Browsing by Subject "adolescents"

Aims. Generous supply of food has made it difficult to perform everyday food choices. There are heterogeneous food trends which may define what to eat and how the public discussion about food and nutrition is comprised. Media, parents and peers are major influences on adolescents' food choices. The taste and the familiarity of food are emphasized over healthiness of or information about food when selecting food. The aim of this study is to find out how the complexity of choosing food is manifested in perceptions of adolescent and how knowledge on nutrition is transformed into action in adolescent's lives. Furthermore, the effects of nutrition education on the quality of knowledge and action are reflected. The questions of this study are: 1. What kind of perceptions do adolescents have on food trends? 2. How is the importance of food selection related issues structured in adolescent's perceptions? 3. How the information and education on nutrition are combined in adolescent's perceptions? Methods. The qualitative data was collected by focus-group interviews from the students of optional home economics courses (N=24) in a school at Pirkanmaa, on May 2012. The data was analyzed with a qualitative method called qualitative content analysis. Results and conclusions. Teenagers were somewhat annoyed by food trends and worried about how these may increase incidences of anorexia nervosa. They were also hoping more criticism towards media by nutrition education. On the other hand, examples, such as adults' weight loss on low-carbohydrate diet effected positively on adolescent's perceptions of food trends. Adolescents are puzzled by the contradiction between eating habits they are taught and eating habits their parents follow. Adolescents' food choice was determined by the availability of food such as place to eat, the needs of food such as hunger/craving and the nutrition knowledge that is gained from parents, among others. Food choices are compromises between the three factors above. For example adolescents choose healthier foods at home than in restaurants, feel guilty after eating delicacies and appreciate homemade food; nutrition knowledge changes the eating behaviors of adolescents both physically, mentally and socially.

Objectives. Attachment theory is a theory of social development and personality, known around the world. According to the theory, children have an innate tendency to develop a biologically based and central nervous system-regulated attachment bond to their primary caregivers in order to ensure safety, care, and survival. Early attachment experiences contribute to the way one sees oneself and others and lead to secure, insecure, or disorganized attachment styles, which affect rest of one’s life. Previous research has confirmed the universal nature of attachment, different attachment categories and styles, and early attachment’s links with future relationships and various internal and external problems. Attachment research has traditionally concentrated on early childhood and early childhood environments, whereas middle childhood, adolescence, and school context have been studied less. The objectives of the present study were to find out what kinds of links there are between attachment and the lives of school-aged children and youngsters, what kinds of attachment-related challenges teachers encounter at school, and how teachers could support their students with those attachment-related challenges. The aim is to explore attachment in the lives of school-aged children and youngsters, including at school, to gain a better understanding and to create a valuable foundation for future research. Methodology. The present study was conducted as a systematic literature review, which allowed the gathering of diverse and comprehensive, yet relevant research material, while also supporting objectivity and reproducibility aspects of the study. The material, available through electronic databases, was comprised of research articles from around the world, published in peer-reviewed international research journals. The material was analyzed thematically by research questions and topics, which were then used as a framework in the Results section. Results and conclusions. Early attachment and attachment styles were directly and indirectly linked to the lives of school-aged children and youngsters, including teacher-student relationships, peer relationships, family relationships, and academic achievement, as well as internal and external problems. Various attachment-related challenges and problems were visible at school, but teachers had many ways to buffer them. Current attachment research has not affected or changed school environments enough. Much more attention should be given to attachment within schools, teacher education, and in-service training programs in order to give students better support for their attachment-related problems and challenges.