Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Teens and Adults Using E-Cigarettes at Higher Risk of Developing Asthma, Poor Mental Health

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on StudyFinds.

Although the debate over how harmful vaping is for human health rages on, more and more studies continue to suggest e-cigarettes are not a safe alternative to smoking tobacco. Now, a new study finds children and adults who take up the habit significantly increase their odds of developing asthma.

Researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto say vapers over the age of 12 not only had a higher risk of suffering an asthma attack but also displayed more stress and poorer mental health. The findings come from a review of the 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS).

Study authors discovered only three percent of the participants reported using e-cigarettes within the previous 30 days before the survey; that’s about one in 32 people studied in the report. Among that small group, one in eight e-cigarette users had asthma. Moreover, the study finds those with asthma have a 24-percent higher likelihood of having an asthma attack within one year. Researchers note nearly half of e-cigarette users also reported smoking traditional cigarettes regularly.

Researchers looked at the health and behavioral habits of over 17,000 people 12 years and older in the CCHS. After accounting for various factors which could affect the results, the study concludes e-cigarette users face a 19-percent greater chance of developing asthma.

Current smokers raised their odds by 20 percent, while former smokers actually increased their chances of having asthma by 33 percent. Researchers discovered those who never smoke or have not used e-cigarettes had no significant link to asthma.

Unfortunately, respiratory trouble is not the only problem study authors uncovered among vapers.

“Interestingly, our study found a significantly higher proportion of those who used e-cigarettes reported fair to poor mental health (15 percent) compared to those who did not vape (7 percent),” Dr. To reports.

“In addition, those who used e-cigarettes had 60 percent higher odds of self-reported high levels of life stress compared to those who did not. While vaping may not cause stress, it appears that vape cravings may be triggered by stress and anxiety, making it harder for the e-cigarette user to quit. This may be particularly relevant during the pandemic when stress and anxiety are highly prevalent.”

Source: StudyFinds
https://www.studyfinds.org/teens-adults-e-cigarettes-asthma/

What's Hot? 05/28/21

Trending Today on Twitter - 5/28/21
1. #fridaymorning
2. #FridayFeeling
3. #Outkick
4. #OddWaysToEndAFight
5. #MemorialDayWeekend
6. NJPW
7. RIP Harambe
8. DMCA
9. Namibia
10. mingyu
Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 5/28/21
1. Southwest Airlines flight attendants
2. Memorial Day Weekend
3. Friends Reunion
4. Miami Heat
5. Pittsburgh Penguins
6. Nuggets
7. A Quiet Place II
8. iHeart Radio Music Awards 2021
9. Breeze Airlines
10. Dying Light 2
Source: Google

Top Five on Spotify - 5/28/21
1. good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo
2. deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo
3. traitor - Olivia Rodrigo
4. brutal - Olivia Rodrigo
5. favorite crime - Olivia Rodrigo
Source: Spotify

Top Five on Apple Music - 5/28/21
1. good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo
2. traitor - Olivia Rodrigo
3. deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo
4. favorite crime - Olivia Rodrigo
5. Wockesha - Moneybagg Yo
Source: Apple Music

TV Shows Trending on Streaming Services - 5/28/21
1. Mare of Easttown - HBOMax
2. Marvel's M.O.D.O.K. - Hulu
3. Solos - Prime Video
4. Friends - HBOMax
5. Yellowstone - Peacock
Source: Reelgood

Trending Today on YouTube - 5/28/21
1. Getting Recognized Stories
2. Joyner Lucas - Back in Blood (Remix)
3. Sonic Central - 5/27/21
4. midwxst - trying
5. Jack Harlow Returns to the Studio to Eat Spicy Wings
Source: YouTube

Netflix Top 5 in the U.S. Today - 5/28/21
1. Home
2. Army of the Dead
3. Blue Miracle
4. Ragnarok
5. Who Killed Sara?
Source: Netflix

More Than One Hour of Video Games or Internet Use on School Days Leads to Poor Grades

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on StudyFinds.

No video games on school nights? As both schoolwork and entertainment become more and more synonymous with “screen time,” it can seem impossible at times to keep kids off of their digital devices. However, a study finds limiting how much time teens use the internet for recreation can be good for their grades.

Researchers at Rutgers University say children in middle school who play video games or use social media and the internet for more than an hour on school days have significantly lower grades and test scores than their peers. Study authors add their findings give parents some tangible boundaries for their kids when it comes to digital entertainment. They recommend limiting students to one hour of recreational screen time daily on weekdays and four hours a day on weekends.

Working with Professor Lia Nower, also from the Center for Gambling Studies and Renmin University of China, the team examined data from the China Education Panel Survey. The national report provided information on school performance and recreational habits for nearly 10,000 students with an average age of 13.5.

The survey results reveal children using digital technology for entertainment over four hours a day were four times more likely to skip class. Researchers discovered boys are much more likely to entertain themselves using social media, the internet, and video games than girls. In turn, boys also performed worse and displayed less desire to engage in their schoolwork than girls.

On the other hand, keeping screen time under control seems to provide a boost academically and socially for youngsters. The survey shows children using technology for fun less than one hour a day on weekdays experienced less boredom in class. Researchers say using technology in moderation also helped to boost cognitive development among these students.

The study appears in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.

Source: StudyFinds
https://www.studyfinds.org/video-games-internet-school-grades/

Parents Think Their Kids Will Get Bored Outside — After Just 30 Minutes

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on StudyFinds.

Are the great outdoors just one giant bore to kids today? The average parent thinks their child could only keep themselves occupied outside for just 32 minutes before boredom sets in.

Results of a survey of 2,000 parents with children between five and 13-years-old reveal that less than half of moms and dads (48%) believe their child could entertain themselves in the outdoors for a half-hour. One in two parents worries their kids don’t have the same level of imagination that they did during their own youth and think technology might be to blame.

The survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Claritin, also finds two in three respondents think technology makes growing up harder than ever.

Parents in the poll reminisced over their own childhoods, with about three in four claiming it was much easier to make friends in their day – just by going outside and playing in their neighborhoods. That’s in comparison to kids today who have to contend with the lure of browsing social media all day.

Over seven in 10 parents surveyed (72%) believe their family doesn’t spend enough time outside. Also, when their kids do go outside, 49 percent of parents report that youngsters find the outdoors boring. One in two respondents (48%) say they barter TV or computer time with their kids in an effort to make them explore the outdoors.

Source: StudyFinds
https://www.studyfinds.org/parents-kids-bored-outside-after-30-minutes/

Parental Consumption Shapes How Teens Think About and Use Cannabis

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on EurekAlert!

Turns out the old adage, "monkey see, monkey do," does ring true -- even when it comes to cannabis use. However, when cannabis use involves youth, it's see, think, then do, says a team of UBC Okanagan researchers.

The team found that kids who grow up in homes where parents consume cannabis will more than likely use it themselves. Parental influence on the use of cannabis is important to study as it can help with the development of effective prevention programs, explains Maya Pilin, a doctoral psychology student in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

"Adolescence is a critical period in which drug and alcohol experimentation takes place and when cannabis use is often initiated," says Pilin. "Parents are perhaps the most influential socializing agent for children and early adolescents."

For their research, the team used data from a survey of almost 700 students in Grades 7 to 9, which is when previous studies demonstrate that cannabis use increases dramatically. Each year over a three-year period, the students were asked if one or both of their parents used cannabis, if so, how frequently, and whether they also use it. As the students aged, their cannabis use began and increased.

This data was collected before cannabis was decriminalized in Canada in 2017.

"We wanted to try and explain, how parental use, while their kids were in Grade 7, would be associated with their kids' use by ninth grade," says Dr. Sarah Dow-Fleisner, a researcher with the School of Social Work. "We hypothesized that early parental use would impact how teens think about cannabis use, in particular, whether parental use early in adolescence would be associated with more positive expectations and perceptions of cannabis use by Grade 8, and whether that would lead to an increased chance of using cannabis by Grade 9. What we thought is exactly what we found."

The research was published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Source: EurekAlert!
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uobc-pcs051821.php

Childhood Abdominal Pain May Be Linked to Disordered Eating in Teenagers

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on MedicalXpress.

New research shows that people who suffer from recurrent abdominal pain in childhood may be more likely to have disordered eating as teenagers.

This is the first study to provide prospective evidence of an association between recurrent abdominal pain at aged 7-9 years and fasting to control weight at aged 16 years. The study, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, suggests that recurrent abdominal pain, the most common gastrointestinal complaint of childhood, may be an independent risk factor for later fasting to control weight.

Researchers at the University of Oxford, Duke University U.S., and the University of Bristol, used the "Children of the 90s' population cohort of 14,000 children in the UK, to explore this association.

Dr. Kate Stein, lead author of the study, Department of Psychiatry, University Oxford, said, "The factors behind eating disorders are complex, but our findings suggest that for some patients, recurrent abdominal pain in childhood may precede and contribute to later problems.

"While we cannot confirm that childhood recurrent abdominal pain increases the risk of developing an eating disorder, we suspect that some children become fearful of their pain and start to avoid foods which they associate with the pain. This could then set them on a trajectory which leads to unhelpful fasting behaviors in adolescence."

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-05-childhood-abdominal-pain-linked-disordered.html

What's Hot? 05/21/21

Trending Today on Twitter - 5/21/21
1. Socrates
2. olivia rodrigo
3. #FridayVibes
4. Radio Shack
5. The Lost Boys
6. #fridaymorning
7. #FridayFeeling
8. #FridayMotivation
9. #FridayThoughts
10. Full Metal Jacket
Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 5/21/21
1. Penguins
2. Sour Olvia Rodrigo
3. Marc Jacobs
4. Overwatch 2
5. Chris Cuomo
6. BTS Butter
7. Velveteen Dream
8. PGA Championship
9. Wizards
10. ACL
Source: Google

Top Five on Spotify - 5/21/21
1. good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo
2. Kiss Me More (feat. SZA) - Doja Cat
3. my.life (with 21 Savage & Morray) - J. Cole
4. RAPSTAR - Polo G
5. pride.is.the.devil (with Lil Baby) - J. Cole
Source: Spotify

Top Five on Apple Music - 5/21/21
1. my.life (with 21 Savage & Morray) - J. Cole
2. good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo
3. pride.is.the.devil (with Lil Baby) - J. Cole
4. amari - J. Cole
5. Wockesha - Moneybag Yo
Source: Apple Music

TV Shows Trending on Streaming Services - 5/21/21
1. Mare of Easttown - HBOMax
2. Hacks - HBOMax
3. Yellowstone - Peacock
4. StartUp - Netflix
5. Love, Death & Robots - Netflix
Source: Reelgood

Trending Today on YouTube - 5/21/21
1. I'M PREGNANT WITH TWINS!
2. WARRIORS AT LAKERS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS
3. Stray Kids
4. Friends: The Reunion | Official Teaser | HBO Max
5. TELLING MY FAMILY I'M PREGNANT!
Source: YouTube

Netflix Top 5 in the U.S. Today - 5/21/21
1. The Woman in the Window
2. Who Killed Sara?
3. Sabotage
4. The Upshaws
5. Jupiter's Legacy
Source: Netflix

Parents Expect to Pay at Least $26,000 Annually to Send Their Kids to College

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on StudyFinds.

Over one in four parents of prospective college students feel like their kid isn’t ready for college. While that may not sound surprising, parents are also sharing that they themselves aren’t ready to pay those tuition bills either!

Specifically, a new study finds parents feel like their kids aren’t prepared for the academic load (54%), the mental stress (49%), or the emotional load (44%) that comes from higher education. On top of that, seven in 10 parents are feeling nervous about paying for college this year due to the financial impact of COVID-19.

The survey of 2,000 American parents of children entering college or current college students reveals 76 percent have begun talking with their kids about paying for school. Commissioned by College Ave Student Loans and conducted by OnePoll, researchers discovered, on average, parents expect the full cost of college — including tuition, books, room, and board — to be above $26,000 annually.

For families looking to save and budget money, two-thirds of parents agree applying for scholarships (66%) or living at home (65%) are the best ways to save. The average prospective student will apply for three scholarships to help pay for their college. If they plan on attending a four-year university, they’ll apply for an average of four scholarships.

On top of scholarships, two-thirds said their kids are either planning to or already have a part-time job to help pay for school. However, 63 percent worry their kid’s job won’t be enough to put a dent in college costs. Over a third of parents (35%) said they feel like they’re already out of options when it comes to paying off that big tuition bill.

Source: StudyFinds
https://www.studyfinds.org/parents-expect-to-pay-26000-for-college/

Obesity in Teens, Higher Risk of Stroke Before 50

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on HealthDay.

Strokes are on the rise among people younger than 50, and new research suggests that packing on the pounds during the teen years is a big reason why.

The more overweight you were from ages 16 to 20, the greater your risk of having a stroke before age 50, the new study shows.

The researchers looked at teen body mass index (BMI) and first stroke before age 50 among 1.9 million Israeli males and females. Two nationwide databases were used: the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli National Stroke Registry.

Follow-up between 2014 and 2018 showed there were 1,088 strokes, at an average age of 41. Some occurred before age 30.

Overweight teens had twice the risk of having a stroke before turning 50. With obesity, they had a 3.4-times higher risk for stroke, when compared to folks in the low-normal BMI group.

Even those with BMIs in the high-normal range were more likely to have a stroke before 50 than those with lower BMIs, the study showed.

The study appears in the June issue of Stroke.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/5-13-obesity-in-teens-higher-risk-of-stroke-before-50-2652937614.html

More Gen Zers Now Use TikTok than Instagram in the US

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on eMarketer.

After astronomical user growth in 2019 and 2020, TikTok will reach a pivotal milestone with respect to its youngest users. By the end of this year, the video app will have a larger number of Gen Z users in the US than that of Instagram. And it will surpass Snapchat in terms of total users by 2023, according to our latest social user forecast.

This year in the US, TikTok will have 37.3 million Gen Z users (born between 1997 and 2012) who access their accounts at least once per month. For comparison, Instagram will have 33.3 million users within the same demographic.

“Instagram’s user base is steadily aging,” said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence. “This year, its fastest-growing age group will be ages 35 to 44 [up 7.2%], while gains will be much slower among teens 12 to 17 [0.7%] and young adults 18 to 24 [2.0%]. However, Gen Z will still make up nearly three in 10 users on Instagram [28.0%] this year, so advertisers can still find them on the platform.”

Snapchat, meanwhile, is the leading social network in the US among Gen Z, with 42.0 million users in the group this year. While it will maintain that position through 2025, TikTok will narrow the gap considerably by the end of the forecast period.

TikTok is now on pace to surpass Snapchat in terms of total users by 2023. At that point, TikTok will have 89.7 million users compared with Snapchat’s 89.5 million.

Instagram still far exceeds TikTok and Snapchat in terms of total users. The Facebook-owned platform will have 118.9 million users this year, up 3.7% over 2020.

Source: eMarketer
https://www.emarketer.com/content/more-us-gen-zers-now-use-tiktok-than-instagram