scholarly journals On the landscape of youth participation in science policy

2021 ◽  
pp. 2-7
Author(s):  
Shashank Agarwal ◽  
Richard Sung

Despite being important policy stakeholders, the youth remain largely absent from policy building and implementation. However, the growing literature has vividly illustrated the capacity of the youth from diverse age groups to make meaningful contributions to policy. In particular, university students are emerging as significant actors in science policy owing to their unique perspectives and knowledge. By drawing from the literature, we emphasize that the youth are capable of directly contributing to diverse policy matters while also indirectly benefiting from their participation. Consequently, there is a crucial need for initiating programs for promoting youth participation. Furthermore, to ensure the fruitfulness of such programs, more systematic research ought to be done with regards to the accomplishments and challenges of youth participation.

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 214-219
Author(s):  
Ayse Berivan Bakan ◽  
Naim Uzun ◽  
Senay Karadag Arli ◽  
Metin Yıldız

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is today acknowledged as a pandemic. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are associated with many chronic diseases, including common cancers, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, and infectious and autoimmune diseases.Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the cotinine level in urine and Vitamin D.Methods: This study employed a descriptive and relational screening design.  It was conducted with 74 smoking university students between January 2019 and March 2020. Data were collected through socio-demographic form and Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence. Besides, the participating students’ blood and urine samples were taken in a suitable environment.Results: The average age of the participating students was 21.50±2.09. Of all the students, 71.6% were males, 62.2% were exposed to the sun between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., and the average number of cigarettes smoked daily was 13.52±8.22. The average Vitamin D level in blood was 32.4±15.3 (ng/mL), and the average cotinine level in urine was 1.60 ± .32 (ng/L). No statistically significant relationships were found between the Vitamin D level and the cotinine level (p<0.05).Conclusion: Smoking causes diseases and death in many people, and it is a changeable risk factor.  Nursing practices on the struggle against smoking are effective. No significant relationships were found between the Vitamin D level in blood and cotinine level in urine. Similar studies are recommended to be conducted with larger groups and participants from different age groups.


Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdel-Khalek ◽  
Maysa al Nyal ◽  
Hanan Saeed

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of insomnia, differences between males and females, and between two age groups, and to explore the factorial structure of the Arabic Scale of Insomnia (ASI). Samples of university students (n=500) and employees (n=457) of both sexes were recruited. Female university students obtained the highest mean total score on the ASI, followed by female employees, male university students, and finally male employees. The salient significant differences were between female students and male employees and between male and female employees. Despite the differences in the prevalence rate of insomnia between the four groups, they all agreed on that the least prevalence rate was for the item: “I feel depressed when it is time for me to go to bed, whereas the highest prevalence rate was for the item: “My interrupted sleep annoys me.” Principle components analysis yielded three factors for each group. Most of their names were not identical. The most salient finding of this study was the statistically significant sex differences in insomnia in favor of women. It was concluded that is it important to introduce counseling for those who obtained high scores on the ASI. 


2021 ◽  
pp. 83-87
Author(s):  
L.F. Kaskova ◽  
V.M. Batig ◽  
I.I. Drozda ◽  
Y.Kh. Kilmukhametova

In recent years, there has been noted a tendency to deterioration of dental health in children and teenagers. Therefore, it is important to study the dental status of children who attend different educational establishments to identify risk factors for dental diseases and develop means of their elimination. The survey of adolescents studying in various educational institutions (school, college, university) in Chernivtsi was conducted according to the generally accepted method. The study of the prevalence (%) and intensity of caries (CPV of teeth) was taking into account the degree of caries activity in each age period: compensated (1st), subcompensated (2nd), decompensated (3rd). A total of 107 schoolchildren, 317 college students, and 116 university students were surveyed. Adolescents are 15 to 18 years old. To conduct the study, the average rates of caries in each age group were calculated to determine the degree of caries activity in each age period, taking into account the area where adolescents live. The following indicators were obtained for the Chernivtsi region: – 15 years: compensated form – up to 4 caries-affected teeth, subcompensated – 5-7, decompensated – 8 or over; – 16 years: compensated – up to 5, subcompensated – 6-8, decompensated – 9 or over; – 17 years: compensated – up to 7, subcompensated – 8-10, decompensated – 11 or over; – 18 years: compensated – up to 8, subcompensated – 9-11, decompensated 12, or over. Our research showed that college students in all studied age periods (15, 16, 17, and 18 years) had worse results than teenagers in the comparison groups (schoolchildren of 15-16 years, university students of 17-18 years). About 62% of all examined teenagers had the first degree of caries activity, 19.5% had the 2nd, and 18.5% had the 3rd degree of caries. Teenagers enrolled in college were divided according to the degree of caries activity: in the 1st degree – 36.3%, 2nd – 32.2%, 3rd – 31.5%, at school: 1st degree – 100%, at university: 1st degree – 97.4%, 2nd – 2.6%. At the age of 18, the number of college students who have a decompensated degree of caries activity increases to 36.6% due to a decrease in the number in the group with a subcompensated degree. University students in 100% of cases had a compensated degree of caries activity. Caries intensity rates in each age group are lower in schoolchildren than in college students and are the lowest in university students. In teenagers with the first degree of caries activity, the highest rate of caries intensity was observed in college (15-18 year adolescents), and the lowest – at school (15-16 years). University students, despite being 17-18 years old, had lower rates than college teens. All students had the first degree of caries activity. When comparing the rate of caries intensity in the studied 15 year-olds with the compensated degree of caries activity, it was found that in schoolchildren it is 1.7 times lower than in college students, in 16 year-olds – 1.5 times. At the age of 17 and 18 – 1.7 times, compared to university students. Thus, our research showed that college students of all studied age groups had worse indices than teenagers in the comparison groups. They have a more severe course of caries. The results suggest that further studies into the causes of caries in college students need to be conducted.


Author(s):  
Sam Phiri

This chapter explores the manner in which Zambian university students engage with public policy decisions which are of immediate and future interest to them. It observes that the youths may have little faith in representative democracy and instead are utilizing social media platforms to directly engage with decision-makers and publics, and thus subverting the essence of the authority of parliament. The study uses descriptive survey design and the methodology of “Briscolage” to capture and scrutinize two politically charged cases, and concludes that the youth globally may be challenging liberalism and in that way fashioning a new narrative entrenched in postmodernism.


Author(s):  
Jinkyung Choi

Dietary supplements (DSs) are typically used by the elderly in a population, but younger age groups are increasingly purchasing these products. In consideration of this issue, the present study investigated the DS-related behaviors and general lifestyles of university students in South Korea. The health conditions, consciousness, involvement, and knowledge, as well as the future behavioral intentions, of DS users and non-users were determined and compared. A survey was administered to the respondents, and measurements were adapted and rephrased to suit the Korean context. Results showed that although the behaviors of DS users and non-users were characterized by similar patterns, significant differences in health involvement and future purchase were found between these groups. Health involvement influenced DSs buying intentions in the future, but no significant differences in the other variables were found. The findings suggested that university students take DSs regardless of their expectations about their efficacy and that their knowledge does not affect their intention to purchase such products.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Grasdalsmoen ◽  
Hege Randi Eriksen ◽  
Kari Jussie Lønning ◽  
Børge Sivertsen

Abstract Background Physical inactivity and obesity pose a major public health challenge. The aim of this study was to describe the level of physical exercise and body-mass index in college and university students, as well as to examine potential changes from 2010 to 2018. Methods Data stem from the SHoT study, a national student health survey for higher education in Norway, conducted at 4-year intervals. The SHOT studies conducted so far in 2010, 2014 and 2018, included 6053, 13,525 and 50,054 fulltime students (aged 18–35), respectively. Exercise frequency (average number of times exercising each week) was assessed in all three waves, and was used for the trend analysis. The last wave in 2018 also assessed the average intensity and duration of the exercise. Results Overall, students exercised less in 2018 compared to 2014, but comparable to level in 2010. The prevalence of overweight increased substantially from 2010 to 2018, but especially in the last 4 years and among older female students. Less than one of four male, and one of five female students, met the recommended criteria for both exercise frequency, intensity and duration. As expected, the associations between exercise and overweight/obesity were in a dose-response manner, and strong across all three waves. Conclusions Our findings show that the large majority of young adults fail to meet international recommendations on exercise, and that the proportion of overweight is increasing in both genders and across all age groups. We conclude that there is an urgent need for a broad approach to achieve a paradigm shift in supporting our college and university students to become more active.


2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhiro Kamiya

This study investigated how learners’ ages affect their interpretation of the nonverbal behaviors (NVBs) of teachers and other students in distinguishing between questions and statements in the second language (L2) classroom. After watching 48 short video clips without sound in which three L2 teachers asked a question or made a statement with or without gesture, 36 elementary school pupils and 30 university students judged whether they thought the teachers asked a question or made a statement along with their reasons. The findings show that, regardless of learners’ ages, L2 teacher’s gestures were found to help learners better identify questions. Furthermore, the six major types of NVBs used for judgments most frequently were identical across the two age groups regardless of the accuracy of their judgments. Nevertheless, incorrect judgments were made as often and sometimes even more often than correct judgments by applying the same assumptions. The effect of age was evidenced in that the university students were able to use a larger number of NVBs for correct judgments, and better distinguish questions and statements without linguistic information than the elementary school pupils. The data suggest that it is the learners’ (L2) classroom experience that seems to be playing the major role in yielding this difference. The study indicates that adult L2 learners are better able than children to incorporate and interpret NVBs of teachers as well as other students quantitatively and qualitatively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 507
Author(s):  
Yesim Avunduk

This study aimed to determine the relationship between leisure satisfaction and social media addiction of university students. The study group of the research was formed by the voluntary participation of 193 students (133 male and 60 female), studying at the School of Physical Education and Sports of Istanbul Gelişim University. In addition to the personal information form, the “Leisure Satisfaction Scale (LSS)” developed by Beard and Raghep (1980) and adapted into Turkish by Gökçe and Orhan (2011), and the “Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS)” developed by Bakır Ayğar and Uzun (2018) were used as data collection tools. After the data showed normal distribution in the Kolmogrov-Smirnov normality test, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson Correlation test were used in the analysis. The level of significance in the study was set at 0.05. In the research findings; gender and age groups of individuals affect their leisure time satisfaction levels; It has also been found that age groups affect social media addiction. As a result, it was determined that leisure satisfaction levels and social media addiction changed according to various variables of university students, and a negative significant relationship was found between leisure satisfaction and social media addiction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-47
Author(s):  
Sangeeta Roop Kaur Despande ◽  
Irma Wati binti Ngadimon ◽  
Nor Liana Che Yaacob

The number of mental health problems among the young people in Malaysia is increasing, and this is worrying. Prompt action is needed as the young generation especially university students are the future leaders of the country. This study aimed to evaluate the level of stigma and attitudes of university students towards mental health disorders since limited study regarding this issue conducted in Malaysia. This is a cross-sectional study design whereby 496 students from MAHSA University were asked to complete a pre-validated questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of three main sections which were demographic, measures of knowledge and attitudes of respondents towards mental health disorders. The findings showed that there was a significant difference between knowledge score of the different age groups, ethnicity, faculty and current education level of respondents. Besides that, significant differences were reported between attitude score of the different age groups, faculty and current education level of the respondents. It was also found that there was a statistically significant positive correlation between mental health knowledge and attitudes towards mental health disorders. Overall, the respondents displayed good knowledge and attitude towards mental health disorders.


Author(s):  
Hassan Hashemi ◽  
Mojgan Pakbin ◽  
Babak Ali ◽  
Abbasali Yekta ◽  
Hadi Ostadimoghaddam ◽  
...  

Purpose: To determine the distribution of the near point of convergence (NPC) and near point of accommodation (NPA) in a young student population in Iran. Methods: The subjects were selected using a cluster sampling method. All students underwent optometry tests, including visual acuity measurement, refraction, and cover test, as well as ophthalmic examinations. The NPC and NPA were measured using an accommodative target (near Snellen chart). Results: Of 1,595 students, the data of 1,357 were analyzed. The mean NPC and NPA in the total sample were 7.25 cm (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.02 to 7.48) and 9.99 cm (95% CI, 9.69 to 10.29), respectively. Older age was associated with an increase in the NPC, which increased from 6.98 cm in 18–20 years olds to 9.51 cm in those over 30 years. The NPA was significantly associated with age and refractive errors in the multiple linear regression model, increasing from 9.92 cm in 18–20 years olds to 11.44 cm in those over 30 years (P = 0.003). Hyperopic eyes had lower NPA than myopic and emmetropic eyes (P = 0.001). In younger age groups, the mean accommodation amplitude was lower than the mean Hofstetter value. Moreover, with age, especially after 30 years, the mean values surpassed those determined using the Hofstetter formula. Conclusion: The NPC values in this study were lower than those previously reported for identical age groups. The Hofstetter formula is not always an accurate predictor of the accommodation amplitude in the Iranian adult population.


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