Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Low Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Youth is Associated with Decreased Work Ability Throughout Adulthood

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by ScienceDaily.

A study from the University of Jyväskylä confirms the concerns raised in the public domain about how young people's decreased fitness may affect their future work ability. The association of low youth cardiorespiratory fitness and adulthood decreased work ability persisted until the end of working life, which predicts substantial societal costs.

In the 45-year study published in JAMA Network Open, the participant's baseline physical fitness was measured in school between the ages of 12 and 19. Work ability was self-assessed twice during working life, between the ages of 37 and 44 and then between the ages of 57 and 64. Low cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence was associated with decreased work ability and higher rates of absence due to illness in the middle of working life, and with decreased work ability at the end of working life.

Low musculoskeletal fitness or high body mass was not associated with adulthood work ability.

The study is the first to demonstrate the association of youth cardiorespiratory fitness with adulthood work ability in working men and women. Recently, studies among Swedish men have shown that low fitness in youth increases the risk of chronic disability in adulthood.

"The finding is worrying, even though work ability is a multifaceted concept with numerous factors affecting it," says doctoral researcher Perttu Laakso.

"Given that the participants in the study were born in the 1960s and had a higher average youth cardiorespiratory level compared to today's adolescents, the finding is even more worrisome."

"It can be assumed that the risk of decreased work ability is higher among today's adolescents."

For the individual, lowered work ability, sick leave and premature retirement are linked to decreased quality of life, and also result in higher economic burden at the societal level.

Source: ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240408130641.htm

Childhood Obesity May Do Lasting Damage To The Brain

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds.

Studies continue to show that childhood obesity puts kids at greater risk for developing diseases like Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. However, there’s a less talked about problem that excess weight at a young age could cause — poor brain health. Researchers working with the Radiological Society of North America found that children with a higher body mass index before reaching adolescence also displayed poorer cognitive functioning.

“We know being obese as an adult is associated with poor brain health,” says researcher Simone Kaltenhauser, a post-graduate research fellow in radiology and biomedical imaging at the Yale School of Medicine. “However, previous studies on children have often focused on small, specific study populations or single aspects of brain health.”

Kaltenhauser and the team used MRI data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study to reach their findings. This study included 11,878 children between nine and 10 years-old from 21 centers across the country in order to provide a diverse dataset that is representative of the greater population. According to BMI z-scores, which measure relative weight, adjusting for age, sex, and height, 21 percent and 17.6 percent were overweight or obese, respectively.

The team then evaluated brain health by examining information from structural MRI and resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) scans, which help capture changes in blood flow. Additionally, the team used diffusion tensor imaging to study the brain’s white matter.

After correcting for confounding factors like age, sex, race-ethnicity, left or right-handedness, and socioeconomic status, the researchers found that brain structure was altered in children of greater weight and BMI z-scores. Obese children also displayed impaired white matter integrity.

“It is striking that these changes were visible early on during childhood,” Kaltenhauser says in a media release. “We expected the decrease in cortical thickness among the higher weight and BMI z-score children, as this was found previously in smaller subsamples of the ABCD study.”

“However, we were surprised by the extent of white matter impairment.”

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/childhood-obesity-damage-brain/

What's Hot? 04/12/24

Trending Today on X (formerly Twitter) - 4/12/24
 1. $GFT
2. Drake
3. #fridaymorning
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8. Max Homa
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Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 4/12/24
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Top Five on Apple Music - 4/12/24
 1. Like That - Future, Metro Boomin, Kendrick Lamar
2. Type Sh*t - Future, Metro Boomin, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti
3. Wanna Be - GloRilla,
4. Get It Sexyy - Sexyy Red, Megan Thee Stallion
5. Too Sweet - Hozier
Source: Apple Music

Top Box Office Movies - Weekend of 4/5/24
1. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
2. Monkey Man
3. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
4. The First Omen
5. Kung Fu Panda 4
Source: Showtimes.com 

TV Shows Trending on Streaming Services - 4/12/24
 1. Fallout - Prime Video
2. Ripley - Netflix
3. Sugar - AppleTV+
4. Shogun - Hulu
5. 3 Body Problem - Netflix
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Trending Today on YouTube - 4/12/24
 1. Conan O'Brien Needs a Doctor While Eating Spicy Wings
2. Bridgerton Season 3 | Official Trailer
3. Coming Soon: New Pokemon GO Updates
4. Dua Lipa - Illusion
5. Joker: Folie a Deux | Official Teaser Trailer
Source: YouTube

Netflix Top 5 TV Shows in the U.S. Today - 4/12/24
 1. Unlocked: A Jail Experiment
2. Files of the Unexplained
3. Parasite: The Grey
4. Neal Brennan: Crazy Good
5. 3 Body Problem
Source: FlixPatrol

Exercise Habits in Youth Create Better Health Outcomes for Some

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Forming a long-term recreational exercise habit as a young person has a beneficial impact on physical and mental health later in life, but some groups, such as females and academic high-achievers, miss out on these benefits disproportionately.

A University of Adelaide study found females, people with low self-efficacy, reluctant exercisers, higher academic achievers, and those experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage are all most at risk of failing to establish regular exercise patterns during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. The findings are published in the journal PLOS ONE.

The finding was made by examining data collected as part of the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth (LSAY), which also showed young Australians on average exercise less regularly every year after transitioning from high school to university and work.

"It is well known that sustained regular exercise in young people improves fitness, physical health, self-esteem, reduces distress and sets up long-term patterns that reduce disease risk in adulthood," said Associate Professor Oliver Schubert from the University of Adelaide's Adelaide Medical School and the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network.

"There seems to be a critical period in people's teens, around the age of 15, to establish these behaviors."

"The disadvantage experienced by females is influenced by reduced opportunity, lower access, and lack of sports diversity, but also divergent parental and cultural expectations, stereotypes, and role models," says Dr. Julie Morgan, Clinical Associate Lecturer at the University of Adelaide's Discipline of Psychiatry and lead author of the study.

Females were not the only at-risk group that came as a surprise to the researchers.

"The risk for academic high achievers was unexpected and highlights the need to promote a balance between study and self-care to this group," said Associate Professor Scott Clark, Head of the University of Adelaide's Discipline of Psychiatry.

The researchers say outreach is required at an early stage to encourage the at-risk groups they've identified to develop long-term exercise habits.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-04-habits-youth-health-outcomes.html

Increasing Positive Affect in Adolescence Could Lead to Improved Health and Well-Being in Adulthood

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Adolescents with high positive affect may have improved physical and mental health as adults, according to a recent study published in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine.

Positive affect is the experience of pleasurable emotions, such as happiness, joy, excitement, and calm. Research on adults has shown that positive affect is associated with healthier behaviors and decreased risk of chronic diseases, but data are limited in adolescents. Given that adolescence is a critical time for establishing healthy mindsets and behaviors, it represents a key period for interventions aimed at setting people on a healthier life course.

In this study, researchers used data from a prospective, representative sample of approximately 10,000 U.S. adolescents in grades 7–12 (aged about 15–18) in the mid-1990s who were followed into adulthood. Participants reported on aspects of their background, health, and well-being at several time points throughout the study.

The results show that adolescents with higher increases in positive affect scored higher on several outcomes within each of the categories, even after controlling for demographic and other variables that may bias the results. One of the biggest effects was seen in mental health, where positive affect was associated with a lower likelihood of ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, and stress.

The study suggests that interventions designed to improve positive affect may have enduring impacts into adulthood, though the researchers note the limitations in using self-reported data and the possibility of additional confounding factors that they didn't consider.

The study's authors wrote, "Our findings suggest that targeting positive affect during adolescence, a critical developmental phase for acquiring health assets and establishing healthy mindsets, is a promising point of intervention that might enhance the trajectory of health/well-being in adulthood."

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-04-positive-affect-adolescence-health-adulthood.html

An Active Childhood May Save Your Life 40 Years Later

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds.

The past may be over, but is it ever really past? Researchers from Linköping University explain that how fit middle-aged men were during their youth appears to have a connection to their heart health today. More specifically, men who were in shape as adolescents showed a much lower risk of atherosclerosis close to 40 years later.

Atherosclerosis is the thickening of arteries, usually due to the buildup of plaque within the inner lining. The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, indicates that atherosclerosis is one of the key mechanisms driving the link between physical fitness and cardiovascular disease.

“Our results strengthen the notion that physical fitness is linked to health outcomes much later in life. The findings are worrying in the sense that there is a clear global trend indicating that young people are less fit now than when these study participants were young in the 1970s and 80s. Therefore, I believe that these findings may be even more important for those growing up now,” says Pontus Henriksson, senior associate professor in the Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences at Linköping University, in a media release.

Researchers linked information provided by the Swedish Military Conscription Register to SCAPIS (the Swedish Cardiopulmonary Bioimage Study), a large population study focusing on heart and lung health among older individuals (ages 50 to 64). Among nearly 9,000 men, all of whom participated in SCAPIS, data on the individuals at conscription at age 18 from 1972 to 1987 was also available. Study authors stress one of the study’s biggest strengths was its basis on the general population, as well as participating men having been followed for a long period (38 years).

Then, the study authors analyzed their coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle, using coronary CT angiography (CCTA).

“We see in our study that both good cardiorespiratory fitness and good muscle strength in youth are associated with a lower risk of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries almost 40 years later,” added Henriksson.

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/active-childhood-save-your-life/

Shocking Extent of Cyberbullying Among Kids Revealed in Major Report

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Alert.

Some 16 percent of children aged 11 to 15 were cyberbullied in 2022, up from 13 percent four years ago, a recent WHO Europe report covering 44 countries said.

"This report is a wake-up call for all of us to address bullying and violence, whenever and wherever it happens," WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement.

Fifteen percent of boys and 16 percent of girls reported being cyberbullied at least once in recent months, according to the study entitled "Health Behaviour in School-aged Children".

"Virtual forms of peer violence have become particularly relevant since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, when young people's worlds became increasingly virtual during times of lockdown," the report said.

Other bullying has remained largely stable, with just a slight increase.

Eleven percent of boys and girls reported being bullied at school at least two or three times a month in the past couple of months, compared to 10 percent four years ago.

One adolescent in eight admitted cyberbullying others, an increase of three percentage points from 2018, the report said.

The study was based on data from 279,000 children and adolescents from 44 countries across Europe, Central Asia and Canada.

In most places, cyberbullying peaked when children were 11 years old for boys and 13 for girls.

Source: ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/shocking-extent-of-cyberbullying-among-kids-revealed-in-major-report

What's Hot? 04/05/24

Trending Today on X (formerly Twitter) - 4/5/24
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2. #fridaymorning
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8. Bryson Tiller
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10. Born Sinner
Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 4/5/24
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Source: Google

Top Five on Apple Music - 4/5/24
 1. Like That - Future, Metro Boomin, Kendrick Lamar
2. Type Sh*t - Future, Metro Boomin, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti
3. Get It Sexyy - Sexyy Red
4. Too Sweet - Hozier
5. Cinderella - Future, Metro Boomin, Travis Scott
Source: Apple Music

Top Box Office Movies - Weekend of 3/29/24
1. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
2. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
3. Dune: Part Two
4. Kung Fu Panda 4
5. Immaculate
Source: Showtimes.com 

TV Shows Trending on Streaming Services - 4/5/24
 1. A Gentleman in Moscow - Prime Video
2. 3 Body Problem - Netflix
3. Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV - Max
4. Shogun - Hulu
5. The Gentlemen - Netflix
Source: Reelgood

Trending Today on YouTube - 4/5/24
 1. Tales of the Empire | Official Trailer
2. Natanael Cano || BZRP Music Sessions #59
3. Helldivers 2 - Warbond: Democratic Detonation Trailer
4. Discord Loot Boxes are here.
5. I let Twitch Chat make their own D&D campaign
Source: YouTube

Netflix Top 5 TV Shows in the U.S. Today - 4/5/24
 1. Files of the Unexplained
2. 3 Body Problem
3. Testament: The Story of Moses
4. Bad Dinosaurs
5. The Gentlemen
Source: FlixPatrol

Social Psychologist Finds Smartphones and Social Media Harm Kids in Four Ways

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by the Daily Citizen.

In his latest book, The Anxious Generation, renowned social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues smartphones and social media damage young people’s mental development — and contribute to Gen Z’s unprecedented levels of mental illness.

American teenagers conservatively spend between six and eight hours on “screen-based leisure activities,” Haidt writes, with most spending at least five of those hours on social media services like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

In The Anxious Generation, Haidt identifies four ways excessive screen time compromises young people’s success in the “real world.”

1. Social Deprivation: Haidt says healthy children need face-to-face, unsupervised group play to develop social skills resilience. But kids and teens have increasingly forgone these crucial interactions since social media and smartphones went mainstream around 2013.
   Haidt cites data from the American Time Use Study showing people ages 15 to 24 hung out with friends an average of 45 minutes per day in 2020 — more than an hour and 20 minutes less than they did in 2013.
2. Sleep Deprivation: Haidt confirms a large body of research showing teens who use smartphones and social media get less sleep than their peers who abstain.
   “The screen-related decline of sleep is likely a contributor to the tidal wave of adolescent mental illness that swept across many countries in the early 2010s,” Haidt concludes.
3. Attention Fragmentation: Teens get an average of 192 notifications from social media and communication apps every day — each one a temptation to stop the task at hand in favor of something more exciting.
   Haidt says these constant interruptions compromise young people’s ability to pay attention and, by extension, develop the part of their brain responsible for self-control, decision-making, and critical thinking.
4. Addiction: Haidt suggests that manufacturers and companies like Meta intentionally make smartphones and social media apps addictive, arguing, "The creators of these apps use every trick in the psychologists' took kit to hook users as deeply as slot machines hook gamblers."
   Haidt asks, "Can you think of any consumer product we would ever let our kids use if there was a one-in-ten chance that our kids would get hooked and have problematic behavior that would interfere with other parts of their life, and, if they do it for two or three hours a day over many years, could change their brain development?"

For all Haidt’s unflinching acknowledgment of technology’s harms, he’s optimistic that conscientious parents can turn back the clock.

Source: Daily Citizen
https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/sociologist-finds-smarphones-social-media-harm-kids-four-ways/

Irregular Sleep and Late Bedtimes Associated with Worse Grades for High School Students

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by the National Institutes of Health.

Irregular sleep and late bedtimes are linked to worse grades and more school-related behavioral problems among teens, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The authors stated that interventions to promote regular sleep schedules may boost adolescents’ academic performance.

The study, conducted by Gina Marie Mathew, Ph.D., and Lauren Hale, Ph.D., of Stony Brook University and colleagues, appears in Sleep. Funding was provided by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 800 adolescents participating in a larger study. Participants provided information on grades and school-related behavioral issues. They also wore a wrist accelerometer (a device that records the wearer’s movements) for a week so that study staff could estimate their sleep patterns.

Participants with more variable bedtimes had a greater chance of receiving a D or lower during the last grading period, compared to those with more consistent bedtimes. Adolescents who went to bed later, got up later or varied the number of hours they slept per night had fewer classes in which they received an A. Adolescents were more likely to be suspended or expelled in the last two years if they got up later, varied the number of hours they slept each night or if they varied the time they went to bed each night.

Source: National Institutes of Health
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/newsroom/news/040224-teen-sleep