Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in children with type I diabetes: Part II

Factors associated with health behaviors in middle childhood

Health behaviors of school-aged children are the precursors of adolescents' health-risk behaviors. The study reported here is the first wave of a cohort-sequential longitudinal study of health-risk behaviors in youth. Using a youth resilience framework, researchers collected data from 1,934 youth in Grades 4-6. Statistically significant differences in health behaviors were found for gender, ethnicity, and grade level, which accounted for only 2% of the variance. Risk and protective factors accounted for an additional 18% of variance in health behaviors. With the federal mandate for schools to establish wellness policies, school nurses are ideally situated to influence school environments to support children's healthy behaviors.

Youth Resilience Framework for reducing health-risk behaviors in adolescents

Adolescents engage in risky behaviors that compromise their health. Leading causes of morbidity and mortality are associated with a few preventable health-risk behaviors initiated in childhood and early adolescence. Interventions that enhance protective factors in childhood are needed to offset these vulnerabilities and thus promote the health of adolescents. The Youth Resilience Framework is presented that addresses individual and sociocultural risk factors and protective resources that can influence health outcomes throughout adolescence. This framework incorporates a developmental approach to address precursors and health-risk behaviors that may be amenable to early health-promoting interventions.