This systematic review aimed to understand the effects of self-esteem on risky sexual behavior (RSB) among adolescents and young adults. We followed the procedures outlined in the Cooper's five-step approach, and used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 reporting requirements. Published studies were…

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether low healthy lifestyle (HL) status was associated with alcohol and food addiction risks among college students. Method: The data were gathered through an online survey questionnaire from 311 college students. The students were divided into either a lower or a higher HL status group, based on HL mean…

There is limited literature on emerging young adult (EYA) care partners, despite a recent rise in interest in this group. The purpose of this study is to compare EYA care partners and their non-care partner peers in the domains of academic achievement and engagement, employment, health-related behaviors and self-care, and mental health and…

Background: In 2020, schools shifted to remote learning in response to mitigating COVID-19. Since then, students have fluctuated between in-person and remote learning environments. Changes to instructional models raise questions about the impact on health. Methods: This study leveraged a statewide surveillance system (Healthy Kids Colorado Survey)…

There is now a wealth of research on obesity both from biomedical and socially critical perspectives. However, less research has focused on the lived experiences of young children and particularly those who are perceived as 'sedentary'. This paper critically examines the issue of obesity as related to children's experiences of physical…

Activists fed up with school closures, masking policies, and curricular choices interrupted school-board meetings around the nation. The parental protests, together with school responses to the COVID pandemic, acquired a partisan edge. Republican and Democratic governors regularly disagreed about the necessity of mask wearing, social distancing,…

There is evidence that education levels have an impact on people's attitudes toward vaccination. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to maximize vaccinations - one of the most efficient ways to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Young individuals play a major role in disease transmission due to their intense social life…

Background: As health coaching is becoming more popular as a health promotion intervention tool, there is a lack of empirical evidence to understand the clients' experience in the peer health coaching program among college students. Purpose: This qualitative study explored the experiences and perceptions of the health coaching clients following an…

Young adults are very socially active. During infectious disease outbreaks, their interpersonal interactions serve as a mode of viral transmission, especially to vulnerable populations such as the elderly and immunocompromised. A lack of compliance with recommended health behaviors among college students during the early months of the COVID-19…

In this paper we make a case for 'Little Data', which is real-time, self-collected, idiosyncratic datasets maintained by individuals about themselves on myriad topics. We develop and offer a methodology for combining these messy, highly personal insights, to make deductive observations about collective practices. In testing this approach, we use…

Americans have experienced declining health for decades (National Center for Health Statistics, 2019) and these poor health outcomes may be the result of increased sedentary behavior at school, work, and home (Keadle, Conroy, Buman, Dunstan, & Matthews, 2017). Intervention to reduce sedentary behavior may be needed in each of these settings,…

The original Social Emotional Distress Survey--Secondary (SEDS-S) assesses adolescents' past month's experiences of psychological distress. Given the continued need for and use of brief measures of student social-emotional distress, this study examined a five-item version (SEDS-S-Brief) to evaluate its use for surveillance of adolescents' wellness…

Objective: To assess differences in dietary quality among college men reporting high, moderate, and non-video game usage. Participants: College men aged 18-24. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected between 2012 and 2020. Participants (n = 1259) were categorized according to self-reported video game usage: non-users (NVG), <1 h/day (MVG),…

Objective: This study examined college students' perceptions of how parents, family, friends, significant others, and the media influenced eating and exercise behaviors and weight perceptions. Participants: Forty-one college students, mostly female, participated in interviews. Methods: A Grounded Theory approach, using open coding and memoing, was…

Higher education leaders and staff have long expressed concern about the impact of student drug use. This includes its effects on learning and mental health and on future job prospects, as well as the serious consequences of addiction and avoidable deaths. However, there has historically been limited understanding of the prevalence of student drug…