The aim of this study was to look at a cohort of adolescents who were already enrolled in a randomized controlled trial to see (1) how demographics were associated with hurricane impact, and (2) how hurricane impact was associated with reported asthma quality of life.

One hundred fifty-one adolescents ages 11-17 and their parents enrolled in a randomized controlled trial at 2 sites in southeastern North Carolina completed questions about asthma quality of life, demographics, and the impact of Hurricane Matthew.

The most common effects of Hurricane Matthew were that the family’s home was damaged or flooded (32.5%), the school was damaged or flooded (31.8%), and the home had mold or mildew as a result of flooding or damage (25.8%). Problems with access to care were more common for families whose adolescent was non-White (P = 0.04), on Medicaid (P = 0.05), or if the family spoke Spanish at home (P < 0.001). Being affected by the hurricane was negatively associated with asthma quality of life.

Hurricane Matthew had significant impact on the health of adolescents with asthma in the affected region, especially in the most vulnerable populations. Providers should ensure that families of adolescents with asthma have a hurricane plan to mitigate impact on their children’s health.

To assess the extent to which mandatory Guidelines to improve the school food environment were being implemented in Costa Rican high schools and to explore the perspectives of key policy actors towards the Guidelines.

Semi-structured interviews and site observations. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and imported to NVivo 12 for analysis. Inductive and deductive themes were identified, and elements of the RE-AIM framework and the social process framework were used when classifying these themes.

Sixteen public high schools in San José, Costa Rica.

High school principal and kiosk concessionaires

Products that did not adhere to the Guidelines were still widely available in schools, and amongst the most prevalent challenges to implementation that emerged from our interviews, were a lack of understanding of the policy content, a lack of monitoring and accountability, and competing values amongst actors which affected their views on the role that the school must have in offering a healthy food environment.

Most products offered in high schools did not meet the criteria required by the mandatory Guidelines, and several contextual factors were found to influence implementation. Strengthening the implementation of the Costa Rican Guidelines will require further actions at the governmental and school levels.

Graded exercises tests are performed in adult populations; nonetheless, the use of this type of assessment is greatly understudied in overweight and obese adolescents.

To investigate heart rate autonomic responses to submaximal aerobic exercise in obese and overweight adolescents.

We recruited 40 adolescents divided into two groups: (1) overweight group comprising 10 boys and 10 girls between Z-score +1 and +2 and (2) obese group comprising 10 boys and 10 girls above Z-score >+2. Heart rate variability was analysed before (T1) and after exercise (T2–T4) on treadmill at a slope of 0%, with 70% of the maximal estimated heart rate (220 – age) for 20 minutes.

Heart rate in the overweight group was: 93.2±10.52 bpm versus 120.8±13.49 bpm versus 94.6±11.65 bpm versus 93.0±9.23 bpm, and in the obese group was: 92.0±15.41 bpm versus 117.6±16.31 bpm versus 92.1±12.9 bpm versus 91.8±14.33 bpm. High frequency in the overweight group was: 640±633.1 ms2 versus 84±174.66 ms2 versus 603.5±655.31 ms2 versus 762.6±807.21 ms2, and in the obese group was: 628.4±779.81 ms2 versus 65.4±119.34 ms2 versus 506.2±482.70 ms2 versus 677.9±939.05 ms2; and root mean square of successive differences in the overweight group was: 37.9±18.81 ms versus 10.9±8.41 ms versus 32.8±24.07 ms versus 36.7±21.86 ms, and in the obese group was: 38.7±23.17 ms versus 11.5±8.62 ms versus 32.3±16.74 ms versus 37.3±24.21 ms. These values significantly changed during exercise compared with resting values in overweight and obese groups. Moreover, we also reported no significant difference of resting parasympathetic control of heart rate between obese and overweight adolescents.

There was no significant difference of autonomic responses elicited by submaximal aerobic exercise between overweight and obese adolescents.

Evidence suggests adolescent self-esteem is influenced by beliefs of how individuals in their reference group perceive them. However, few studies examine how gender- and violence-related social norms affect self-esteem among refugee populations. This paper explores relationships between gender inequitable and victim-blaming social norms, personal attitudes, and self-esteem among adolescent girls participating in a life skills program in three Ethiopian refugee camps.

Ordinary least squares multivariable regression analysis was used to assess the associations between attitudes and social norms, and self-esteem. Key independent variables of interest included a scale measuring personal attitudes toward gender inequitable norms, a measure of perceived injunctive norms capturing how a girl believed her family and community would react if she was raped, and a peer-group measure of collective descriptive norms surrounding gender inequity. The key outcome variable, self-esteem, was measured using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale.

Girl's personal attitudes toward gender inequitable norms were not significantly predictive of self-esteem at endline, when adjusting for other covariates. Collective peer norms surrounding the same gender inequitable statements were significantly predictive of self-esteem at endline (ß = −0.130; p  =  0.024). Additionally, perceived injunctive norms surrounding family and community-based sanctions for victims of forced sex were associated with a decline in self-esteem at endline (ß = −0.103; p  =  0.014). Significant findings for collective descriptive norms and injunctive norms remained when controlling for all three constructs simultaneously.

Findings suggest shifting collective norms around gender inequity, particularly at the community and peer levels, may sustainably support the safety and well-being of adolescent girls in refugee settings.

Qualitative research methods embedded within feasibility trials are of significant value as they can provide important information for a definitive trial, often unable to be fulfilled by quantitative methods alone. In addition, such information can aid researchers running other trials or evaluating interventions on a similar topic.

This study aimed to explore GP and nurses’ experiences of recruiting to a trial exploring the feasibility of evaluating YP Face IT, a novel online psychosocial intervention to support young people with appearance-altering conditions.

During the recruitment period, a focus group with participating GPs and nurses explored recruitment challenges. In addition, at the end of the recruitment period, telephone interviews were conducted with eight GPs and nurses involved in recruiting to the study, in order to inform a definitive trial of YP Face IT. Transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis.

Despite reporting that the study was valuable and interesting, interviewees struggled to recruit in-consultation. They appeared to lack confidence in raising the sensitive issue of a visible difference and adopted strategies to avoid mentioning the topic. Participants felt the nature of the target population, as well as pressures of the primary care environment presented challenges to recruitment, but welcomed YP Face IT as an intervention that could address unmet support needs. Primary care staff may benefit from training to help them raise the subject of a visible difference with young people in order to identify those that require additional support.

To analyse the dietary intake of Brazilian adolescents and investigate its association with sociodemographic factors as well as health-risk and health-protective behaviours.

Cross-sectional study.

The study was based on data supplied by the National Survey of Schoolchildren’s Health (2012) on sociodemographic factors, dietary intake and health-risk and health-protective behaviours of schoolchildren in Brazil. A nutritional scale was elaborated combining markers of healthy and unhealthy diets. Poisson regression analysis was applied to investigate the association between the sociodemographic factors and regular intake (≥5 times/week) of selected foods; linear regression analysis was applied to investigate the association of sociodemographic and behavioural factors with nutritional scale score.

A total of 109 104 adolescents attending the ninth year of education at 2842 schools in Brazil.

Fewer than 30 % of the adolescents consumed raw or cooked vegetables on a regular basis, whereas more than one-third reported regular intake of sweets, soft drinks and sweet biscuits. Adolescents from the southern area and the oldest ones were those most exposed to inadequate dietary intake. The nutritional scale average score was higher in the students attending public school and exhibited a positive correlation with protective behaviours, such as being physically active, having meals with parents and eating breakfast, and a negative correlation with risk behaviours such as eating while studying or watching television and having smoked, drunk alcohol or used other drugs in the previous 30 d.

The results indicate an association between undesirable nutritional habits and other risk behaviours among Brazilian adolescents.

To investigate the relationships between food poverty and food consumption, health and life satisfaction among schoolchildren.

Analysis of the 2002 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, a cross-sectional survey that employs a self-completion questionnaire in a nationally representative random sample of school classrooms in the Republic of Ireland.

A total of 8424 schoolchildren (aged 10–17 years) from 176 schools, with an 83% response rate from children.

Food poverty was found to be similarly distributed among the three social classes (15.3% in the lower social classes, 15.9% in the middle social classes and 14.8% in the higher social classes). It was also found that schoolchildren reporting food poverty are less likely to eat fruits, vegetables and brown bread, odds ratio (OR) from 0.66 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.45–0.87) to 0.81 (95% CI 0.63–0.99); more likely to eat crisps, fried potatoes and hamburgers, OR from 1.20 (95% CI 1.00–1.40) to 1.62 (95% CI 1.39–1.85); and more likely to miss breakfast on weekdays, OR from 1.29 (95% CI 0.33–1.59) to 1.72 (95% CI 1.50–1.95). The risk of somatic and mental symptoms is also increased, OR from 1.48 (95% CI 1.18–1.78) to 2.57 (95% CI 2.33–2.81); as are negative health perceptions, OR from 0.63 (95% CI 0.43–0.83) to 0.52 (95% CI 0.28–0.76) and measures of life dissatisfaction, OR from 1.88 (95% CI 1.64–2.12) to 2.25 (95% CI 2.05–2.45). Similar results were found for life dissatisfaction in an international comparison of 32 countries. All analyses were adjusted for age and social class.

Food poverty in schoolchildren is not restricted to those from lower social class families, is associated with a substantial risk to physical and mental health and well-being, and requires the increased attention of policy makers and practitioners.