Teacher Awareness and Attitudes Regarding Adolescent Risk Behaviours: a Sample of Finnish Middle and High School Teachers

Sex differences in high-risk health behaviors among school-going adolescents in Yazd, Iran; a cross-sectional study

Objective

Adolescents are exposed to a wide range of high-risk health behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the high-risk health behaviors of adolescents in an Iranian adolescent population and gender differences.

Method

This cross-sectional descriptive study recruited high school students in Yazd city in center of Iran. Schools were randomly selected. In each school, all selected classes were included. Sampling in each class was census. The study investigated self-reported high-risk health behaviors. Students completed the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS), an anonymous, validated questionnaire.

Results

2420 students participated in this study (52.5% male). The age range was 12-19 years. Daily consumption of ≥1 serving of fruit and vegetables per day was reported by 77.4% and 49.5% of respondents, respectively. Adequate physical activity was reported by only 18.4% of adolescents, and significantly less frequently by girls than boys (p < 0.001). 11.8% were current smokers (M/F ratio: 2.6), and 20.5% (M/F ratio: 1.5) were ever used hookah. The prevalence of ever alcohol and substance abuse was 15.5% and 8.8%, respectively. The prevalence of tobacco and substance use was significantly higher in participants' boys than in girls (p < 0.001). Males were over twice more likely to report frequent fighting in the past 12 months than girls. Overall, girls reported more parental supervision than boys (82.1% vs. 73.4%) and parental monitoring (90.6% vs. 86.8%), while boys reported higher levels of awareness over leisure activities than girls (65.8% vs. 58.4%).

Conclusions

High-risk health behaviors are more common in boys than girls. Health policymakers should use these results in prioritizing and designing health interventions to promote youth health. Further studies are recommended to identify the factors influencing the prevalence of these behaviors.

Contentious Issues and Future Directions in Adolescent Gambling Research

Background. There is currently considerable public policy and regulatory interest in the nature and prevalence of underage gambling. Research in this area has purported to show that adolescents are at elevated risk of problem gambling and that early exposure to gambling or gambling-like activities could be a potential precursor to future harm. Method. In this commentary, we provide a critical appraisal of these arguments with reference to major studies in the field of gambling studies. It is argued that adolescent gambling research is a contentious area. Some questions remain concerning the validity of adolescent problem gambling measures, the strength of the association between adolescent and adult gambling and the impact of simulated gambling activities. Results. The paper summarises the conceptual and methodological issues that should be considered and addressed in future studies to strengthen the validity of research in this area. Conclusion. The paper encourages the greater use of harm-based measures, longitudinal and individual-level transition analyses and questions that capture the influence of activities rather than just their temporal sequencing.

A Perspective on Age Restrictions and Other Harm Reduction Approaches Targeting Youth Online Gambling, Considering Convergences of Gambling and Videogaming

Internet gambling has become a popular activity among some youth. Vulnerable youth may be particularly at risk due to limited harm reduction and enforcement measures. This article explores age restrictions and other harm reduction measures relating to youth and young adult online gambling. A systematic rapid review was conducted by searching eight databases. Additional articles on online gambling (e.g., from references) were later included. To place this perspective into context, articles on adult gambling, land-based gambling, and substance use and other problematic behaviors were also considered. Several studies show promising findings for legally restricting youth from gambling in that such restrictions may reduce the amount of youth gambling and gambling-related harms. However, simply labeling an activity as "age-restricted" may not deter youth from gambling; in some instances, it may generate increased appeal for gambling. Therefore, advertising and warning labels should be examined in conjunction with age restrictions. Recommendations for age enforcement strategies, advertising, education, and warning labels are made to help multiple stakeholders including policymakers and public health officials internationally. Age restrictions in online gambling should consider multiple populations including youth and young adults. Prevention and harm reduction in gambling should examine how age-restriction strategies may affect problem gambling and how they may be best enforced across gambling platforms. More research is needed to protect youth with respect to online gambling.

How to Support Prison Workers’ Perceived Readiness to Identify and Respond to Possible Gambling Problems: a Pilot Study from Two Finnish Prisons

Problem gambling is known to be prevalent among prisoners. However, it is not systematically screened and often remains undetected. This pilot study explores prison workers’ (N = 21) knowledge, views, and opinions about problem gambling in two Finnish prisons with a view to improving training and to developing better guidelines for identifying and responding to gambling problems. Four-fifths (81%) of prison workers considered problem gambling a serious issue in Finland. During the past year, more than nine in ten (94.1%) had encountered a prisoner with a gambling problem. Problem gambling was identified in connection with discussions about prisoners’ illegal activity (50%), financial situation (25%), or other problems (25%). Nearly half of the participants felt they did not have adequate training or information about problem gambling and related issues and expressed an interest in continuing education. This pilot study provides important direction for the development of tailored training programs for prison workers. The next step is to increase awareness of gambling programs in a wider national context and to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of training programs.