Background: Few studies have attempted to define clusters of chronic disease predictors with additional focus on racial/ethnic differences. The purpose of this study was to highlight differences in predictors of chronic diseases among American high school students by identifying subgroups using latent class analysis (LCA). Methods: The chronic…

Background: Food insecurity (FI) rates in the United States are particularly high among households with children. This research set aims to analyze if high school students experiencing FI had higher risk for mental health and suicidal behaviors. Methods: Using combined data from 11 states that conducted the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a total…

For this study, we explored the association between high school students' reported history of sport- or physical activity-related concussions and persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Data from the 2017 national "Youth Risk Behavior Survey" (YRBS; N = 14,765) was used for this analysis. YRBS is administered to high school…

Background: Being bullied online is associated with being bullied in school. However, links between online bullying and violence-related experiences are minimally understood. We evaluated potential disparities in these associations to illuminate opportunities to reduce school-based violence. Methods: We used five cohorts of Youth Risk Behavior…

Family- and neighborhood-level poverty are associated with youth violence. Economic policies may address this risk factor by reducing parental stress and increasing opportunities. The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the largest cash transfer program in the US providing support to low-income working families. Many states have additional…

Background: Sexting is common among adolescents and is associated with numerous health risk behaviors and negative psychosocial constructs. This study examined the relationships between high school students' experiences with sexual violence victimization, dating violence victimization, and engagement in risky sexual behaviors with experiences of…

Background: Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. There has been a rapidly changing marijuana policy environment and increased acceptability related to marijuana in the United States. How the changing environment will potentially influence adolescents age of initiation remains unknown. While much of extant…

This study sought to contribute to the limited research on the prevalence of suicidal behaviors and exposure to school-based violence among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adolescents. It also examined the relationship between engagement in suicidal behaviors and exposure to school-based violence among AAPI adolescents. Results from a…

Although adolescent females with asthma are at increased risk for bullying, relationships between bullying at school and electronic bullying and demographics, mental health issues, and substance use have not specifically been studied in these young women. The purpose of this research was to examine such relationships among adolescent females with…

History of concussion is associated with substance use. Data from the 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 14,765) were used in this study to examine associations between sports- or physical activity-related concussions and current cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use among high school students, and whether other factors moderate those…

While LGBTQ youth may be victims of bullying at greater rates than heterosexual youth, research examining in-school bullying and cyberbullying victimization disparities through an intersectional framework is limited. Using the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the present study examined the prevalence of in-school bullying and cyberbullying…

Homelessness threatens the well-being of over 1.3 million school children in the United States. Many more students are believed to experience homelessness each year, but they go unrecognized. This report provides new estimates of student homelessness in high school, and the experiencing accompanying it, based on data from the 2019 Youth Risk…

In the United States, it is estimated that more than 5.4 million children and adolescents under age 18 provide care for adult family members who are aging or have a chronic illness, disability, or other health conditions that require assistance. However, little is known about how providing care to the family during childhood and adolescence…

Adolescents often practice unhealthy behaviors to lose weight or keep from gaining weight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has conducted biennial Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) of various health risk behaviors since 1991 using U.S. representative samples of high school students and is therefore best for us to identify risk/preventive…

The purposes of this study were to compare the use of contraception by monocultural and multicultural adolescents and identify the multidimensional factors in an ecological model. This study was cross-sectional design with a secondary data analysis using national data from the 2018 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey, including 3,031 participants (81…