Food insecurity and substance use among young adults in the United States.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between food insecurity and substance use among young adults aged 18-25 in the U.S.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was completed by a diverse sample of 1024 young adults (50.

Food and beverage marketing in primary and secondary schools in Canada.

Background: Unhealthy food marketing is considered a contributor to childhood obesity. In Canada, food marketing in schools is mostly self-regulated by industry though it is sometimes restricted through provincial school policies. The purpose of this study was to document the type of food marketing activities occurring in Canadian schools and examine differences by school characteristics.

Assessing exposure to food and beverage advertisements surrounding schools in Vancouver, BC.

Recent policy initiatives call for restricting food marketing to children, yet little is known about children's current exposure to outdoor advertisements. This paper describes the prevalence and characteristics of food- or beverage-related advertisements surrounding 25 public elementary and secondary schools in Vancouver, Canada and assesses whether the informational food environment differs by neighbourhood or school characteristics. All but four schools had at least one food- or beverage-related advertisement within 400 m (median: 18, range: 0-96) and approximately 90% of food or beverage advertisements were for items not recommended for frequent consumption by provincial school food guidelines.

Food and Beverage Marketing in Schools: A Review of the Evidence.

Despite growing interest from government agencies, non-governmental organizations and school boards in restricting or regulating unhealthy food and beverage marketing to children, limited research has examined the emerging knowledge base regarding school-based food and beverage marketing in high-income countries. This review examined current approaches for measuring school food and beverage marketing practices, and evidence regarding the extent of exposure and hypothesized associations with children's diet-related outcomes. Five databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, and PsycINFO) and six grey literature sources were searched for papers that explicitly examined school-based food and beverage marketing policies or practices.

Participation in School Food and Nutrition Activities among Grade 6-8 Students in Vancouver.

This study examined student-reported participation in school food and nutrition activities in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), and whether engagement differed by gender and between elementary and secondary school students. A cross-sectional survey of grade 6-8 public school students (n = 937) from 20 elementary and 6 secondary schools assessed student-reported participation in a range of food and nutrition activities. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and multilevel logistic regression to examine associations between participation with gender and school type.

Food and beverage promotions in Vancouver schools: A study of the prevalence and characteristics of in-school advertising, messaging, and signage.

The purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive profile of food-related advertising, messaging, and signage in Vancouver schools and to examine differences in the prevalence and characteristics of promotions between elementary and secondary schools. All food-related promotions were photographed in 23 diverse Vancouver public schools between November 2012 and April 2013. Key attributes, including the location, size, and main purpose of each promotion, as well as the type of food and/or beverage advertised and compliance with provincial school nutrition guidelines, were coded.

A Comparison of Dietary Practices at or En Route to School between Elementary and Secondary School Students in Vancouver, Canada.

Background: There is evidence that dietary quality declines as children age in North America, but few studies have explored whether food environment exposures in secondary schools as opposed to elementary schools are associated with changes in students' school-day food choices.

Methods: This study examined differences in dietary practices (at or en route to and/or from school) between students in their last years of elementary school (grades 5 to 7) and first year of secondary school (grade 8) in Vancouver, Canada, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and school-level socioeconomic status. Demographic characteristics and dietary data were collected through a cross-sectional survey (n=950 from 26 schools) and combined with school-level socioeconomic data derived from the 2006 Canadian Census.

Sustainability and public health nutrition at school: assessing the integration of healthy and environmentally sustainable food initiatives in Vancouver schools.

Objective: To describe the development and application of the School Food Environment Assessment Tools and a novel scoring system to assess the integration of healthy and environmentally sustainable food initiatives in elementary and secondary schools.

Design: The cross-sectional study included direct observations of physical food environments and interviews with key school personnel regarding food-related programmes and policies. A five-point scoring system was then developed to assess actions across six domains: (i) food gardens; (ii) composting systems; (iii) food preparation activities; (iv) food-related teaching and learning activities; and availability of (v) healthy food; and (vi) environmentally sustainable food.

Associations between socio-economic status and school-day dietary intake in a sample of grade 5-8 students in Vancouver, Canada.

Objective: To examine associations between students' socio-economic status (SES) and school-day dietary intake, and the roles of parents and peers in shaping these associations.

Design: A cross-sectional survey measured school-day intake of vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, packaged snack foods and sugar-sweetened beverages. Logistic regression models examined associations between SES (parental education and food insecurity status) and dietary outcomes during or en route to or from school, and examined whether peer modelling or parental norms potentially mediated the associations between SES and dietary outcomes.

Attention to food and beverage advertisements as measured by eye-tracking technology and the food preferences and choices of youth.

The purpose of this study was to examine how objective measures of attention to food/beverage advertising were associated with the unhealthy food/beverage preferences and choices of children and adolescents. A self-report survey and eye-tracking session were completed by 102 youth (mean age=11.6 years; 56.

Characteristics and behaviors of non-overweight college students who are trying to lose weight.

The purpose of the current study was to examine characteristics and behaviors of college students who perceive themselves as underweight or about the right weight, yet report trying to lose weight, as compared to their counterparts. Participants included 944 students (M = 20.4 years, 61.

Weight misperception and health risk behaviors among early adolescents.

Objectives: To examine associations between weight misperception and youth health risk and protective factors.

Methods: Three thousand ten US seventh-graders (72.1% white, mean age: 12.

Associations between energy drink consumption and alcohol use behaviors among college students.

Background: To explore associations between energy drink consumption and alcohol use among college students.

Methods: Participants included 585 students (m age=18.7; 47.

Are adolescents' perceptions of dietary practices associated with their dietary behaviors?

Despite interventions designed to change behavior, many adolescents continue to consume unhealthy foods. Dietary patterns are important for disease prevention, making it necessary to understand the reasons for these poor choices. This cross-sectional study explored the relationship between perception of dietary practices and dietary behaviors among adolescents.

Who uses snus? A study of Texas adolescents.

Introduction: Snus, a smokeless tobacco product, was introduced in the United States in 2006. Because it is available in a variety of flavors and is relatively easy to conceal, snus might be particularly attractive to adolescents. Yet, no studies have examined snus use in U.

Differential prevalence of alcohol use among 2-year and 4-year college students.

Purpose: To determine whether alcohol use behaviors and alcohol-related consequences differed among students attending two-year versus four-year colleges.

Methods: Participants (N=13,700) from 7 two-year and 11 four-year colleges completed the 2010 College Student Health Survey. Alcohol use behaviors included past year alcohol use, past month alcohol use, and binge drinking over the past two weeks.

Youth substance use and body composition: does risk in one area predict risk in the other?

Both substance use and obesity are prevalent among youth. As youth age, substance use rates increase and over the past three decades, obesity rates among youth have tripled. While these two factors have both short- and long-term health impacts, little research has explored how substance use and obesity among youth may be related.

Do high-risk urban youth also have older friends?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how behavioral, intrapersonal, and socio-environmental factors were associated with the likelihood of having at least one older friend.

Methods: Participants included 3,709 ethnically diverse eighth grade students in the Project Northland Chicago intervention trial. Socio-demographic characteristics included gender, family composition, language spoken at home, race/ethnicity, and age.