Society For Prevention Research Meeting Features New Research On Issues Affecting Youth

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness;  Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs;  Conferences
Article Date: 30 May 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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Obesity, impact of alcohol ads on adolescents, prescription drug use, and impact of neighborhoods on violence among several new studies being presented at San Francisco meeting, May 27-30, 2008

Leading researchers in prevention science are meeting May 27-30, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Embarcadero Center to present new findings on a wide variety of health challenges facing youth and families. More than 700 researchers will present the latest findings during the meeting.

Overweight and Mental Health Problems: From Kindergarten to 5th Grade

Study Author: Keng-Yen Huang, Ph.D., New York University

Childhood obesity is a major public health concern in the United States. Several studies have documented that childhood overweight is associated with behavioral problems. However, few studies have looked at behavior problems among children who are overweight. This study addresses three questions:
(1) What is the prevalence of being overweight across the elementary school period in four racial/ethnic groups in the US (White, Black, Latino and Asian) and among children of immigrant families?
(2) Is childhood overweight associated with behavior problems?
(3) Does this association vary by racial/ethnic group or immigrant status?

This study used a large, nationally representative sample of 17,565 families. The study found that for White and Asian children, and for children from immigrant families, childhood overweight was associated with higher behavioral problems. This association was not found among Black or Latino children.

Parenting v/s Outdoor Alcohol Advertisements: Who Wins in Predicting Early Alcohol Use by Adolescents?

Study Author: Keryn Pasch M.P.H., Ph.D., University of Minnesota.

The purpose of this study was to determine if parenting practices or exposure to outdoor alcohol advertising was a better predictor of early adolescent alcohol-use factors (including behavior, intentions, norms and attitudes). This study, conducted from 2001-2005, included 2592 Chicago students who completed self-report surveys which included items on alcohol use and parenting practices. The parenting practices included parental monitoring, alcohol-specific communication, and general communication.

The study found that while parenting does influence students' norms and attitudes about alcohol use in the beneficial direction, parenting does not directly influence students' intentions to use alcohol. However, exposure to outdoor alcohol advertising does increase students' intentions to use alcohol as well as positive attitudes about alcohol use.

Generation Rx: Preventing Prescription Drug Use among Teenagers

Study Author: Kristen D. Holtz Ph.D., KDH Research & Communication Inc., and Eric C. Twombly Ph.D., Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia

Drug use and misuse among teens is a persistent public health problem. During the past two decades, teen use of alcohol, nicotine and marijuana was a primary concern. While recent research shows that misuse of these drugs has decreased, a potentially more difficult problem has arisen, namely, the misuse of prescription drug use by teens. Not only is this a substantial public health problem because of the wide scale and often unsecured availability of prescription drugs, but also because recent evidence points to a surge in usage among teens. In fact, the magnitude of growth in prescription drug misuse has prompted some to label the current generation of youth as "Generation Rx".

This paper will focus on teen knowledge and attitudes toward prescription drug misuse and ways to prevent prescription drug use.

Can relocation of low-income households into private market housing affect violence levels in the new communities?

Study Author: Jacqueline Cohen, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University

In 2004, the federal government launched a research program to investigate youth violence prevention through community-level change. The program was designed to help answer the question: How effective are changes to community and social conditions in reducing rates of youth violence? This study presents results on the changes in community violence levels observed in Pittsburgh as the population residing in public housing in that city declined by almost half between 1996 and 2006 with over 4,400 households relocating to new neighborhoods. The study used police offense and arrest reports, 911 calls, and hospital emergency department records to investigate changes in community-level violence in origin and destination communities.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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The Society for Prevention Research is an international organization focused on the advancement of science-based prevention programs and policies through empirical research. The membership of the organization includes scientists, practitioners, advocates, administrators and policymakers who are concerned with the prevention of social, physical and mental health problems and the promotion of health, safety and well being.

The Society for Prevention Research (SPR) is holding its annual meeting, May 27-30, 2008.

Source: Prabhu Ponkshe
Society for Prevention Research