The prevalence and correlates of running away among adolescents in the United States.

Runaway youth may experience a myriad of challenges associated with significant risks to health and well-being. To examine the prevalence and correlates of running away from home among US youth. Annual US nationally representative samples of 8th and 10th graders between 2005 and 2017 from the Monitoring the Future study. Self-reports of nationally representative samples of 8th and 10th graders in the US Annual survey data from 8th and 10th graders spanning 2005-2017, n = 116,520. The primary outcome of this study, running away from home in the past 12 months, was examined using multivariable weighted logistic regression. Predictor measures included: parent and peer relationships, school factors (e.g., grade point average [GPA]), internalizing symptoms, externalizing behavior, and substance use (alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes). Demographic measures in the model were grade level (8th or 10th), gender (boys or girls), parent education, and race/ethnicity. The annual prevalence of running away decreased significantly from 8.3% in 2005 to 6.1% in 2017. Demographically, running away from home was significantly lower among boys compared with girls. Multivariable logistic regression model results revealed that higher levels of parental involvement, GPA, and self-esteem are all significantly related to lower odds of running away from home. Having peers who drop out of school, going on more date nights, self-derogation, interpersonal aggression, sensation seeking, theft, and property damage, as well as past 12-month alcohol use, past 12-month marijuana use, and past 30-day cigarette use were all associated with higher odds of running away from home. Annual prevalence of running away from home has been decreasing, but still affects a large number of teens. Running away is associated with numerous challenges across social, behavioral, and health domains that can further negatively impact the health and well-being of this already vulnerable population.

Sociodemographics, but not Acculturation Proxies, Account for Differences in Lifetime Cessation between White and Hispanic Smokers.

Objective: Prominent addiction theories predict that Hispanic smokers should have more success at quitting than White smokers due to less physical dependence on average, but extant findings are mixed. This might be due in part to a lack of attention to confounding demographic and acculturation-related variables. Our study compared likelihood of lifetime cessation between White and Hispanic men and women of different language proficiency, nativity and residency status, controlling for age, education, and poverty level. Method: Data from 123,574 White and Hispanic participants in the 2011-2015 National Health Interview Surveys were used. Logistic regression analyses examined ethnic differences in odds of being a former smoker. Predicted probabilities of being a former smoker were calculated from these models. Results: In unadjusted analyses, White men demonstrated higher odds of being a former smoker compared with Hispanic men, Hispanic women, and White women. In adjusted analyses, Hispanics demonstrated higher odds of being a former smoker compared with Whites, and differences by acculturation proxies emerged. Conclusions: Not accounting for demographics may suppress ethnic differences in likelihood of smoking cessation. Among Hispanics, demographics may be more important determinants of lifetime quitting than acculturation-related characteristics.

Flood susceptibility in rural settlements in remote zones: The case of a mountainous basin in the Sierra-Costa region of Michoacán, Mexico.

Maps of natural hazards are essential for the prevention or mitigation of disasters. The Nexpa River mountainous basin is in the Sierra-Costa region of the state of Michoacán, Mexico. The dispersed rural settlements in the basin, accessed through a network of mainly minor roads and tracks, are highly vulnerable in cases of catastrophic hydrometeorological events. Our study aimed to map flood zones and assess flood susceptibility in the basin on the basis of geopedology, topography, land cover and land use, to assess the vulnerability of local rural settlements and their network of roads and tracks. The land morphology was mapped and the weighted overlay technique was applied in a geographic information system to generate maps of susceptibility to flooding. Our results showed that 13% of settlements and 7% of the communication network are within flood zones. Maps based on environmental factors showed low to medium susceptibility to flooding. These methods are useful and effective for zones with little or no hydrometeorological information, and they can provide a robust source of information for decision makers regarding land planning to mitigate flood vulnerability.

Predictors of Parental Use of Corporal Punishment in Ukraine.

Despite a great deal of evidence that corporal punishment is harmful, corporal punishment is still very prevalent worldwide. We examine predictors of different types of corporal punishment among Ukrainian mothers in 12 communities across Ukraine. Findings suggest that maternal spirituality, maternal coping styles, family communication, and some demographic characteristics are predictive of mothers' use of corporal punishment.

Civil conflict, domestic violence, and poverty as predictors of corporal punishment in Colombia.

BACKGROUND: With lingering effects from more than 50 years of war, young children in Colombia are exposed to multiple risk factors such as poverty, civil conflict, and domestic violence. In addition to these environmental stressors, public and legal support for corporal punishment remains high, which is shown by the high prevalence of young children exposed to corporal punishment in Colombia. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to identify individual, family, and municipality-level predictors of corporal punishment (i.e., hitting with objects and spanking) in Colombia in order to inform prevention and intervention strategies. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: We use information gathered in 2015 from a representative sample of 11,759 mothers of children younger than five in Colombia. METHODS: We employed multi-level models to account for the clustering of families in 217 municipalities. RESULTS: Results show that mothers' prior exposure to corporal punishment by their own parents (ß=0.229;p<0.01), attitudes towards domestic violence ß=0.013;p<0.05, municipality homicide rates ß=0.028;p<0.05 and presence of armed groups ß=0.031;p<0.05, household poverty ß=0.030;p<0.01 and poverty of the municipality ß=0.022;p<0.05 predicted mothers' hitting their young children with an object. However, family ß=-0.028;p<0.05 and municipality poverty ß=-0.016;p<0.05 had a negative association with mothers' use of spanking. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that both family and neighborhood level factors have simultaneous associations with parents' use of corporal punishment. Given the accumulating evidence concerning the adverse effects of corporal punishment on child well-being and development, legislative efforts aimed at reducing and ultimately banning corporal punishment are warranted.

Using Bayesian analysis to examine associations between spanking and child externalizing behavior across race and ethnic groups.

While corporal punishment is widely understood to have undesirable associations with children's behavior problems, there remains controversy as to whether such effects are consistent across different racial or ethnic groups. We employed a Bayesian regression analysis, which allows for the estimation of both similarities and differences across groups, to study whether there are differences in the relationship of corporal punishment and children's behavior problems using a diverse, urban sample of U.S. families (n = 2653). There is some moderation of the relationship between corporal punishment and child behavior by race or ethnicity. However, corporal punishment is associated with increases in behavior problems for all children. Thus, our findings add evidence from a new analytical lens that corporal punishment is consistently linked to increased externalizing behavior across African American, White, or Hispanic children, even after earlier externalizing behavior is controlled for. Our findings suggest that corporal punishment has detrimental consequences for all children and that all parents, regardless of their racial or ethnic background, should be advised to use alternatives to corporal punishment.

Randomized Controlled Trials of Technology-Based HIV/STI and Drug Abuse Preventive Interventions for African American and Hispanic Youth: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: HIV/sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and drug abuse remain significant public health concerns in the United States, and African American and Hispanic youth are disproportionately affected. Although technology-based interventions are efficacious in preventing and reducing HIV/STI and licit/illicit drug use behaviors, relatively little is known regarding the state of the science of these interventions among African American and Hispanic youth. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to identify and examine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of technology-based HIV/STI and/or drug abuse preventive interventions for African American and Hispanic youth. METHODS: We searched electronic databases (ie, PubMed, Proquest, PsycINFO, Ebscohost, Google Scholar) to identify studies between January 2006 and October 2016. RCTs of technology-based interventions targeting African American and Hispanic youth HIV/STI risk behaviors, including sexual risk, licit and illicit drug use, and HIV/STI testing were included. RESULTS: Our search revealed a total of three studies that used an RCT design and included samples comprised of >50% African American and/or Hispanic youth. The follow-up assessments ranged from two weeks to six months and the number of participants in each trial ranged from 72 to 141. The three interventions were theory-driven, interactive, and tailored. The long-term effects of the interventions were mixed, and outcomes included reductions in sex partners, licit drug use, and condomless anal sex acts. CONCLUSIONS: Although technology-based interventions seem promising in the prevention of HIV/STI and drug abuse among African American and Hispanic youth, more research is needed.