scholarly journals Regional Variations in Physical Fitness and Activity in Healthy and Overweight Ecuadorian Adolescents

Children ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Howe ◽  
Sharon Casapulla ◽  
Jay Shubrook ◽  
Pablo Lopez ◽  
Mario Grijalva ◽  
...  

Background: Insufficient physical activity (PA) and excessive sedentary behavior (SB) are the main contributors to adolescent obesity. However, it is uncertain whether recent economic growth and urbanization in Ecuador are contributing to an obesogenic environment. This study assessed the relationships among fitness, PA, SB, and perceived social support for PA in adolescents from urban (Quito) and rural (Loja) Ecuador. Methods: Fitness was estimated using 3-min step test and PA and SB participation and social support for PA were self-reported in 407 adolescents. T-tests and analysis of variance assessed differences by sex, obesity status, and region of Ecuador. Pearson correlations assessed relationships among PA, SB, fitness, and social support. Results: Males and rural adolescents (48.3 ± 9.4 and 47.1 ± 9.6 mL/kg/min) were more fit than females and urban adolescents (41.1 ± 7.5 and 39.7 ± 6.1 mL/kg/min). Fitness was negatively correlated with obesity only in rural Ecuador. Few adolescents reported ≥60 min/day of PA (8.4%) or ≤2 h/day of SB (30.2%), with greater SB participation in rural Ecuador. Weak correlations were observed among fitness, PA, SB, and parental/peer support for PA (r = −0.18 to 0.19; p < 0.05). Conclusion: While fitness varied by sex, weight status, and region, SB participation and parent/peer support for PA, not PA participation itself, predicted fitness in rural Ecuadorean adolescents.

2021 ◽  
pp. 002202212110323
Author(s):  
Jessica McKenzie ◽  
José J. Reyes ◽  
Kajai C. Xiong ◽  
Alysia Corona ◽  
Chelsee Armsworthy

Although taboo given the traditional Thai value of female sexual conservatism, sex work is a practice for which Thailand has gained international attention. As in other rapidly globalizing contexts, however, Thai youth are increasingly exposed to global values of gender equality, self-fulfillment, and personal choice. This may, in turn, alter youth perspectives of this taboo yet pervasive practice. To understand how Thai youth negotiate local and global values when considering sex work, this study examined the moral evaluations and moral reasoning of adolescents residing in variously globalized communities. Forty participants (20 adolescents in each a more and a less globalized Thai setting) participated in interviews in which they discussed their perspectives of sex work. Quantitative analysis of moral evaluations revealed that rural and urban adolescents alike deemed sex work as mostly morally wrong. Qualitative analysis of moral reasoning revealed that both participant groups prioritized Thai values of sexual purity for women, shame avoidance, and reputation maintenance. Yet distinct values were also endorsed across participant groups. Rural adolescents centered local values (e.g., relational choice, women’s dignity, Buddhist divinity) and urban adolescents drew heavily from global values (e.g., autonomous choice, romantic love, international reputation) when reasoning about the morality and immorality of sex work. Findings point to the manner in which contextual realities shape—and reshape—cultural values in this rapidly globalizing nation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 492-510
Author(s):  
Melissa Garabiles

This study investigated left-behind Filipino fathers and their involvement as child caregivers. It hypothesized that social support and well-being predict paternal involvement, with well-being as the mediator. Results showed that familial and peer support predicted involvement, with well-being as mediator. Spousal support did not predict involvement or well-being. Findings highlight the importance of familial and peer support to left-behind fathers. Interactions between significant predictors of involvement present novel pathways to childcare. The non-significant role of spousal support is discussed in the context of transnational migration. Several interventions involving families and peers are suggested.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105984052110389
Author(s):  
Lorraine B. Robbins ◽  
Jiying Ling ◽  
Mei-Wei Chang

The study purpose was to examine whether adolescents who participated in organized physical activity (PA) programs differed from nonparticipants in motivation, social support, and self-efficacy related to PA; PA (min/hr); and sedentary screen time behavior. Thirty-nine 5th–7th grade adolescents participated in organized PA programs; 41 did not. Approximately 56.3% were Black, and 52.5% had annual family incomes <$20,000. Compared to nonparticipants, those who participated reported significantly higher social support ( M = 2.32 vs. 3.13, p < .001) and fewer hours watching television or movies on a usual weekend day ( M = 2.49 vs. 1.59, p = .016); and had higher accelerometer-measured vigorous PA ( M = 0.58 vs. 1.04, p = .009) and moderate-to-vigorous PA ( M = 2.48 vs. 3.45, p = .035). Involving adolescents in organized PA programs may be important for improving their moderate-to-vigorous PA, vigorous PA, and related psychosocial factors, as well as reducing sedentary screen time behavior.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-161
Author(s):  
Nurmukaromatis Saleha ◽  
Rina Delfina ◽  
Nurlaili Nurlaili ◽  
Fourni Ardiansyah ◽  
Mercy Nafratilova

The Covid-19 outbreak has psychological impacts on frontline medical personnel at risk of infection. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of online affirmations and peer support on medical personnel stress level in dealing with Covid-19 patients, as well as social support and spiritual intelligence's influence. It was a quasi-experiment with pre- and post-test administered to 25 and 30 medical personnel as the intervention and control groups, respectively. The intervention was carried out on WhatsApp group for 4 weeks. The stress level pair T-test results showed p = 0.000 in the intervention group and p = 0.238 in the control, while the independent T-test results showed p = 0.009. Social support did not affect medical personnel’s stress (p=0.978), but the effect of spiritual intelligence was significant (p=0.000). According to the results of multiple regression test conducted using the Enter method, the coefficient value (R2) = 0.584. This intervention was effective in helping medical personnel to manage stress. Hence, hospital managers need to carry out stress management training to maintain medical personnel’s mental health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimin Lai ◽  
Chang Su ◽  
Shasha Song ◽  
Mingxia Yan ◽  
Chengmeng Tang ◽  
...  

Objective: To explore the change in the prevalence and association of depression and deliberate self-harm and their common and independent influencing factors among western Chinese rural adolescents.Methods: A total of 2,744 junior and senior high school students from two rural schools in Sichuan Province, China, participated in the baseline survey and were invited to participate in two follow-up surveys. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, a deliberate self-harm item, the Social Support Rating Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale were administered. A bivariate four-level logistic regression model was used for analysis.Results: The prevalence of depression and deliberate self-harm were 39.6 and 21.2%, respectively. Regular physical exercise, a good relationship with parents, high resilience, and high self-esteem were common protective factors for both depression and deliberate self-harm. Feeling disliked by teachers was a common risk factor for both. Being female, having a mother who emigrated as a migrant worker before the student was 3 years old, feeling disliked by classmates and having a poor family economic status were associated only with an increased risk of depression. Participants with medium social support were less likely to report deliberate self-harm than those with low or high support. Depression and deliberate self-harm were clustered at the class level.Conclusions: The comorbidity of depression and deliberate self-harm in rural adolescents should be given ample attention. Interventions should consider the class clustering of depression and deliberate self-harm and their common and unique influencing factors.


Author(s):  
Aaron Dickinson Sachs

In this reflexive autoethnography, the author uses performative writing and evocative personal narrative to recount the dissolution of his parents’ relationship and explore the implications of such dissolutions for children of same-sex relationships. The lack of legal and social support structures available to LGBTQ families in the 1980s, and the prevalence of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric focused on the effects of LGBTQ parents on children, both increased the already traumatic impact of family dissolution on the author. As a child, like members of many groups under “political threat,” the author feared that discussing the difficulty of his parents’ separation would validate anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. For the author, labeling the dissolution of his parents’ relationship as “divorce,” and finding friendship with other young people from divorced families, was insufficient; only peer support from other people with LGBTQ parents helped the author to find a safe space to share the trauma of parental relationship dissolution.


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