The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine
-
Adolescents prefer sleep and wake times that are considerably delayed compared with younger children or adults. Concomitantly, multimedia use in the evening is prevalent among teenagers and involves light exposure, particularly in the blue-wavelength range to which the biological clock and its associated arousal promotion system is the most sensitive. We investigated whether the use of blue light-blocking glasses (BB) during the evening, while sitting in front of a light-emitting diode (LED) computer screen, favors sleep initiating mechanisms at the subjective, cognitive, and physiological level. ⋯ BB glasses may be useful in adolescents as a countermeasure for alerting effects induced by light exposure through LED screens and therefore potentially impede the negative effects modern lighting imposes on circadian physiology in the evening.
-
Globally, adolescent women are at risk for gender-based violence (GBV) including sexual violence and intimate partner violence (IPV). Those in economically distressed settings are considered uniquely vulnerable. ⋯ Significant heterogeneity was observed in the prevalence of IPV and non-partner sexual violence among adolescent women in economically distressed urban settings, with upwards of 25% of ever-partnered women experiencing past-year IPV in Baltimore, Ibadan, and Johannesburg, and more than 10% of adolescent women in Baltimore and Johannesburg reporting non-partner sexual violence. Findings affirm the negative health influence of GBV even in disadvantaged urban settings that present a range of competing health threats. A multisectoral response is needed to prevent GBV against young women, mitigate its health impact, and hold perpetrators accountable.
-
To examine the policies state governments pursued and enacted across the United States in the 5-year period after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensed the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in 2006, including the timing and number of bills introduced, the policies proposed, and the legislative success of HPV vaccine policy proposals. ⋯ Nationwide, states responded to the new HPV vaccine by introducing policies designed to increase the availability of information about the vaccine, provide funding, and regulate private insurance coverage rather than require vaccination for school entry.
-
Supervised injecting facilities (SIFs) provide a sanctioned space for injection drug users and are associated with decreased overdose mortality and HIV risk behaviors among adults. Little is known about SIF use among youth. We identified factors associated with use of the Vancouver SIF, the only such facility in North America, among street youth. ⋯ This study, the first to examine SIF use among street youth in North America, demonstrated that the facility attracted high-frequency young drug users most at risk of blood-borne infection and overdose and those who otherwise inject in public spaces.
-
Adequate levels of physical activity are essential for health, but participation in sports and recreational physical activities is associated with an increased risk of injury. The present study quantifies the impact of sports- and recreation-related injuries (SRIs) for middle and high school-aged Kentucky children. ⋯ The present study revealed one fifth of all Kentucky ED visits, and ED charges billed for unintentional injury among youth aged 10-18 years were related to sport and recreation. In the absence of a dedicated SRI surveillance system, ED administrative records provide meaningful utility for conducting statewide assessments of adolescent SRIs.