Raven’s Children IV: Aboriginal youth health in BC
Since 1998 McCreary has worked in partnership with Aboriginal researchers and community Elders, youth, and adults to produce a specific report about the health of Aboriginal youth who complete the BC AHS. This is the fourth Raven’s Children report and is an in-depth look at the health of youth who identified as Aboriginal on the […]
Ethnic identity and sexual initiation among East Asian youth in Canada
Abstract Despite the large number of East Asian youth in Canada, little is known about their health and risk behaviors. We examined the relationship between ethnic identity and sexual initiation among East Asians. This secondary analysis of a population-based survey selected 4,311 students in 7-12th grades who described themselves as East Asian (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, […]
Divided and disconnected – an examination of young people’s experiences with emotional distress within the context of their everyday lives
Abstract This paper is based on a qualitative study conducted in a rural community in British Columbia, Canada. Ethnographic methods were used to: (1) to bring youth voice to the literature on emotional distress; and (2) to capture the ways in which context shapes young peoples’ experiences of emotional distress within their everyday lives. Our […]
Physical activity comparisons among adolescents of Somali, other non-Hispanic Black and White race [abstract]
Purpose: African American adolescents, particularly girls, are less active than their non-Hispanic white peers. However, little is known about how the physical activity levels and behaviors of ethnic sub-populations of non-Hispanic black adolescents, such as the Somali population, compare to their peers. A greater understanding of Somali adolescents’ physical activity is important to inform culturally […]
Enacted stigma and HIV risk behaviours among sexual minority indigenous youth in Canada, New Zealand, and the United States
Abstract Enacted stigma has been linked to increased HIV risk behaviours among sexual minority youth, but despite higher rates of HIV and other STIs, there is very little research with Indigenous youth. In this study, secondary analyses of three population-based, school surveys were conducted to explore the associations between HIV risk and enacted stigma among […]
Teenagers and texting: Use of a youth ecological momentary assessment system in trajectory health research with Latina adolescents
Abstract Background: Adolescent females send and receive more text messages than any others, with an average of 4050 texts a month. Despite this technological inroad among adolescents, few researchers are utilizing text messaging technology to collect real time, contextualized data. Temporal variables (ie, mood) collected regularly over a period of time could yield useful insights, […]
Mental health and suicidality among racially/ethnically diverse sexual minority youths
Abstract Objectives: We examined the relationships among sexual minority status, sex, and mental health and suicidality, in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of adolescents. Methods: Using pooled data from 2005 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys within 14 jurisdictions, we used hierarchical linear modeling to examine 6 mental health outcomes across 6 racial/ethnic groups, intersecting with sexual minority […]
Youth voices and knowledges: Slam poetry speaks to social policies
Abstract Policies related to youth and their sexuality, health, and rights are rarely informed by youth voices and perspectives. We sought to understand youth voice and knowledges in their conceptions of youth rights expressed through slam poetry. We draw from theories of critical race, LatCrit, and asset-based approaches to adolescent sexual health to explore youth’s […]
Sexual health and risk behaviour among East Asian adolescents in British Columbia
Abstract Despite the large number of adolescents of East Asian origin in Canada, there is limited research on sexual health among this population. A first step to develop strategies for sexual health promotion for adolescents is to document the prevalence of sexual behaviours. This study estimated the prevalence of sexual health and risk behaviours among […]