotion. Past research suggests that mental health develops in early childhood and that social factors including highest household educational attainment may play an important role. The current study examined the association between household educational attainment and adolescent self-reported positive mental health in a nationally representative Canadian sample using data from the 2011-12 Canadian Community Health Survey. The sample included 10,091 adolescents aged 12 to19 living at home with at least one parent. Household educational attainment was obtained from a Statistics Canada derived variable documenting the highest level of education in the household. Adolescent positive mental health was assessed using the Mental Health Continuum scale. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that after adjusting for household income, single parent status, and household size, adolescents had lower odds of experiencing positive mental health in households in which attempted but not completed post-secondary was the highest education level compared to completed post-secondary education (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.44, 0.95). This association was strongest in adolescents aged 12 to14 (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.21, 0.84) and females (OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.29, 0.88). Contrary to expectations, we did not find an incremental increasing association between adolescent positive mental health and household educational attainment. Instead, results suggested that common underlying factors may have contributed both to uncompleted post-secondary education in the household and adolescents’ diminished positive mental health

Young people's perspectives on the use of reverse discourse in web-based sexual-health interventions

Web-based sexual-health promotion efforts often utilise reverse discourse - the acknowledgement and rejection of shame associated with stigmatised terms - both to challenge judgments about 'risky' behaviours (e.g., casual sex) and to appeal to young people. This study examines the use of reverse discourse in Internet-based sexual-health promotion and analyses young people's perspectives on this approach. During in-depth interviews and focus groups with young people (aged 15-24), participants shared their perspectives on written (e.g., clinical language; colloquial language) and visual (e.g., generic, stock images; sexualised images) depictions of sexual-health topics on the websites. More explicit styles elicited negative responses from young people in terms of perceived appeal, trust and quality of websites. Negative social mores were associated with some of the more explicit portrayals of young people's sexual lives on the websites, revealing how reverse discourse re-stigmatises young people by re-emphasising young people's sexual activity as inherently risky or immoral. Reverse discourse was perceived to have negative effects on the saliency and credibility of online sexual-health information. We discuss the theoretical basis for the operationalisation of reverse discourse in this context, and discuss the importance of considering sociotechnical aspects of Internet-based sexual-health interventions