Risky Behaviors & Barriers to Engaging in Physical Activity

1. "Youth sport participation and underage drinking behavior: the mediating effect of self-esteem." Key Concepts from Article:

1.1. Underage drinking poses serious negative health risks.

1.2. Underage drinking increases with increased sport participation.

1.3. Self-esteem increases with sport participation.

1.4. Increased self-esteem from increased sport participation can help mitigate potential increases in underage drinking.

1.5. The benefits of youth sport participation, including increased self-esteem and reduced potential for underage drinking outweigh the potential negative health risks.

2. “Physical Activity Correlates in Middle School Adolescents: Perceived Benefits and Barriers and Their Determinants." Key Concepts from Article:

2.1. The population of Latinos in the U.S. continues to grow rapidly.

2.2. Latino youth in the U.S. suffer from an inordinate amount of chronic disease and low rates of PA.

2.3. Perceived benefits and barriers are closely related to PA levels among Latino adolescents in the U.S.

2.4. It is important to establish healthy PA levels, routines, and mindsets early in people's lives to help them maintain these positive health influences after graduating from school.

2.5. For best results, youth health advocates should address both individual and systemic factors when attempting to improve PA perceptions and levels among all youth, including Latinos.

3. Overarching instructional ideas I foresee implementing within myteaching to assist youth in reducing their risky health behaviors for overcoming the barriers and determinants they perceive hindering their engagement in physical activity:

3.1. Having students self-assess their perceived benefits and barriers for PA and reflect on them in writing at the beginning of the school year/term and after each unit.

3.2. Continuing to improve on my existing skills and strategies to help create safe and supportive classroom and school environments.

3.3. Increase my efforts to engage students and parents in the school community, especially in youth sports.

4. "Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Webinar" Key Concepts from Video:

4.1. Key findings of the report were largely positive for the first three focus areas: 1) decreased sexual risk behavior, except for condom use combined with hormonal birth control, which remains unchanged; 2) decreased high-risk substance abuse; 3) decreased rates in three of the seven variables related to violence victimization, while the percentages of the remaining 4 variables were unchanged.

4.2. However, the report notes increased percentages in all but one of the five variables related to mental health and suicide, while the rate of the remaining variable did not change.

4.3. Dr. Ethier also notes increased negative health risks for all four areas for LGB youth.

4.4. Dr. Ethier discusses the positive affects of school and family connectedness; parental monitoring and family engagement in schools and school and family connectedness on reducing negative health risks in all four areas.

4.5. She further recommends that schools employ three effective strategies to help further reduce their students’ health risks, including: health education; health services; and safe and supportive school environments.