Adolescent Bullying Involvement and Perceived Family, Peer and School Relations: Commonalities and Differences Across Race/Ethnicity

Although bullying is recognized as a serious problem in the U.S., little is known about racial/ethnic differences in bullying risk. This study examined associations between bullying and family, peer, and school relations for White, Black and Hispanic adolescents

Adolescent sleep insufficiency one year after high school

Introduction Sleep difficulties affect approximately 45% of adolescents and are associated with health consequences such as depression and obesity. Sleep duration immediately following high school is not well understood, especially for those not pursuing post-secondary education. We examined adolescent sleep insufficiency and its association with school and work status. Methods Data were collected in 2012 and 2013 as part of the NEXT Generation Health Study (NEXT), a nationally representative, longitudinal study of U.S. adolescents. Self-reported sleep was compared with guidelines for healthy sleep. Results On weekdays, 31% reported less than 7 h of sleep; which reduced to 6% on weekends. Average weekday sleep was 7.4 h and weekend sleep was 9.2 h. Few results emerged from interaction analyses comparing different work and school statuses. Conclusions This study captures sleep habits of adolescents one year after high school regardless of school and/or working status. Implications and future directions are discussed

Greater Food Reward Sensitivity Is Associated with More Frequent Intake of Discretionary Foods in a Nationally Representative Sample of Young Adults

Food reward sensitivity may influence individual susceptibility to an environment replete with highly palatable foods of minimal nutritional value. These foods contain combinations of added sugar, fat, and/or salt that may enhance their motivational salience. This study examined associations of food reward sensitivity with eating behaviors in the NEXT Generation Health Study, a nationally representative sample of US young adults. Participants (n=2202) completed self-report measures including the Power of Food Scale, assessing food reward sensitivity, and intake frequency of 14 food groups. Multiple linear regressions estimated associations of food reward sensitivity with each of the eating behaviors adjusting for covariates. Higher food reward sensitivity was associated with more frequent intake of fast food (b±linearized SE=0.24±0.05,p<.001), sweet and salty snacks (0.21±0.05,p<0.001), foods made with cheese (0.14±0.06,p=0.03), soda (0.12±0.04,p=0.009), processed meats (0.12±0.05,p=0.045), and fish (0.08±0.03 p=0.03), but was not associated with intake frequency of fruit or juice, green or orange vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts/seeds, or dairy products. Food reward sensitivity was associated with greater intake of discretionary foods, but was not associated with intake of most health-promoting foods, suggesting food reward sensitivity may lead to preferential intake of unhealthful foods