Do drinking motives mediate the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and alcohol use among adolescents?

Funding: Funding for the Scottish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children was provided by NHS Scotland. This work was also supported by the 600th Anniversary Ph.D. Scholarship which was awarded to Gina Martin by the University of St Andrews.Adolescents not only vary in their alcohol use behavior but also in their motivations for drinking. Young people living in different neighborhoods may drink for different reasons. The aims of this study were to determine if neighborhood characteristics were associated with adolescent drinking motives, and whether drinking motives mediate the relationship between neighborhood context and regular alcohol use. Data from the Scottish Health Behaviours in School-aged Children 2010 survey of students in their 4th year of secondary school were used. The study included 1119 participants who had data on neighborhood characteristics and had used alcohol in the past year. Students were asked questions about the local area where they lived, their alcohol use, and their motives for drinking alcohol, based on the Drinking Motives Questionnaire Revised Short Form (DMQR-SF). Multilevel multivariable models and structural equation models were used in this study. Coping motives showed significant variation across neighborhoods. Structural equation models showed coping motives mediated the relationships between neighborhood deprivation, living in an accessible small-town, and neighborhood-level disorder with regular alcohol use. Public health policies that improve neighborhood conditions and develop adaptive strategies, aimed at improving alcohol-free methods for young people to cope better with life’s stresses, may be particularly effective in reducing inequalities in adolescent alcohol use if targeted at small towns and areas of increased deprivation.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Trends in bullying victimization in Scottish adolescents (1994-2014) : changing associations with mental well-being

Objectives Bullying victimization among schoolchildren is a major public health concern. This paper aims to analyse the changing associations over two decades between bullying victimization and mental well-being in a representative Scottish schoolchildren sample. Methods Data were collected in six rounds of the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in Scotland, with 42,312 adolescents (aged 11, 13 and 15 years). Logistic and linear regression were used to examine changes in the association between bullying victimization and mental well-being. Results The prevalence of bullying victimization rates in Scotland increased between 1994 and 2014 for most age-gender groups, apart from 13-year old boys and 15-year old girls. Over time, female victims reported less confidence and happiness and more psychological complaints than their nonbullied counterparts. This worsening effect over time was not observed in boys. Conclusions Overall, our evidence indicates that the associations between bullying victimization and poor mental well-being strengthened overtime for bullied girls. This finding might partly explain the observed deterioration in mental health indicators among Scottish adolescent girls.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Comparisons in screen-time behaviours among adolescents with and without long-term illnesses or disabilities: results from 2013/14 HBSC study

Reducing sedentary behaviours can help prevent non-communicable diseases, particularly among young adolescents with long term illnesses or disabilities (LTID). Much of young people’s voluntary sedentary time is related to screen-time behaviours (STBs) such as TV viewing, playing computer games, and using the computer for other activities. Although public health data on adolescents’ STB is growing, information about adolescents with LTID is currently lacking in a European context. The purpose of this study is to compare time on STBs between adolescents with and without LTID in European Countries through the HBSC 2013/14 study. Young adolescents (n = 61,329; boys 47.8%) from 15 European countries reported the time spent on TV viewing, playing computer games, and using the computer for other purposes on weekdays and the weekend. STBs were dichotomised based on international recommendations of less than 2 h per day, and Chi-square tests of independence were performed to investigate differences. STB time was combined to produce a sum score as dependent variable in multiple analysis of covariance with age and family affluence as covariates. There were statistically significant differences in computer gaming among boys and other computer use among girls for both weekdays and weekends, whereby adolescents with LTID reported higher use. In addition, both boys and girls with LTID spent more time on STBs than their same sex peers without LTID (Boys, F = 28.17, p < 0.001; Girls, F = 9.60, p = 0.002). The results of this study indicate a need for preventive strategies to address high levels of STB among young adolescents with LTID and reduce the risk of poor health outcomes associated with higher levels of sedentary behaviour

Parental and peer influences on physical activity among Scottish adolescents: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND:This study investigated parental and peer influences on physical activity, examining gender and developmental differences during early-mid adolescence. METHODS:A 5-year longitudinal study tracking physical activity (measured by PAQ-C) among adolescents (n = 641) from final year of primary (P7) to fourth year of secondary school (S4). Peer support, peer socializing, parental support, and independent play were assessed. Logistic regression predicted physical activity, by year and gender, in relation to social influences. RESULTS:Boys reported higher physical activity, peer support, paternal support, and independent play than girls. Among both genders, peer, paternal, and maternal support decreased with age, whereas independent play increased. Time with friends was particularly important. Among high socializers (P7), odds of being active were over 3 times those of low socializers [boys: 3.53 (95% CI 1.77, 7.04), girls: 3.27 (95% CI 1.80, 5.92)]. Baseline physical activity was also a strong predictor among early secondary boys (OR 3.90 95% CI 2.10, 7.24) and girls (OR 4.15, 95% CI 2.00, 8.62). Parental support was less important than peer influences; only same-sex parental support remained significant in multivariables models. CONCLUSIONS:Parents and peers have important influences on adolescent physical activity. Significant gender and developmental effects are apparent through early-mid adolescence

Conceptualizing, measuring and evaluating constructs of the adolescent neighbourhood social environment:A systematic review

Interest in the effects of neighbourhood social dimensions on adolescent health and well-being has recently increased. A number of measures have been used in studies of adolescents’ neighbourhood social environments yet no consensus exists on how these measures are conceptualised or operationalised. To better understand associations between the neighbourhood social environment and adolescent outcomes, reliable and valid measures are required. Accordingly, this paper presents findings from a systematic review of instruments used to measure adolescents’ neighbourhood social environment. Searches were conducted across six databases (Medline, Scopus, Applied Social Science Index and Abstracts, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, and PsycInfo) to identify studies that measured adolescents’ perspectives of their neighbourhood social environment. Quality assessment was conducted using a modified version of the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments and studies were excluded on the basis of quality of the reporting. Items and constructs were coded thematically to better understand the original conceptualisation. Out of 13,689 unique articles screened, 205 reported on measures of the adolescent neighbourhood social environment and 32 (with a total of 56 measures) met the required level of reporting quality and were included in a narrative synthesis. There was considerable heterogeneity in both the conceptualisations and the items used in measuring adolescent neighbourhood social environmental constructs. Only one construct, neighbourhood social control, was deemed distinct from other concepts. Constructs of disorder and safety also appeared distinct from constructs such as support, cohesion, and attachment/sense of community and belonging which use a high proportion of measures that deal with relationships and ties within the community. Based on these findings we recommend refined conceptualisation and improved transparency in the reporting of measures in order to promote comparability of studies and move the field forward

Inequality trends in general health among young people across the 2001, 2011, and 2021 UK censuses

Funding: This study is part of the PhD project KM is undertaking at the University of St Andrews as a member of staff. Therefore, there was no specific funding associated with completing this study. JI is supported by the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00022/1) and the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate (SHPSU16).Background Evidence on health inequalities among young people is patchy compared to that among adults and younger children. This study examined the association between self-rated general health and a family’s socioeconomic position among 10–24 year olds. Methods We utilised 2001, 2011 and 2021 census microdata from England and Wales, and 2001 and 2011 data from Scotland. Descriptive methods were used to determine differences in general health status by sociodemographic variables, and logistic regression analysis to calculate the odds of reporting poor health according to the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC) of the household reference person (HRP). Logistic regression models controlled for the effects of age, gender, household-level deprivation of education and housing, and UK region. Results We observed the same socioeconomic patterning of health over the period of twenty years. All occupational groups had higher rates of poor health compared to the least disadvantaged group of young people. Compared to young people from households where the HRP belonged to the managerial or professional NS-SEC group, all other groups, except those self-employed in 2001, had greater odds of reporting poor health. The odds were highest among young people from households where the HRP had never worked or was long-term unemployed: 2.7 times in 2001, 3.1 times in 2011 and 3.6 times in 2021 (p<0.001). Conclusions We observed a similar social gradient of self-reported poor health across the 2001, 2011 and 2021 census datasets; as disadvantage increased, the share of young people with fair or poor health increasedPeer reviewe

Associations between recent contraceptive use and first sex behaviors of Scottish adolescents : a brief report

Funding: Funding for the Scottish HBSC Survey was provided by Public Health Scotland (previously, NHS Health Scotland). This work also was supported by the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00022/1) and the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate (SPHSU16).Objective s We examined associations between recent contraceptive use and first-sex behaviors (early initiation, substance use, contraceptive use) among adolescents in Scotland. Methods We used data from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children study. Results Controlling for early initiation and substance use, girls and boys who used contraceptives at first sex were 7.5 and 12.3 times more likely to use contraceptives at most recent sexual intercourse than adolescents who did not (p < .001). We also present preliminary evidence on contraceptive use of Scottish adolescents in 2022. Conclusions Experiences during adolescents’ first sex may have lasting implications for later sexual behavior.Peer reviewe

Associations between recent contraceptive use and first sex behaviors of Scottish adolescents : a brief report

Funding: Funding for the Scottish HBSC Survey was provided by Public Health Scotland (previously, NHS Health Scotland). This work also was supported by the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00022/1) and the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate (SPHSU16).Objective s We examined associations between recent contraceptive use and first-sex behaviors (early initiation, substance use, contraceptive use) among adolescents in Scotland. Methods We used data from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children study. Results Controlling for early initiation and substance use, girls and boys who used contraceptives at first sex were 7.5 and 12.3 times more likely to use contraceptives at most recent sexual intercourse than adolescents who did not (p < .001). We also present preliminary evidence on contraceptive use of Scottish adolescents in 2022. Conclusions Experiences during adolescents’ first sex may have lasting implications for later sexual behavior.Peer reviewe

Conceptualisation of health among young people : a protocol for systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies

Self-reported health is a widely used health indicator in surveys and questionnaires. The measure gained attention when research identified its association with mortality in the 1970s and 1980s. The measure is also associated with morbidity and other health outcomes such as the utilisation of health services. Self-reported health is a particularly useful measure for young people because this age group is generally clinically healthy. However, it is known that many chronic conditions have long latency periods that are initiated early in life. Because of its predictive nature, self-reported health can be used to estimate young people’s current and future health. Despite its widespread use, however, self-reported health remains a poorly understood concept. This paper presents the protocol for a systematic review that will identify and synthesise qualitative studies that investigate the factors that are considered by young people when they assess their health, and when they talk about health overall.Peer reviewe