Religion as a Protective Factor Against Adolescent Smoking Habits: Evidence from Spain

Background: There are a wide number of assessments suggesting that being a member of a religious community inhibits adolescents’ risky behaviours and, consequently, can act as a protective factor against the consumption of smoking substances. Methods: We have analysed a structured questionnaire answered by 1935 adolescents from Tarragona (Spain). Results: We have found that variables linked to family were the principal explanatory factors of adolescents’ smoking habits. Living with two parents was a protective factor against tobacco and cannabis use since its Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) was clearly below 1 (p<0.01). So, whereas living with one parent showed an IRR>1 (p<0.05), adolescents that live without parents presented an IRR close 2 (p<0.05 for tobacco and p<0.01 for cannabis). However, having a religious confession also influence smoking substance use in adolescents (IRR close 0.85 with p<0.01). Conclusion: We found a clear preventive effect in belonging to a religious community. Moreover, this protective effect was less intense, but not statistically significant, for Catholics than for members of other confessions.

Patients’ thoughts on their falls in a rehabilitation hospital: a qualitative study of patients with stroke

Background Patients with stroke in rehabilitation wards are at an increased risk of falling. Although patients’ participation in establishing medical safety is considered crucial, there is limited evidence on their perspectives of falls. This study aims to comprehensively elucidate the subjective falling experience of patients with stroke who have been admitted to rehabilitation wards. Methods Twenty-three consecutive patients with stroke (44 to 90 years) who experienced a fall during hospitalisation were interviewed within 1 week after the fall, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Five themes surrounding fall events were extracted from the narratives: ‘Psychological background before the action’, ‘Support for the action’, ‘Direct causes of the fall’, ‘Patients’ awareness after the fall’, and ‘Changes in attitudes and behaviours after the fall’. ‘Psychological background before the action’ comprised hastiness or hesitation to call for help. Participants often took an action based on ‘Support for the action’ derived from their past experiences of moving safely, their confidence, and/or motivation to challenge themselves to move. ‘Direct causes of the fall’ consisted of unfamiliar actions, training fatigue, the surrounding environment, reduced physical function due to paralysis, lack of attention, overconfidence in their ability, and insufficient prediction of falls. ‘Patients’ awareness after the fall’ consisted of re-affirming difficult movements, the need for rehabilitation, a reduced ability to move, an increased risk of falling, the need for attention while moving, a fear of falling, and a lack of lessons learned from falling. Finally, patients demonstrated ‘Changes in attitudes and behaviours after the fall’ such as embodying a positive attitude to cope with the risk of falling or behavioural changes to reduce the risk of falling. Conclusions Comprehensive information on patients’ perspectives before and after the fall was elucidated, uncovering many aspects including the psychological background for why patients engaged in risky behaviours resulting in falls, presence of positive thinking, and behaviour after the fall. By incorporating the patients’ views on fall incidences and their assessment, we can develop appropriate prevention strategies against falls.

Sexual health promotion messages for young people in Netflix most-watched series content (2015–2020): mixed-methods analysis study

IntroductionSexual health is a major issue for young people, and there is a need to promote it. Sexual health promotion messages may be included in Netflix series that are widely watched by young people, with important emotional dimensions in scenarios.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to investigate the explicit sexual health promotion messages integrated in Netflix series popular among young people, and to describe them and how they are delivered.MethodsWe selected two types of Netflix series, aimed at young people: (1) series whose synopsis is mainly about sexual health and (2) all-subject series. We extracted data from 65 episodes of 6 of the most-watched Netflix series. We used a data extraction grid on EpiData. We analysed sexual health themes and sexual health promotion messages. We described the series and listed all the sexual health and other health themes discussed. For each promotion message, we described scene contents and extracted dialogues.ResultsWe found 62 promotion messages in the 6 analysed series. The two series that highlight sexual health in their synopsis account for 81% (n=50/62) of these identified promotion messages. Messages mainly focus on sexual harassment and violence (19%), on sexually transmitted infections protection (18%) and on contraception (15%). Messages are mainly delivered as verbal information, and mostly feature 16–18 years old characters in school. Analysis highlighted four main points concerning scenarios in these series: (1) there are different ways to deliver sexual health promotion messages; (2) there is depiction of negative value judgements and gender norms; (3) some information may be incomplete or misleading and (4) risky behaviours are represented.ConclusionNetflix series incorporate diverse sexual health promotion messages for young people. Further research could assess how these messages are perceived and whether they increase the knowledge, skills and positive health behaviours of young people.

Parents’ attitudes as mediators between knowledge and behaviours in unintentional injuries at home of children aged 0–3 in Shanghai, Eastern China: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveParental behaviours are important in preventing unintentional injury at home among young children. Previous research showed an inconsistent relationship between knowledge and behaviours, indicating that the mechanisms may vary for different behaviours. This study aimed to examine the mediating roles of different attitudes in the mechanism of knowledge acting on different behaviours.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingEastern China.ParticipantsParticipants were recruited using stratified community-based sampling. A total of 488 parents of children aged 0–3 years participated in the study and 476 (97.5%) valid questionnaires were recovered.Primary outcome measuresParents’ knowledge, attitudes (including injury attribution, preventability and responsibility) and behaviours (including supervision behaviours, risky behaviours and providing a safe home environment).ResultsThe results of mediation analysis showed that the mediator variables were different for different behaviours and that all associations were positive. Parents’ knowledge (β 0.19, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.24) and attitude of injury attribution (β 0.37, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.46) were directly associated with risky behaviours. Attitude of preventability was directly associated with parents’ supervision behaviour (β 0.27, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.40). Parents’ attitude of preventability mediated the positive association between knowledge, attitudes of injury attribution and responsibility, and supervision behaviours, as well as providing a safe home environment. In addition, the occurrence of child injuries at home was directly associated with home environment (β −0.41, 95% CI −0.82 to −0.01).ConclusionsThe current findings confirm that attitudes play varying mediating roles between knowledge and different behaviours. An important recommendation is that parents’ attitudes, especially towards preventability and responsibility, need to be considered when health providers develop health education programmes targeted at improving parental supervision behaviours and providing a safe home environment.

Internet risky behaviours among youth with visual impairment

Background Young individuals with visual impairment (VI), exposed to higher risky of social exclusion, might be more prone to Internet risky behaviours including electronic aggression. Objective Different types of Internet risky behaviours and the average time spent online were investigated among students with VI. These behaviours were analyzed for the relationship with witnessing, perpetrating and becoming a victim of electronic aggression. Methods A total of 490 special needs school students with VI answered a self-administered questionnaire. The average time spent online, different types of risky Internet activities and electronic aggression were recorded, as well as sociodemographic characteristics. Results Male students downloaded software illegally, hacked, published and viewed sites with sexual content, and gambled online statistically more often than female counterparts. Concerning electronic aggression, more than half of participants were engaged as witnesses, every fifth student as a victim and 11.6% as perpetrators. Two sets of ordinal logistic regression analyses have shown that communication with a person promoting violence and an excessive amount of time spent online during weekends predicted significantly the risk of witnessing and being a victim of electronic aggression. Additionally, communicating with a person promoting violence and an excessive amount of time spent online during schooldays were associated with increased odds for engagement in electronic aggression as a perpetrator. Conclusions Population with VI is prone to risky Internet use and likely to be engaged in electronic aggression. New instruments and preventive strategies need to be developed, as well as diagnostic tools tailored specifically to the needs of young people with VI.

Correlates of Sexual Risky Behaviours, HIV Testing, and HIV Testing Intention among Sexually Active Youths in Northern Tanzania

Background: HIV testing services are important entry-point into the HIV cascade to care and treatment in order to slow down the spread of HIV infection. Over half of all new HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa occur among young people under the age of 25, particularly women. The study aimed to determine factors influencing young people’s decision to undergo HIV testing services in Northern Tanzania. Methods: A total of 536 sexually active participants aged 15 to 24 years old completed a semi-structured questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Results: Males compared to female participants were significantly younger at first age of sexual intercourse (15.4 vs. 16.7 years; p = .001). Out of 536 participants, 418(78%) reported inconsistent condom use, and 203/303(67%) were those practicing casual sex. Only, 189/536(35.3%) of the participants reported to have had an HIV-test. Age, socioeconomic status, perceived HIV severity, attitudes and social approval regarding testing and beliefs about testing procedures and perceived barriers to testing were significant predictors of HIV testing (R2 =.22). Age, unsafe casual sex, perceived severity, HIV-testing attitudes, self-efficacy, social approval, cues for actions and perceived quality of testing procedures were significant and positively related to HIV-testing intentions, while perceived barriers to testing were negatively related (R2 = .36). Conclusion: The integrated constructs of HBM and TPB provides a framework for identifying correlates of HIV testing behaviours and HIV testing intentions among sexually active youths. Future behaviour change interventions should focus on reduction of sexually risky behaviours, increasing perceived HIV severity, enhance positive attitudes and social approvals on testing, reduce misconceptions about testing procedures, alleviation of perceived barriers to testing and improve testing self-efficacy among sexually active youths in this setting.

Early-life maternal attachment and risky health behaviours in adolescence: findings from the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study

Background Early uptake of multiple risky behaviours during adolescence, such as substance use, antisocial and sexual behaviours, can lead to poor health outcomes without timely interventions. This study investigated how early-life maternal attachment, or emotional bonds between mothers and infants, influenced later risky behaviours in adolescence alongside other potential explanatory pathways using the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study. Methods Total maternal attachment scores measured at 9 months using the Condon (1998) Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale compared higher and lower attachment, where mothers in the lowest 10th percentile represented lower attachment. Multiple risky behaviours, defined as two or more risky behaviours (including smoking cigarettes, vaping, alcohol consumption, illegal drug use, antisocial behaviour, criminal engagement, unsafe sex, and gambling), were scored from 0 to 8 at age 17. Five multivariate logistic regression models examined associations between maternal attachment and multiple risky behaviours among Millennium Cohort Study members (n = 7796). Mediation analysis sequentially adjusted for blocks of explanatory mechanisms, including low attachment mechanisms (multiple births, infant prematurity, sex, breastfeeding, unplanned pregnancy and maternal age at birth), maternal depression, and social inequalities (single-parent status, socioeconomic circumstance by maternal education and household income) at 9 months and poor adolescent mental health at 14 years. Results Children of mothers with lower maternal attachment at 9 months had 23% increased odds of multiple risky behaviours at 17 years (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.00–1.50) in the unadjusted baseline model. All five explanatory blocks attenuated baseline odds. Low attachment mechanisms attenuated 13%, social inequalities 17%, and poor mental health 17%. Maternal depression attenuated the highest proportion (26%) after fully adjusting for all factors (30%). Conclusions Lower maternal attachment in early life predicted increased adolescent multiple risky behaviours. Almost a third of the excess risk was attributable to child, maternal and socioeconomic factors, with over a quarter explained by maternal depression. Recognising the influence of early-life risk factors on adolescent health could innovate current policies and interventions addressing multiple risky behaviour uptake affecting health inequalities across the life course.

The Prevalence of Risky Behaviours in Traffic that can Lead to Traumatic Brain

Introduction: Traffic accidents are a common cause of traumatic brain injuries. Such injuries are often associated with problematic behaviour i.e., violations of the Traffic Safety Act. Driving under the influence of intoxicants and non-compliance with traffic signals often cause traffic accidents, and not wearing a crash helmet or not wearing a protective seat belt increase the possibility of developing a traumatic brain injury. Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of risky behaviours in traffic that can lead to traumatic brain injury and to examine differences according to gender. It is assumed that the most common risky behaviour is failure to wear a crash helmet and that the male participants will show a higher prevalence of risky behaviour compared to women. Methods: The measuring instrument is a questionnaire consisting of nine statements. The questionnaire was filled out by a sample of 302 people in Croatia. The IBM SPSS Statistics 22 program was used for data processing. The prevalence of risky behaviours was expressed in percentages, and the Pearson’s Chi-Square was used to examine the differences between male and female participants. Results: The results show that risky behaviours in traffic are present, especially not wearing a crash helmet while riding a bicycle, running across the road on a red light, and not wearing a seat belt in a car whilst sitting in the back seat. The male participants showed a higher prevalence of risky behaviour compared to women. Conclusion: To reduce the number of traffic accidents that can lead to traumatic brain injury, it is important to act on risky behaviours in traffic. Public health policies and legislation are one way of prevention. In addition, it is important to inform, educate and raise public awareness about this global problem. In order to implement the necessary preventative measures, one should be aware of the prevalence of the risky behaviours in traffic that can lead to traumatic brain injury and of the groups that are more willing to take risks in traffic.

Exploring Performances of Electric Micro-Mobility Vehicles and Behavioural Patterns of Riders for In-Depth Accident Analysis

(1) Background: Electric micro-mobility vehicles (i.e., e-bikes and e-scooters) represent a fast-growing portion of the circulating fleet, leading to a multiplication of accident cases also attributable to risky behaviours adopted by the riders. Still, data on vehicle performance and rider behaviour are sparse and difficult to interpret (if not unavailable). Information regarding the overall accident dynamics can, however, aid in identifying users’ risky riding behaviour that actually led to a harmful event, allowing one to propose efficient strategies and policies to reduce the occurrence of road criticalities. (2) Methods: Speed and acceleration data of six cyclists of traditional and electric bikes were extracted from six closed-circuit experiments and real road tests performed in the city of Florence (Italy) to derive their behavioural patterns in diverse road contexts. (3) Results: The application of analysis of variance and linear regression procedures to such data highlights differences between men and women in terms of performance/behaviour in standing start; additionally, the use of e-bikes favours a higher speed ride in correspondence to roundabouts and roads with/without the right of way. To thoroughly assess the rider’s responsibilities in an eventual accident, an ancillary procedure was highlighted to evaluate whether a micro-mobility vehicle complies with the applicable regulations. (4) Conclusion: With these results, the prospective recognition of rider behaviour was facilitated during the investigation process, and the abilities to extract such relevant information from in-depth accident data wereconsequently enhanced.

Alcoholism as a Threat to Social Security and the Issue Among Academic Youth

The article briefly analyses the problem of alcoholism as a threat to social security, taking into account its prevalence, as well as its impact on physical and mental health and social relations. Firstly, it identifies the harmful effects not only on addicts but also on their families and society as a whole. Secondly, the results of the author’s research on young people’s attitudes towards alcohol and alcoholism have been presented. Finally, conclusions and suggestions have been developed. The study showed that many respondents knew alcoholics, and in some cases, these were close relatives. As far as their own experiences are concerned, they prove to be very diverse. The misuse of alcohol does not seem to be very common among university students, however, the problem exists and calls for some resolutions, e.g.. in aspects such as very young age of their alcohol initiation, problem drinking, binge drinking, or risky behaviours of youth under the influence of alcohol. In addition to many initiatives undertaken as part of preventing and counteracting alcohol-related problems (such as necessary cooperation of some government and local institutions), emphasis should be put on education in this area. This must include home education, starting as early as possible, and complementary school education. Especially the former seems to be the cheapest and the most effective way to deal with the discussed issue. Also, parents should find support at their children’s schools in that area. Furthermore, activities carried out in order to raise social awareness are needed, e.g. through media which have a significant influence on young people.