Addressing the Socioeconomic Determinants of Healthy Eating Habits and Physical Activity Levels Among Adolescents

Addressing the Socioeconomic Determinants of Healthy Eating Habits and Physical Activity Levels Among Adolescents PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Children
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Identifying Barriers to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in a Low-income Community in South-western Kansas

Identifying Barriers to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in a Low-income Community in South-western Kansas PDF Author: Janavi Kumar
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Obesity in adolescence is associated with a complex web of ecological, psychosocial, and physiological factors, and many of these factors relate to nutrition and physical activity behaviors. Before interventions are developed, researchers need to know what factors specifically influence an adolescent's food choices and physical activity within the community context. Cultural norms, school environment, and neighborhood attributes are examples of factors that may vary across different communities, and accounting for this variation can be quite challenging, unless community perspectives are acknowledged. The use of qualitative data from focus groups has shown to be an effective way of gathering community perspectives about the diversity of their views and experiences. The current study used focus groups to reveal facilitators and barriers to healthy eating behavior and physical activity engagement in 6th to 8th grade youth in a low-income community in South-Western Kansas. This methodology enabled community members (adolescents, parents, and teachers) to discuss and articulate their perceptions in relation to 6th to 8th grade youth's eating habits and physical activity, and assessed available resources, needs, and opportunities for developing effective and sustainable intervention approaches in the community. Using the socio-ecological model, individual influences (e.g., taste preferences), social influences (e.g., parent and peer influences), and larger contextual influences (e.g., school) on early adolescent health were assessed. This information will be used to develop interventions addressing factors at these different levels of influence that are needed to improve eating habits and physical activity of youth in the community.

Educating the Student Body

Educating the Student Body PDF Author: Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309283140
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 503

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Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

U.S. Health in International Perspective

U.S. Health in International Perspective PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309264146
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 421

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The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.

Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 8)

Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 8) PDF Author: Donald A. P. Bundy
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464804397
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 977

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Book Description
More children born today will survive to adulthood than at any time in history. It is now time to emphasize health and development in middle childhood and adolescence--developmental phases that are critical to health in adulthood and the next generation. Child and Adolescent Health and Development explores the benefits that accrue from sustained and targeted interventions across the first two decades of life. The volume outlines the investment case for effective, costed, and scalable interventions for low-resource settings, emphasizing the cross-sectoral role of education. This evidence base can guide policy makers in prioritizing actions to promote survival, health, cognition, and physical growth throughout childhood and adolescence.

Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents

Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents PDF Author: Antje Hebestreit
Publisher: MDPI
ISBN: 3039216007
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
In recent years, diet- and lifestyle-related disorders have become a major health threat in Europe and worldwide. The contributions in this monograph include 2 review articles and 19 original contributions from several countries that provide new information on the existing research elucidating important aspects of children’s and adolescents’ nutrition and lifestyle behavior. The data included in this Special Issue are from large epidemiological studies, including several multicenter and multinational studies, as well as datasets from surveillance initiatives. The topics of interest of this Special Issue include the co-occurrence of multiple health behaviors in children, the role of parenting and early feeding practices, dairy consumption in childhood, validity of dietary intake data, dietary supplement use in children, as well as socioeconomic disparities and eating culture. The diverse articles in this Special Issue highlight the complexity and extent to which nutrition and physical activity behaviors may influence different health aspects of children and adolescents. As seen by the various findings and recommendations, not only is more work in this area required but the translation of this work to practice and policy is imperative if we are to address the challenges impacting the nutrition, physical activity, and health of young populations.

"In Search of …"

Author: Airi-Alina Allaste
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443874906
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 335

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Book Description
This collection of fifteen methodological texts by a group of thirty international youth and social researchers is a polyphony of scholarly voices advancing the field of qualitative inquiry in youth studies. The book homes in on ways of adapting, remixing and reconsidering qualitative methods in order to better serve youth researchers in the twenty-first century. The texts included in this collection offer honest and open accounts of searching for, assembling, testing, and rejecting creative, well-known, or unconventional techniques from various methodical homes. As is emphasized in the title, this is not so much an overview as an inquiry into conducting youth research in an environment that is constantly transforming. Researchers are always seeking out the best ways to capture and (co)-produce meaning that can be used for the greater good. This book offers fresh interpretations of, and feedback on, inventive combinations of methods, research questions and theoretical frameworks. It will be of interest to all who work in youth studies and sociology, and particularly useful to postgraduate students, junior scholars, and established researchers seeking to branch out into new terrain.

The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century

The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309133181
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 536

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Book Description
The anthrax incidents following the 9/11 terrorist attacks put the spotlight on the nation's public health agencies, placing it under an unprecedented scrutiny that added new dimensions to the complex issues considered in this report. The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century reaffirms the vision of Healthy People 2010, and outlines a systems approach to assuring the nation's health in practice, research, and policy. This approach focuses on joining the unique resources and perspectives of diverse sectors and entities and challenges these groups to work in a concerted, strategic way to promote and protect the public's health. Focusing on diverse partnerships as the framework for public health, the book discusses: The need for a shift from an individual to a population-based approach in practice, research, policy, and community engagement. The status of the governmental public health infrastructure and what needs to be improved, including its interface with the health care delivery system. The roles nongovernment actors, such as academia, business, local communities and the media can play in creating a healthy nation. Providing an accessible analysis, this book will be important to public health policy-makers and practitioners, business and community leaders, health advocates, educators and journalists.

Communities in Action

Communities in Action PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309452961
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 583

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Book Description
In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Inequalities in Young People's Health

Inequalities in Young People's Health PDF Author: Candace Currie
Publisher: World Health Organization
ISBN: 9289071958
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
This international report from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) World Health Organization collaborative cross-national study [...] presents the key findings on patterns of health among young people in 41 countries and regions across Europe and North America. The document presents a status report on health, health-related behaviour and the social contexts of young people's health in 2005/2006 and provides the latest evidence from a unique cross-national study on the well-being of young people in industrialized nations. [...] In addition to presenting key statistics on young people's health, this report has a special focus on health inequalities. It presents data on gender, age and geographic and socioeconomic dimensions of health differentials. The aim of the report is to highlight where inequalities exist in aspects of young people's health and well-being in order to inform and influence policy and practice and to contribute to health improvement for all young people. [Ed.]