Journal of prevention (2022)最新文献

Stair use is a physical activity that can be easily incorporated into daily routines, offering numerous health benefits. Nudges are increasingly adopted in public health interventions to promote healthy behaviours, such as physical activity. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of nudge-based posters in increasing stair use among hospital visitors in Athens, Greece. The posters were placed at the point-of-choice between stairs and elevators. Hospital visitors using either the stairs or elevators were observed across five phases, namely, baseline, two intervention phases, and two post-intervention phases, each lasting four days. A total of 3,071 choices between the stairs and the elevator were recorded during the study. The differences in proportions of stair users between stages was assessed using the Chi-square test. The results showed that the posters significantly increased stair use from 22.6% at baseline to 37.3% during the first intervention phase. Stair use dropped back to 22.2% during the first post-intervention phase. During the second intervention, stair use rising to 37.8%, followed by a decrease to 22.8% in the second post-intervention phase. These findings suggest that posters placed at the point-of-choice can effectively promote immediate behavioural changes, increasing stair use among hospital visitors. However, their long-term effect has yet to be verified. The simplicity, low cost, and easy applicability of posters make them a promising nudge-based intervention within hospital settings. These characteristics also support the generalization of this approach to other environments as part of public health policies aimed at promoting physical activity and improving overall population health.

The digitalization of society increasingly blurs boundaries between analog and digital worlds, offering opportunities such as telemedicine and global connectivity through digital platforms. However, it also presents risks, including cyberbullying, addiction potential, harmful content, misinformation, and privacy concerns from data breaches and surveillance technologies. Social media, with its global reach, amplifies both opportunities for positive engagement and the responsibility to navigate largely unregulated content. Adolescents, due to their developing critical evaluation skills and high prevalence of mental health challenges, are particularly vulnerable in this space and must navigate the risks associated with social media while simultaneously leveraging it for essential developmental tasks, such as identity formation and building social connections. To support them in this challenge, we propose adapting the traditional life skills approach to address the challenges of social media use, empowering adolescents to navigate both digital and analog environments effectively. These life skills include critical thinking, communication, and managing emotions and stress - all of which are essential for navigating social media. Despite its complexities, social media offers a unique platform for health promotion and prevention interventions due to its wide accessibility and reach. It holds significant promise for adolescent health by providing information, motivation, and social support. However, evidence-based, youth-centered prevention strategies on these platforms are still in early development and require further research to ensure effectiveness. Prevention programs integrating proven behavior change techniques, aligning with the preferences and needs of adolescents, and teaching essential life skills can empower them to navigate digital and analog challenges effectively.

The current study explores whether expressing feelings about violence through journal or notebook and/or school assignment might be associated with a decrease in delinquent activities, such as substance use, theft of property, and assaultive behaviors. A cross-sectional study with purposive sampling was conducted. The participants were comprised of African American adolescents in four Chicago's Southside neighborhoods. Measures included bullying victimization, substance use, theft of property, assaultive behavior, expressing feelings about violence, and the covariates (age, biological sex, and government assistance). Analyses were univariate analyses and a two-step hierarchical multiple regression. Regarding the study sample, the average age was 15.84 years, 45.6% were males, and 75.7% received government assistance. Bullying victimization was positively associated with substance use, and expressing feelings about violence moderated the association between the two. Bullying victimization was also positively associated with theft of property, and expression feelings about violence moderated the association between the two. Although bullying victimization was positively associated with assaultive behavior, expressing feelings about violence did not moderate the association between the two. Findings suggest a significant role of expressing feelings about violence in buffering the adverse outcomes of bullying victimization among adolescents in low-resourced neighborhoods. Expressing feelings about violence may serve as an effective coping mechanism for adolescents who are consistently exposed to violence.

Mental health and substance use emerged as critical factors associated with health risk behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its importance has only grown in the post-pandemic period, particularly among priority groups like higher education students. To enhance our understanding of how mental health and substance use factors interact with preventive measures like mask-wearing to affect risky sexual behaviors (RSBs), our study examined the associations between depressive symptoms, substance use, and RSBs among college and university students in the United States. We specifically aimed to assess the impact of mask-wearing on the association between depressive symptoms, binge drinking and marijuana use, and RSBs during the pandemic. Data were collected through nonprobability sampling from 835 students at five universities via an online survey conducted between July and August 2020. Using the PROCESS macro, we analyzed the mediating effects of binge drinking and marijuana use on the association between depressive symptoms and RSBs (Model 4), as well as the moderating effect of mask-wearing on the association between depressive symptoms, binge drinking and marijuana use, and RSBs. Our findings revealed that mask-wearing significantly moderated the combined association between depressive symptoms, marijuana use, binge drinking, and RSBs. As we navigate the post-pandemic period, it is crucial for existing programs addressing health risk behaviors to consider the direct and indirect associations between mental health and substance use. Understanding these protective and health risk behaviors is essential for informing targeted prevention and intervention efforts in the post-pandemic landscape.

Gamified interventions consist of a combination of game elements designed to motivate and engage users, thus addressing issues of participant low participation and enthusiasm in interventions. Gamification does not work well in all situations and its success depends on the context and target users. However, there is a lack of research on analog health interventions. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected in parallel to examine participants' experiences with Food Game, an analog gamified intervention designed to promote healthier and more sustainable food choices among high school students. Teams of students compete to complete peer-led thematic challenges. Sixty-four students from the 2022/23 edition participated in focus group interviews (N = 11), and 119 completed a survey (56.1% response rate) with indicators of responsiveness and perceived motivational impact of the program's five game elements. Results indicate a relatively high level of engagement with the program. Students valued Food Game because it gave them the opportunity to demonstrate their sense of agency and autonomy and to work in a group with their peers, thus addressing basic needs for competence, relatedness, and autonomy as described by Self-Determination Theory and providing an empowering experience. The least motivating game element in the Food Game was the leaderboard and inter-team competition. Focus group data confirmed students' ambivalence about the competition embedded in the program and pointed to potential unintended consequences, including inter-team conflict, stress, and reduced intrinsic motivation to play. The strengths and weaknesses of Food Game approach to gamification are discussed, along with implications for prevention research and practice.

The gambling industry in Spain has experienced sustained growth in recent years. This has raised concerns about its potential impact, particularly during emerging adulthood, which is a high-risk period for the development of problematic gambling behaviors. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of problem gambling in young Spanish adults and to examine individual factors associated with at-risk or problem gambling. The participants were 2762 young adults studying at university and vocational schools (64.16% women, M_age = 19.47; SD = 1.64) recruited in three Spanish autonomous communities. Individuals completed an e-assessment including sociodemographic variables, gambling-related characteristics, and the Problematic Gambling Severity Index. A total of 3.51%, 2.14%, and 0.51% were low risk, moderate risk, and problem gamblers, respectively. Predictors of at-risk/problem gambling were early gambling onset (OR 0.790; 95% CI 0.672, .929), mixed versus offline modality gambling access (OR 2.216; 95% CI 1.396, 3.516), and having gambled in the previous year in a casino (OR 1.910; 95% CI 1.194, 3.056), sports betting (OR 1.597; 95% CI 1.003, 2.542), or electronic gaming machines (OR 2.111; 95% CI 1.064, 4.189). Gambling is ubiquitous in the general population and a high proportion of young adults present low and moderate risk of problem gambling. Addressing gambling is a public health challenge and policies to regulate it should be targeted at delaying the age of onset and restricting access to online gambling.

Road traffic injury (RTI) is one of the most common causes of accidental deaths in India. The study investigates the changes in trends in age-standardised RTI mortality rates in India by sex and age groups, using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021. The trend segments are estimated from 1990 to 2021 employing a joinpoint regression model. Additionally, the influence of age, time period, and birth cohort on mortality rate trends was assessed using the age-period-cohort model. Over the past 32 years, the RTI mortality rates have experienced multiple trend segments. RTI mortality rate in the ≤ 14-year-old population has declined remarkably, dropping from 5.71 (4.65 to 6.88) per lakh population in 1990 to 3.66 (3.01 to 4.35) per lakh population in 2010, and further declining to 1.98 (1.65 to 2.37) per lakh population in 2021. The study found a positive correlation between RTI mortality rates and age, with rates consistently lower for women compared to men across all age groups. The variation in RTI mortality rates across Indian states has widened over time, with the coefficient of variation increasing from 30.58% in 1990 to 32.36% in 2010, and further to 35.11% in 2021. Despite efforts, Indian states are unlikely to achieve the goal of halving RTI deaths by 2030, based on 2010 levels. To address this, road conditions and road safety policies aimed at preventing the incidence of RTIs should be further intensified.