Research Profiles - Youth Health: Unique challenges, unique responses
In the 1950s, it was "greasers" with cigarettes rolled in the sleeves of their white undershirts. In the 1960s, it was "drugged-out hippies", dropping acid while dreaming of peace. Those seem like innocent times, now. Whether it's drugs and alcohol, body image, violence or sexuality – youth today face health challenges that just weren't part of our grandparents' world.
Much of it seems to come down to risky behaviour – behaviour that can have ramifications for the rest of their lives. Yet the allure proves eternal.
This month's research profiles look a little more closely into the world of youth and risky behaviour.
Nick Holt, for instance, was motivated to undertake his research on physical activity and low-income youth by reports – reports that turned out to be inaccurate – that organized sports could be a recruiting ground for gangs.
Brandon Marshall wanted to know more about what happens to youth who use crystal meth – do they move onto other drugs? What about how it affects their sexual behaviour?
And you wouldn't think of the teens walking around with earbuds listening to their music as being "at risk". But they are. In this case, the risk is noise-induced hearing loss. No one thinks it will happen to them – but it is, and at younger and younger ages. We present a discussion of a Youth Listening Summit, held to develop I Hear Ya!, a program encouraging teens to turn down the volume.
All of this research shares a common subject – youth. But much of it also shares something that is indicative of how things have changed in the past decades. Youth are not just the subject of this research – they are also, in many cases, helping to carry it out. Thirty youth, including 10 hearing-impaired youth, attended the Youth Listening Summit and played an active role in developing and delivering I Hear Ya!. And Nick Holt is depending on youth and their families to inform his research into the impact of organized sport.
And who knows? Many years down the road, we may be profiling the health research of some of these youth, health research that was sparked by their initial involvement in CIHR-supported research. Now that's a positive outcome of risky behaviour!
