Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

A Poor Diet in College Can Lead to a Lifetime of Bad Health

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

University students often get a reputation of living on a diet of microwavable meals and energy drinks. While these questionable decisions are usually chalked up to the college lifestyle, a new study is stressing the importance of ditching these habits after graduation. Researchers from the University of British Columbia Okanagan suggest poor dietary habits established during college can contribute to future health issues years and even decades later — including obesity, respiratory illnesses, and depression.

Dr. Joan Bottorff, a professor with UBCO’s School of Nursing, is one of several international researchers involved with this multi-site study that assessed the eating habits of university students. Nearly 12,000 medical students from 31 universities in China took part in this project, which aimed to determine the association between eating behaviors, obesity, and various diseases.

We know many students consume high-calorie meals along with sugary foods and drinks and there is lots of evidence to show those kinds of eating behaviors can lead to obesity,” Dr. Bottorff says in a university release. “These are not the only habits that lead to obesity, but they are important and can’t be ruled out.”

A typical student diet consisting of high-sugar or high-calorie foods can be a long-term issue; these habits often lead to obesity. Dr. Bottorff adds there is evidence suggesting stress and anxiety can cause overeating, and overeating is also known to lead to stress and depression.

The study was published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports.

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/poor-diet-college-bad-health/

What's Hot? 05/26/23

Trending Today on Twitter - 5/26/23
 1. #fridaymorning
2. Memorial Day
3. Durk
4. Amy Schumer
5. #FridayFeeling
6. #FridayVibes
7. Good Friday
8. The Wall
9. Happy FriYAY
10. #FridayMotivation
Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 5/26/23
 1. Man United vs Chelsea
2. Dallas Stars
3. Arnold Schwarzenegger
4. Michael Block
5. Charles Schwab Challenge
6. Barbie trailer
7. Tom Brady
8. Bezos and Lauren Sanchez
9. Ken Paxton
10. Gollum game
Source: Google

Top Five on Apple Music - 5/26/23
 1. All My Life (feat. J. Cole) - Lil Durk
2. Last Night - Morgan Wallen
3. WHERE SHE GOES - Bad Bunny
4. Ella Baila Sola - Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma
5. Search & Rescue - Drake
Source: Apple Music

Top Box Office Movies - Weekend of 5/19/23
1. Fast X
2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
3. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
4. Book Club: The Next Chapter
5.  Evil Dead Rise
Source: Showtimes.com 

TV Shows Trending on Streaming Services - 5/26/23
 1. From - Prime Video
2. Silo - AppleTV+
3. Happy Valley - Philo
4. Jury Duty - Prime Video
5. Platonic - Apple TV+
Source: Reelgood

Trending Today on YouTube - 5/26/23
 1. Barbie | Main Trailer
2. Tylor Swift ft. Ice Spice - Karma
3. Lil Durk, Alicia Keys - Therapy Session
4. Taylor Swift - Snow on the Beach
5. PlayStation Showcase 2023
Source: YouTube

Netflix Top 5 TV Shows in the U.S. Today - 5/26/23
 1. All American
2. S.W.A.T.
3. Selling Sunset
4. XO, Kitty
5. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Source: FlixPatrol

Eating Disorders in Teen Girls Doubled During the Pandemic

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedPage Today.

According to a new study, eating disorders in teen girls doubled during the pandemic, and increases were also seen in anxiety disorders, ADHD, and depression.

Among teenage girls, the prevalence of anxiety disorders, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and eating disorders all increased, with the prevalence of diagnosed eating disorders more than doubling, from 0.26% in March 2020 to 0.36% in October 2020 and 0.56% in March 2022, reported Loreen Straub, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues.

"Female youth, especially female adolescents, represented the most vulnerable population with regard to marked increases in the prevalence of MH [mental health] diagnoses during the pandemic, the most pronounced being the prevalence of eating disorders," the authors wrote in a research letter published in JAMA Network Open.

Asked what could be behind the rise in mental health diagnoses, Straub said she and her colleagues could only speculate. The pandemic disrupted nearly everyone's daily routines, increased social isolation and financial strain on families, and reduced healthcare access. Among younger people in particular, it led to a "general lack of structure" that may also have been a contributor, she added.

In all, about 1.7 million youths contributed data to each calendar month; 440,722 were girls ages 6 to 12, 410,373 were girls ages 13 to 18, 461,331 were boys ages 6 to 12, and 426,358 were boys ages 13 to 18.

One limitation to the study was that it included only commercially insured youths; therefore, "patterns might look different" for publicly or uninsured populations, Straub said.

Source: MedPage Today
https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/eatingdisorders/104649

One in Six High Schoolers Don’t Believe Their College Dreams Will Come True

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Study Finds.

Going to college and graduating is a dream many teens have, but a growing portion of modern high school students say attending college just isn’t realistic for them. Researchers from the University of Georgia report that the vast majority of high school juniors (85%) want to attend college after graduating — but one in six don’t think that will actually happen.

More specifically, study authors found that students with lower grades generally still want to go to college but were less likely to believe they could successfully attain a bachelor’s degree. The same held true among students attending public high schools. Those from low-income families were also less likely to believe they could eventually attend college, although this group still generally desired higher education. Both young men and Hispanic students were especially likely to want to go to college but did not expect to actually attend.

Researchers analyzed data provided by the 2009 High School Longitudinal Study [HSLS:09], originally conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. That project was a nationally representative sample of high schoolers from 944 public and private schools who agreed to let researchers track them from 9th through 11th grade. For this latest project, study authors focused on responses from more than 9,650 students in their junior year.

While most students said they want to earn at least a bachelor’s degree, if not a master’s or doctorate, just 74 percent actually believe they would follow through on their plans. Consequently, those same students were less likely to search for, apply to, and enroll in college. Among those with low expectations for attending college, roughly half decided to go enroll in a two-year institution. The other half did not pursue higher education at all.

The study was published in the journal Educational Policy.

Source: Study Finds
https://studyfinds.org/high-school-college-dreams/

Social Media Can Create 'Profound Risk' for Teenagers, Surgeon General Says

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Washington Examiner.

The United States surgeon general said that social media can pose substantial and meaningful risks to the mental health of teenagers, a statement that will give extra motivation to members of Congress calling for new rules for Big Tech.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory that reviewed the risks of social media use on teenage brains and bodies. Murthy said that while the effects on teen mental health are not entirely understood, there are indicators that social media can harm the mental health of teenagers and children.

"More research is needed to fully understand the impact of social media; however, the current body of evidence indicates that while social media may have benefits for some children and adolescents, there are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. At this time, we do not yet have enough evidence to determine if social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents,

"Frequent social media use may be associated with distinct changes in the developing brain in the amygdala (important for emotional learning and behavior) and the prefrontal cortex (important for impulse control, emotional regulation, and moderating social behavior), and could increase sensitivity to social rewards and punishments," the report says.

Other noted harms include excess exposure to inappropriate content, such as suicide or self-harm, and damage caused by features designed to promote addictive behavior.

The report also notes the positive benefits for teenagers, including creating online communities for those with similar identities and interests.

Source: Washington Examiner
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/technology/social-media-can-create-profound-risk-for-teens-surgeon-general-says

Adolescent Vapers Much Likelier to Use Cannabis and Binge Drink

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

A new study of more than 50,000 US adolescents across the country indicates that vaping nicotine is strongly linked with an increased likelihood of high levels use of binge drinking and cannabis usage.

The findings, published in Substance Use and Misuse, will add to growing public health concerns about the increased popularity of electronic cigarette (or "vaping") use among young people.

"While the overall health risks of vaping are lower than smoking, electronic cigarettes are still harmful to adolescents and warrant ongoing surveillance—especially as the long-term impacts remain unknown," says lead author Noah Kreski from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

"Our results indicate that vaping is not an isolated behavior, but rather strongly tied to other substance use that can harm adolescents and make quitting nicotine more difficult. Recognizing the strong overlap between various forms of substance use, effective intervention efforts should work to simultaneously address vaping, drinking and cannabis use to encourage the health and well-being of young people."

The researchers used the Monitoring the Future survey—conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)—to track trends in the use of cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, vaping of both nicotine and cannabis, and other substances for children in school grades 8 (13-14 years old), 10 (15-16 years old) and 12 (17–18 years old).

The team examined data from 51,872 adolescents who took part in the survey between 2017 and 2019. They assessed the links between past 30-day nicotine use (non-, smoking-only, vaping-only, and any smoking plus vaping) with past 30-day cannabis use—making adjustments to account for certain demographic factors, such as age, sex, race, parental education and urbanicity of the participants.

Looking at nicotine use and cannabis use (in any form, including vaping), they found that compared to those who did not use nicotine at all, adolescents who vaped were 20.31 times more likely to use cannabis, and 21.60 times more likely to participated in binge drinking on three to five occasions.

"The links between vaping-only, or both smoking and vaping, and cannabis use and binge drinking outcomes in adolescents are particularly striking—especially at the highest levels of binge drinking. While the causal direction of these associations is unclear, the size of the effect is concerning given the harms these substances pose to adolescents," adds Kreski, who is a data analyst at Columbia.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-05-national-adolescent-vapers-likelier-cannabis.html

What's Hot? 05/19/23

Trending Today on Twitter - 5/19/23
 1. #fridaymorning
2. Andy Rourke
3. #FridayFeeling
4. #FursuitFriday
5. Summer Walker
6. Good Friday
7. Hertz
8. Happy Friyay
9. Disney
10. Finally Friday
Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 5/19/23
 1. White Men Can't Jump
2. PGA Championship
3. Fast X
4. Florida Panthers
5. PGA leaderboard
6. Killers of the Flower Moon
7. Mortal Kombat 1
8. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez
9. Billy Graham WWE
10. 2024 Tacoma
Source: Google

Top Five on Apple Music - 5/19/23
 1. All My Life (feat. J. Cole) - Lil Durk
2. Last Night - Morgan Wallen
3. Ella Baila Sola - Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma
4. Search & Rescue - Drake
5. un x100to - Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny
Source: Apple Music

Top Box Office Movies - Weekend of 5/12/23
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
3. Book Club: The Next Chapter
4. Evil Dead Rise
5. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Source: Showtimes.com 

TV Shows Trending on Streaming Services - 5/12/23
 1. Silo - AppleTV+
2. Jury Duty - Prime Video
3. From - Prime Video
4. Yellowstone - Peacock
5. Yellowjackets - Prime Video
Source: Reelgood

Trending Today on YouTube - 5/19/23
 1. Man. City vs. Real Madrid: Extended Highlights
2. Killers of the Flower Moon - Official Teaser Trailer
3. Five Nights at Freddy's | Official Teaser
4. FAST X | Angel Pt. 1
5. RAID: Call of the Arbiter
Source: YouTube

Netflix Top 5 TV Shows in the U.S. Today - 5/19/23
 1. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
2. McGregor Forever
3. Firefly Lane
4. Missing: Dead or Alive?
5. Queer Eye
Source: FlixPatrol

64% of Teenagers Would Trade Voting for TikTok

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Washington Examiner.

They can’t vote yet, so maybe there’s time to get them interested in the most basic American right.

A new look at younger social media users, ages 13-17, finds they are not just obsessed with the social media platforms but that 64% would give up their right to vote just to keep access to apps such as TikTok.

Think that’s bad? Among a larger group of the so-called “TikTok generation,” 13-24, 61% would trade voting for a year to stay on social media.

To those who focus on critical thinking and fighting disinformation on the internet, that’s an “alarming” finding.

“I think our children’s way of gathering information is actually being altered,” Helen Lee Bouygues, president of the Reboot Foundation, told Secrets.

Just the idea of trading voting to watch videos on social media is shocking to her, especially when so many elections are won and lost by a handful of votes. “Giving up the ‘right to vote’ for the ‘right to post’ is an alarming admission at a time when the populace is politically fractured, culturally splintered, and distrustful of American institutions,” the Reboot survey analysis stated.

Then, there is the time younger people spend on the apps. Nearly a quarter of those studied are watching or posting for four hours a day, with the majority viewing social media for 2-3 hours a day.

“We’re not providing the tools, neither to the teachers nor to the students, to actually be able to do critical thinking,” she said.

Source: Washington Examiner
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/alarming-reality-64-of-teenagers-would-trade-voting-for-tiktok

Evidence of 'Pandemic Brain' in College Students

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

Decision-making capabilities of college students—including some graduating this spring—were likely negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, new research suggests.

Students in the small study conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University were less consistent in their decision-making during the 2020 fall semester compared to students who had participated in similar research over several previous years.

The researchers compared responses to a hypothetical situation made by students during the pandemic to responses made by students in earlier studies. They found evidence that students in 2020 were more likely to cycle between going with their gut and more thoroughly mulling over their answers depending on how the scenario was described.

"Our theory is that feeling stressed by everything going on was limiting students' resources to really evaluate the information that was presented to them," said lead author Melissa Buelow, professor of psychology at Ohio State's Newark campus.

The research also suggests that the prolonged and wide-ranging uncertainties that came with the global lockdown—far different from an acute stressor imposed in a lab—affected the brain region responsible for problem-solving and decision-making.

Buelow conducted the study with Ohio State Newark psychology faculty members James Wirth and Jennifer Kowalsky. The research was published recently in the Journal of American College Health.

Buelow and her colleagues were inspired to do the study after they referred to their own foggy thinking as "pandemic brain" in casual conversation.

A clinical neuropsychologist, Buelow has used the Adult Decision Making Competence (ADMC) scale in her research for a decade. For this study, researchers compared data from a pre-pandemic sample of 722 undergraduates who had been assessed with the ADMC scale to data from 161 students who participated in one of two assessments during the 2020 fall semester.

The main finding: Instead of recognizing that ethics-based scenarios resulted in the same outcome, whether presented as a gain or loss, students in 2020 were more likely to answer differently based on how the information was framed.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-05-evidence-pandemic-brain-college-students.html

Pandemic is Over But Most Kids Are Still on Their Couch Too Much

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

Although the World Health Organization says COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency, there’s another pandemic issue still causing problems — inactive kids. A new study finds the majority of children continue to spend too much time on the couch despite activity rates returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Researchers at the University of Bristol discovered that by the summer of 2022, only 41 percent of children in the United Kingdom were meeting the national recommended physical activity guidelines of an hour of exercise per day. Immediately after the pandemic, a mere 37 percent reached the target, which includes moderate-to-vigorous exercise — defined as activity that leaves children slightly hot, sweaty, and out of breath. Based on those figures, 59 percent of children are still lagging behind and way too inactive in the wake of COVID.

Although there has been a slight overall improvement, children have become more sedentary during the week, being physically inactive for an additional 13 minutes compared to the pandemic period.

Study authors measured the physical activity levels of 393 children between 10 and 11 years old between June and December 2021. They assessed an additional 436 children of the same age from January to July of the same year. The participants came from 28 schools in the Bristol area.

The children and a parent or caregiver wore an accelerometer, which measured the movements of the participants and completed a questionnaire. The team compared this data to pre-pandemic data collected from nearly 1,300 children and their parents from 50 schools in the same region.

The research is published in the journal International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity.

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/pandemic-kids-still-on-couch/