MCH Alert


Maternal and Child Health Library

This and past issues of the MCH Alert are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/archives.html


May 7, 2010

1. Resources Highlight Components of the Foundation of a Supportive Housing Program
2. E-Journal Focuses on Transition to Adulthood
3. Project Provides Data on Priority Health Issues of Adolescent and Young Adult Health
4. Authors Examine Geographic Disparities in Childhood Obesity Over Time
5. Article Evaluates Relationship Between Participation in Sports and Problem Alcohol Use

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1. RESOURCES HIGHLIGHT COMPONENTS OF THE FOUNDATION OF A SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM

Bricks, Mortar, and Community: The Foundations of Supportive Housing for Pregnant and Parenting Teens comprises two new resources to assist case managers and key staff in helping young parents achieve self-sufficiency, housing stability, financial stability, successful and engaged parenting and attachment, and healthy relationships. The resources were developed by the Healthy Teen Network and Child Trends, working with partners in the fields of housing, child welfare, transitional living, and pregnant and parenting adolescent programs. Topics include (1) desired outcomes for pregnant and parenting adolescents upon "graduation" from a supportive housing program, (2) the needs of adolescents in achieving the desired outcomes, (3) critical elements (supports and resources) required to address adolescents' needs, and (4) essential organizational capacities for programs providing such services to adolescents. The resources are available as follows:

* The Core Components of Supportive Housing is available at http://healthyteennetwork.org/vertical/Sites/%7BB4D0CC76-CF78-4784-BA7C-5D0436F6040C%7D/uploads/%7B0F1E7B9B-1A12-46B2-8F6E-0F2B805659E9%7D.PDF

* Findings from the Field is available at
http://healthyteennetwork.org/vertical/Sites/%7BB4D0CC76-CF78-4784-BA7C-5D0436F6040C%7D/uploads/%7BF708F838-0408-4E99-B20B-B13A22C48788%7D.PDF

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2. E-JOURNAL FOCUSES ON TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD

The spring 2010 issue of the Future of Children addresses issues facing young adults transitioning to adulthood. The issue, published by Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Brookings Institution, is based on the premise that U.S. public policy and social institutions fail to reflect the realities of the transition to adulthood and thus do not adequately serve young adults' needs. Contributors discuss changes in the timing and sequencing of young adulthood and the impact of these changes on young adults' families and the institutions that have traditionally supported them. Topics include immigration, family changes, high school dropouts, higher-education outcomes, the labor market, civic participation, the military, and the justice system and social services. The authors also explore key policy issues such as diagnosing and attending to the problems of especially vulnerable young adults and building a better-integrated system of care. The full-text issue, executive summary, policy brief, and article summaries are available at http://www.futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/journals/journal_details/index.xml?journalid=72

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3. PROJECT PROVIDES DATA ON PRIORITY HEALTH ISSUES OF ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT HEALTH
 
The Data Project provides national- and state-level profiles of key measures of adolescent and young adult (ages 10-24) health based on Healthy People 2010. The project Web site, produced by the National Adolescent Health Information and Innovation Center with support from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau, contains data and text highlights that correspond to baseline (1998-99) and midcourse (2004-05) measures for the 21 Critical Health Objectives, enabling users to assess recent progress while providing a foundation for monitoring health in the long term as the nation develops priority measures for Healthy People 2020. The Web site is divided into two main sections. The first section presents national-level data by gender and race-ethnicity, summarizes gender disparities, and describes racial-ethnic disparities by objective. The second section includes summaries and data tables for each state and also highlights findings by objective (as available). The Web site also provides detailed information about data collection and presentation, state and national Excel files, and guidance for using the data to improve adolescent and young adult health. More information is available at
http://nahic.ucsf.edu/index.php/dataproject

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4. AUTHORS EXAMINE GEOGRAPHIC DISPARITIES IN CHILDHOOD OBESITY OVER TIME

"Marked geographic disparities shown here indicate the potential for considerable reduction in childhood obesity," state the authors of an article published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (ahead of print) on May 3, 2010. Although analyses at the national level are important in understanding the extent of sex, racial-ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities, geographic analysis allows individual states to know how they are performing on a key health indicator (such as childhood obesity) relative to other states and to the nation as a whole. Documenting disparities between states with the lowest and highest rates can tell us the extent to which reductions in obesity prevalence can be achieved. A temporal analysis helps identify states that have high current prevalence of childhood obesity, as well as those experiencing substantial recent increases in prevalence, indicating the need for urgent action. A temporal analysis also helps identify states with smaller-than-expected increases in obesity prevalence, allowing the effect assessment of certain obesity prevention programs. The study described in the article used individual, household, and neighborhood data from two large, nationally representative cross-sectional surveys -- the 2003 and 2007 National Survey of Children's Health -- to analyze changes in state-specific prevalence in childhood and adolescent obesity over time. The study also examined the extent to which selected sociodemographic, behavioral, and neighborhood characteristics explain the observed geographic disparities.

The authors found that
"Although individual and neighborhood characteristics were strongly associated with obesity and overweight risks and accounted for 42 percent and 45 percent of the state variance in childhood obesity and overweight, substantial geographic disparities remained," conclude the authors. They suggest that "prevention programs for reducing disparities in childhood obesity should . . . include social policy measures aimed at improving the broader social and physical environments that create obesogenic conditions that put children at risk."

Singh GK, Kogan MD, van Dyck PC. 2010. Changes in state-specific childhood obesity and overweight prevalence in the United States from 2003 to 2007. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine [published online ahead of print on May 3, 2010]. Abstract available at http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/2010.84v1?ct=ct

Readers: More information is available from the following MCH Library resource:

- Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents: Knowledge Path at
http://mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_overweight.html

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5. ARTICLE EVALUATES RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS AND PROBLEM ALCOHOL USE

"Among adolescents who participated only in sports, greater sports involvement was associated with faster average acceleration in problem alcohol use," write the authors of an article published in the May 2010 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Sports participation offers adolescents benefits for cognitive, physical, and social development. Evidence suggests, however, that sports participation may be associated with alcohol use among U.S. adolescents. A review of research investigating this relationship reveals several limitations to previous studies. The study described in this article focused on the longitudinal relationship between participation in sports and other school-based activities during adolescence and problem alcohol use by analyzing data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). The study also examined gender differences in this relationship.

Researchers analyzed nationally representative data from Add Health collected between 1994 and 2001. The sample included 8,271 adolescents in grades 7 through 12. Measures included alcohol-related behaviors and participation in school-based activities (sports only, sports with academics, sports with music, academics without sports, music without sports). The researchers also assessed demographics and other time-invariant covariates shown to be strong predictors of problem alcohol use among adolescents (parental alcoholism, parental monitoring, friends' drinking). The analyses examined whether participating in school-based sports was associated with initial levels and change in problem alcohol use over three waves of data collection.

The authors found that

The authors conclude that "these findings highlight the potential importance of school-based sports and other activities as contexts for interventions to reduce problem alcohol use."

Mays D, DePadilla L, Thompson N, et al. 2010. Sports participation and problem alcohol use: A multi-wave national sample of adolescents. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 38(5):491-498. Available at http://www.ajpm-online.net/article/S0749-3797%2810%2900111-X/abstract

Readers: More information is available from the following MCH Library resource:

- Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Challenges in Children and Adolescents: Knowledge Path at
http://mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_Mental_Conditions.html


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MCH Alert © 1998-2010 by National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health and Georgetown University. MCH Alert is produced by Maternal and Child Health Library at the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health under its cooperative agreement (U02MC00001) with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Maternal and Child Health Bureau reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to use the work for federal purposes and to authorize others to use the work for federal purposes.
 
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The editors welcome your submissions, suggestions, and questions. Please contact us at the address below.

EDITOR/ADMINISTRATOR: Jolene Bertness, M.Ed.
CO-EDITOR: Tracy Lopez, M.S.L.S.
COPYEDITOR/WRITER: Ruth Barzel, M.A.
WRITER: Beth DeFrancis, M.L.S.

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