Unequal power and gender norms expose adolescent girls to higher risks of HIV, early marriages, pregnancies and coerced sex. In Uganda, almost half of the girls below the age of 18 are already married or pregnant, which poses a danger to the lives of young girls. This study explores the social construction of gender norms from early childhood, and how it influences adolescents' agency. Contrary...

INTRODUCTION Family and peer risk factors are considered as important predictors of tobacco use in adolescents. Furthermore, information regarding gender differences in lifetime tobacco use of adolescents is essential for designing gender-specific tobacco prevention policies. METHODS In a cross-sectional population-based study, 870 Iranian adolescents (430 boys and 436 girls) aged 15-18 years...

OBJECTIVE Functional somatic symptoms, symptoms for which no organic pathologic basis can be found, are more prevalent in girls than in boys, and this difference tends to increase during adolescence. This might be explained, at least in part, by pubertal development. We hypothesized that pubertal maturation predicts the development of most functional somatic symptoms and that this especially is...

Background Mobile phones are an important part of adolescents' life. In this study, the relationships among smartphone addiction, age, gender, and chronotype of German adolescents were examined. Materials and methods Two studies focused on two different measures of smartphone addiction. The Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale (SAPS) was applied to 342 younger adolescents (13.39 ± 1.77; 176 boy...

INTRODUCTION Adolescents go through a phase characterised by physical, mental, psychological and social changes which justify periods of hostile behaviours. The occurrence and intensity of these behaviours may correspond to a psychopathological condition that will affect their future lives. The aim of this research is to identify the socio-demographic and family background variables that influe...

This 2-wave longitudinal study aimed (1) to investigate whether high resting RSA predicted adolescents' lower externalizing behavior and higher empathic concern, and (2) to address the potential moderating role of resting RSA in the association between parent-adolescent relationship quality and adolescents' externalizing behavior and empathic concern. In a sample of 379 adolescents (212 boys, 1...

BACKGROUND Many different factors influenced food habits and physical activity patterns of adolescents in a complex interactive way. The aim of this study was to assess association between sedentary behaviour and socioeconomic factors, diet and lifestyle among the Balearic Islands adolescents. METHODS A cross-sectional survey (n = 1961; 12-17 years old) was carried out. Physical activity was ...

OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of walking and cycling to school in a nationwide representative cross-sectional sample of German adolescents. METHODS A sample of 1828 German adolescents aged 11-17 years were examined between 2003 and 2006. Mode of commuting to school was assessed using a reliable self-report measure. Socioeconomic status, migration backgrou...

OBJECTIVE To identify the prevalence of body image dissatisfaction and associated factors among students in Salvador, Brazil. METHODS A cross-sectional study involving a random sample of 1,494 (852 girls and 642 boys) adolescents between 11 and 17 years of age who were students in the public schools in Salvador, Brazil. Participants completed the Body Shape Questionnaire and the Eating Attitu...

OBJECTIVE To determine the nutritional behaviour of Tehranian adolescents. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This study was undertaken on 7669 adolescents (4070 boys and 3599 girls) of 22 junior high schools and high schools as a representative sample of Tehranian adolescents. A validated knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) questionnaire and a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) were used. Factor anal...