Identifying Cardiovascular Risk Profiles Clusters among Mediterranean Adolescents across Seven Countries

Co-occurrence of non-communicable disease risk factors among adolescents in Jos, Nigeria

BACKGROUND

The co-occurrence and clustering of risk factors for non-communicable disease (NCD) is a global public health concern.

AIM

This study aimed to assess the co-occurrence and clustering of risk factors for NCDs among in-school and out-of-school adolescents in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria.

SETTING

Secondary schools and markets in Jos North Local Government Area.

METHODS

A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 377 in-school and 377 out-of-school adolescents, aged 10-19 years of age. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on behavioural and physical risk factors for NCDs. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for comparisons at a 5% level of significance. Statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 23.0.

RESULTS

Of the 754 sampled adolescents, 386 (51.2%) were females and 368 (48.8%) were males. Adolescents aged 10-14 years made up 37.8% of the participants, 15 to 17 years of age accounted for 46.9% and 18-19 years 15.3%. Risk factors with the highest prevalence were a sedentary lifestyle (94.2%) and an unhealthy diet (92.4%). Majority (97.2%) had two or more risk factors while 1.9% of adolescents had no risk factor. More in-school adolescents (24.1%) had two risk factors compared to 14.1% of out-of-school adolescents (p 0.001); 14.1% of out-of-school adolescents had five or more risk factors compared to 2.9% of those in school (p 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Co-occurrence and clustering of behavioural and physical risk factors was found among both in-school and out-of-school adolescents.Contribution: This study highlighted the burden of risk factors for NCDs among both in-school and out-of-school adolescents in the North-Central part of Nigeria. This is especially useful in developing targeted interventions to tackle these risk factors.

The effects of the Friendship Online Intervention Program on physical activity, substance abuse, psychosomatic symptoms, and well-being among at-risk youth

INTRODUCTION

At-risk youth are those who are currently or potentially exposed to physical, mental, or emotional danger. The Friendship Online Intervention Program (FOIP) was created to encourage physical activity (PA) and reduce risky behavior among vocational secondary-school youth in Israel. We wanted to evaluate the effect of FOIP on PA, substance abuse, and psychological factors, including psychosomatic symptoms and well-being.

METHODS

From October 2021 to June 2022, nonrandom sampling was employed to select at-risk youth from vocational secondary schools for participation in the FOIP. Before and after the intervention, questionnaires were administered to the intervention and control groups. The effects of FOIP were evaluated by univariate and multivariable analyses.

RESULTS

The intervention (n = 103) and control (n = 77) groups showed similar levels of PA, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption at the beginning of the study. At follow-up, the intervention group showed a 57% increase in PA versus no change for the control group and decreased levels of smoking compared to the control group (p < .001). Similarly, in the intervention group, the number of psychosomatic symptoms decreased (effect size = 1.68) and life satisfaction increased (effect size = 0.86). Group assignment (intervention or control group) significantly predicted PA level, cigarette smoking, psychosomatic symptoms, and life satisfaction (adjusted R2  = .46, .20, .08, and .28, respectively) with participants in the intervention group showing more favorable results compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

FOIP was effective in increasing PA and decreasing risky behaviors among youth. FOIP may help at-risk youth build resilience and promote their physical and mental health.

Cardiovascular risk profiles clusters among children and adolescents with disabilities

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a precursor for disabilities and death worldwide. Being overweight or obese in combination with physical inactivity and smoking habits may increase the risk for CVD and other health problems such as lower limb osteoarthritis, diabetes, stroke, and various cancer types among children and adolescents. The literature emphasizes the need to follow such groups and evaluate the risk of individuals developing CVD diseases. Therefore, the current study explores the variety of cardiovascular risks in children and adolescents' profiles clusters with and without disabilities.

METHODS

Data from 42 countries including Israel, was collected with the support of the world health organization (WHO, Europe) through a questionnaire from 11-19 years old school-aged.

RESULTS

The study finding shows that children and adolescents with disabilities demonstrated a higher prevalence of overweight than those who completed the HBSC youth behavior survey. Moreover, the prevalence of tobacco smoking and alcohol use was statisticaly significantly higher among the disabled group than the non-disabled group. In addition, socioeconomic status of responders who presented a very high CVD risk was found as significantly lower than those from the first and second low risk groups.

CONCLUSION

This led to the conclusion that children and adolescents with disability were at a higher risk of developing CVDs than their non-disabled peers. In addition, intervention programs tailored to the needs of adolescents with disability should consider lifestyle habit change and promoting healthy living thus improving their quality of life as well as reducing their risk of being exposed to severe CVD diseases.

Risk Behaviors, Family Support, and Emotional Health among Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Israel

We investigated the prevalence of risk behaviors among Israeli adolescents (tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Associations between different risk behaviors were examined and so was whether specific characteristics could predict risk behaviors in adolescents. The study consisted of 1020 Israeli adolescents aged 15-18. Study subjects completed an online survey between the first and second lockdowns in Israel (April 2020 to September 2020). Participants reported the frequency at which they engaged in four different risky behaviors: general risky behavior, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption (binge drinking), and cannabis use. The most prevalent risky behavior in the sample was binge drinking (33.8%). The four measured risky behaviors were significantly correlated. Among participants who had previously engaged in a risky behavior assessed, most did not change the behavior frequency during the pandemic. All independent variables (sociodemographic characteristics, family support, and emotional, health excluding friends' support, physical activity volume, and coronavirus restrictions) were significantly different between participants engaging vs. not engaging in risky behaviors. Our findings suggest that family support is one of the most influential factors in preventing risky behavior during the pandemic, and they emphasize the importance of family-based interventions with children and adolescents from elementary to high school.