Improving Urban Minority Girls' Health Via Community Summer Programming

Sports Participation, Frequency, and Competence Differentially Impact Youth Depressive, Anxious, and Somatic Symptoms: Gender, Neighborhood, and Sports Type Effects

Mental health problems are prevalent in adolescence, but sports participation may offer mental health benefits through this developmental period and beyond. Characteristics of sports participation including perceived frequency and competence may differentially predict adolescent depressive, anxious, and somatic symptoms over time and results may further vary according to gender, neighborhood context, and type of sport engagement. Data were collected at two time-points six months apart from an ethnically diverse sample of adolescents (N = 183, female = 51%). Youth sports participation and symptoms were measured using the Youth Self-Report (YSR; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001). Path analyses were used to test for main and moderating effects of sports on symptoms. Results showed that categorical sports participation did not prospectively predict any type of internalizing symptoms, but perceived frequency and competence did. Competence predicted lower levels of symptoms while frequency predicted higher levels of symptoms. These results were further moderated by gender, neighborhood, and sport type such that frequency and competence predicted symptoms for girls and for youth in more resourced neighborhoods and who participated in team sports. These findings highlight the impact that sports participation can have on adolescent mental health in an ethnically diverse sample of urban youth.

Interventions to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in children and adolescents in summer day camps: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Children and adolescents have suboptimal physical activity and eating habits during summer breaks. Unlike the school setting, there is little evidence on interventions to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in Summer Day Camps (SDCs).

METHODS

The aim of this scoping review was to examine physical activity, healthy eating, and sedentary behavior interventions in the SDCs. A systematic search on four platforms (EBSCOhost, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science) was performed in May 2021 and was updated in June 2022. Studies related to promoting healthy behaviors, physical activity, sedentary behaviors and/or healthy eating among campers aged 6 to 16 in Summer Day Camps were retained. The protocol and writing of the scoping review were done according to the guidelines of the "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR)".

RESULTS

Most interventions had a positive effect on the behavioral determinants or the behaviors themselves (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behaviors, or healthy eating). Involving counsellors and parents, setting camp goals, gardening, and education are all relevant strategies in promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors in SDCs.

CONCLUSIONS

Since only one intervention directly targeted sedentary behaviors, it should strongly be considered for inclusion in future studies. In addition, more long-term and experimental studies are needed to establish cause-and-effect relationships between healthy behavior interventions in SDCs and behaviors of children and young adolescents.

Racial/ethnic differences in social determinants of health and health outcomes among adolescents and youth ages 10-24 years old: a scoping review

INTRODUCTION

With the recent emergence of the Healthy People 2030 goals there is a need to understand the role of SDOH on health inequalities from an upstream perspective. This review summarizes the recent body of evidence on the impact of SDOH across adolescence and youth health outcomes by race/ethnicity using the Health People 2030 Framework.

METHODS

A systematic, reproducible search was performed using PubMed, Academic Search Premier, PsychInfo, and ERIC. A total of 2078 articles were screened for inclusion. A total of 263 articles met inclusion criteria, resulting in 29 articles included for final synthesis.

RESULTS

Across the 29 articles, 11 were cross-sectional, 16 were cohort, and 2 were experimental. Across SDOH categories (economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context), 1 study examined self-efficacy, 6 educational attainment, 10 behavior, 5 smoking, 11 alcohol use, 10 substance use, and 1 quality of life. The majority of outcomes represented in this search included health behaviors such as health risk behavior, smoking, alcohol use, and substance use. Across the 29 articles identified, significant differences existed across outcomes by race/ethnicity across SDOH factors, however magnitude of differences varied by SDOH category.

DISCUSSION

SDOH differentially affect adolescents and youth across race/ethnicity. The lived adverse experiences, along with structural racism, increase the likelihood of adolescents and youth engaging in risky health behaviors and negatively influencing health outcomes during adolescence and youth. Research, public health initiatives, and policies integrating SDOH into interventions at early stage of life are needed to effectively reduce social and health inequalities at a population level.

Testing the effect of summer camp on excess summer weight gain in youth from low-income households: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Children from racial and ethnic minority groups, low-income households, and those with overweight or obesity gain more weight during the summer than the school year. Summer day camps, which offer routine opportunities for physical activity and regular meal and snack times, have potential to mitigate excess weight gain. This randomized controlled trial was done to determine the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of summer camp in preventing excess summer weight gain among youth from low-income households.

METHODS

Children, ages 6 to 12 years, were randomized to attend 8-weeks of summer day camp (CAMP) or to experience an unstructured summer as usual (SAU) in 2017-2018. Primary feasibility outcomes included retention, engagement and completion of midsummer measures. Secondary outcomes included changes in BMIz, engagement in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior, and diet quality and energy intake from the school year to summer. Multivariable linear mixed models were used to assess group differences.

RESULTS

Ninety-four participants were randomized to CAMP (n = 46) or SAU (n = 48), of whom 93.0 and 91.6% completed end of school and end of summer assessments, respectively. While CAMP participants attended only 50% of camp days offered, on average, they lost - 0.03 BMIz units while those in SAU gained 0.07 BMIz units over the summer (b = 0.10; p = .02). Group differences in change in energy intake from the school year to summer were borderline significant, as energy intake remained relatively unchanged in CAMP participants but increased among participants in SAU (p = 0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

Randomizing children to attend summer day camp or experience an unstructured summer as usual was effective in this low-income sample. Our findings support the potential for summer camps in mitigating excess summer weight gain. A larger randomized trial is needed explore efficacy, cost-effectiveness and longer-term effects of attending summer camp on weight and weight-related behaviors.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Registration: NCT04085965 (09/2019, retrospective registration).

Green Schoolyards in Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods: Natural Spaces for Positive Youth Development Outcomes

Children from low-income families are increasingly growing up in urban areas with limited access to nature. In these environments, strategies that promote access to natural outdoor spaces, such as green schoolyards, may enhance positive youth development outcomes by promoting physical activity (PA) and prosocial behavior, as well as increasing perceptions of safety. The current study examines children's PA and social interactions, as well as caregiver and teacher perceptions of safety, injuries, teasing/bullying, and gang activity on three newly renovated green schoolyards in low-income urban neighborhoods. A multi-method strategy, including behavioral mapping and caregiver- and teacher-reported surveys, was utilized at three time points to examine positive youth development outcomes and maintenance of effects over time. Analyses revealed that children evidenced a range of PA on the green schoolyards and demonstrated significant decreases in sedentary activity over time. The majority of children were engaged in social interactions with peers on the green schoolyards when observed. Less than 3% of interactions were negative and follow-up analyses found significant increases in positive interactions on the green schoolyards up to 24 months post-renovation. Caregivers and teachers reported increased perceptions of safety, fewer injuries, less teasing/bullying, and less gang-related activity on the renovated green schoolyards in comparison to the pre-renovation schoolyards, and these effects were maintained up to 32 months post-renovation. Overall, the study suggests that green schoolyards may promote positive development outcomes among youth living in urban, low-income neighborhoods by providing natural and safe spaces for PA and prosocial behavior.