[Quality of life related to health and habits: Differences between adolescents in rural and urban environments]

Physical Activity and Perceived Support among Adolescents According to Sex and Municipality

A cross-sectional study was conducted with three aims: (1) to determine the degree of compliance with physical activity recommendations among adolescents according to sex and place of residence, (2) to determine the perceived support of family and friends for physical activity among adolescents according to sex and place of residence, and (3) to analyse the influence of family and friends support on compliance with physical activity recommendations among adolescents according to sex and place of residence. A total of 694 adolescents from an inland area of Spain (14.06 ± 1.27 years) participated. Four one-day physical activity questionnaires were administered to assess physical activity and the Parental Support Scale and Peer Support to measure perceived support from family and friends regarding physical activity. Chi-square, Crammer's V and Student's tests were calculated to identify differences between variables according to sex and municipality of residence. Moreover, the initial binary logistic regression model was constructed to predict the physical activity compliance. Differences in adherence to physical activity recommendations were found according to the sex of the students (rural area: x2 = 4.192, p < 0.05; V = 0.106, p < 0.05; urban area: x2 = 8.999, p < 0.05; V = 0.167, p < 0.01). There were also sex differences in rural areas on items related to families providing transport (t = 3.878, p ≤ 0.001; d = 0.40) and doing physical activity together (t = 4.974, p ≤ 0.001; d = 0.50). It is concluded that most adolescents do not comply with physical activity recommendations. In addition, 30.4% of urban girls' compliance was predicted by the perception that their family members saw them doing physical activity and doing it with friends.

Correlation Between Adolescent Mental Health and Sleep Quality: A Study in Indonesian Rural Areas During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective

The study aims to analyze the correlation between sleep quality and adolescent mental health in rural areas during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Material and Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Bandung rural area in February 2023. The subjects were adolescents aged 12-15 years who attended high school in Sagaracipta Village. To assess mental health, the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used. Meanwhile, sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire. The questionnaires were distributed and then filled in directly by the participants under close supervision. The relationship between mental problems and sleep quality was analyzed with the Spearman Rank correlation. The confidence range employed was 95%, while p< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

The results showed that at two junior high schools in Sagaracipta Village, 70.6% of the 109 subjects had poor sleep quality. Among the subjects, a significant number exhibited abnormal scores on various subscales. Specifically, 24 subjects (22%) showed abnormalities in the emotional subscales, 18 (16.5%) in conduct, 5 (4.6%) in hyperactivity, 15 (13.8%) in problems with peers, 26 (23.9%) in total difficulty, but there were no abnormal subjects on the pro-social sunscale. Based on the Rank Spearman correlation test, there was a statistically significant correlation between sleep quality and the emotional, behavioral, hyperactivity, and overall difficulties subscales, with coefficients of 0.247; 0.258; 0.22; and 0.310 as well as p-values of 0.010; 0.007; 0.021; and 0.001 respectively.

Conclusion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a correlation between mental health and sleep quality among adolescents in rural area.

Assessing Self-Concept in Children (Aged 5-7) with Functional Dyslalia

Language not only plays a powerful role in human life, as it is also a crucial factor in our minds. It shapes our personality, memory and even the way in which we see the world, as well as playing a fundamental role in the building of self-concept and self-esteem. Having a good self-concept, that is, knowing one's own qualities and strengths, will, in turn, promote good self-esteem. The aim of this research was to analyze self-concept in 50 children (aged 5-7) with functional dyslalia in the city of Granada (Spain). A quantitative approach was taken, with a non-experimental design; it was descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational. The Perception of Child Self-concept Scale (PCS), a Spanish scale, was used. In general, the children who were interviewed showed a medium level of self-concept. It is noteworthy that differences were found in the average scores on the scale according to the sex of the children, with girls showing a higher level of self-concept than boys. Participants scored higher on Factor 1, family attachment, followed by Factor 3, feelings, with the values of both these factors decreasing with age. On the other hand, lower average scores were found for Factor 2, environment, and Factor 4, autonomy. It was found that self-concept was higher in young children (five-year-old children) as well as in those who studied in rural areas. Finally, guidelines for improvement were provided. Self-concept is a fundamental aspect of personality, but it is not innate; it develops and evolves.

Relevant Factors in Adolescent Well-Being: Family and Parental Relationships

Health-related quality of life, teachers’ opinion of academic performance and self-perceived health are indicators of well-being in the adolescent stage. Some variables, such as those related to the quality of family and parental relationships, may influence these indicators and thus condition well-being during this stage of life and beyond. In this research, the aforementioned variables are analyzed jointly. It is a cross-sectional study in which 1375 adolescent schoolchildren between 11 and 18 years of age participated. Different instruments such as KIDSCREEN-10 and the questionnaire used in the international study Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children were used. The results obtained allow us to conclude that HRQoL, the teacher’s opinion of performance and the perception of health status improve as adolescents perceive a more favorable family climate, also helped by good relations between parents. Finally, it is proposed to continue with the efforts made in the school, family environment and other areas because of the enormous potential for generating quality of life in the adolescent stage and the consequent positive repercussions this has on adulthood.

Self-Perception and Self-Acceptance Are Related to Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors in Catalan Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Adolescence is associated with a higher vulnerability that may result in a high dissatisfaction, the practice of unhealthy weight-control behaviors (UWCB) and, eventually, the onset of body image-related mental disorders. These factors are strongly associated with the social context, so it is important to characterize them in local or regional studies. To assess the relationship between body image and UWCB presence, a cross-sectional study was performed among 2496 schooled adolescents from Lleida (Spain) between 2017 and 2019. Their perceived and desired images were evaluated and compared with the real image in order to obtain the body distortion and the body dissatisfaction and relate them with UWCB. The studied individuals perceived themselves thinner than they actually were, with no differences between males and females. However, differences were found regarding body dissatisfaction, showing that females desired to be thinner, while males desired a more corpulent body image. Furthermore, one out of ten individuals reported UWCB, with higher prevalence among females. UWCB was associated with a desire to be thinner and with distorted body images. It is essential to work on self-perception and self-acceptance in early adolescence from an interdisciplinary perspective at educational, social and health levels to promote health in adolescence.