Educating youth swine exhibitors on influenza A virus transmission at agricultural fairs.

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a major zoonotic pathogen that threatens global public health. Novel strains of influenza A viruses pose a significant risk to public health due to their pandemic potential, and transmission of influenza A viruses from animals to humans is an important mechanism in the generation and introduction of IAVs that threaten human health. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to develop real-life training scenarios to better inform swine exhibitors of the risks they may encounter when influenza A viruses are present in swine. Educational activities were implemented in five Ohio counties where exhibition swine had historically been shedding influenza A viruses during the county fair. A total of 146 youth swine exhibitors participated in the educational programme, and an increase in the knowledge base of these youth was documented. It is expected that educating youth exhibitors about exposure to influenza A virus infections in the swine they are exhibiting will result in altered behaviours and animal husbandry practices that will improve both human and animal health.

Examining the Quality of Life of Farmers with Disabilities: The Ohio AgrAbility Study.

Quality of life is a broad concept that presents a challenge to measure as a scientific category. Quality of life encompasses a broad range of variables based on an individual's expression of life satisfaction, perceptions, values, feelings of subjective well-being, and happiness. This study identified and examined factors that influenced the quality of life of Ohio farmers with disabilities who were enrolled in the Ohio AgrAbility Program (OAP) (n = 55) and participated in this study (60% response rate). A 34-item questionnaire was created. The sample of OAP farmers reported stress many days a week, had a negative outlook on life, and were less satisfied with their overall quality of life because of their health. The OAP participants reported external factors, such as cost of equipment, financial pressures, and input costs, as having a negative effect on their quality of life. The participants also reported that they were not satisfied with the amount of vacation time (60.6%), managing farm work and family life (54.6%), overall health (55%), and quality of life (27%). The results showed a significant difference between the OAP participants' overall quality of life and the following variables: gender, net cash income, outlook on life, health, stress, farm work, managing farm and family, social activities, and emotional support for farmers with disabilities. The findings of this exploratory study allowed farmers to identify factors that they perceived as important to their quality of life. Moreover, the results may be helpful for stakeholders to better understand the needs of farmers with disabilities and provide appropriate educational and other services to enhance their quality of life.

An analysis of substance use among adolescents from smaller places.

This study examined trends in substance use among 12th grade students who live in smaller places. Subjects from smaller places were defined as those residing in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan counties who reported growing up on a farm, in the country (i.e., living in an unincorporated rural area but not on a farm) or in a small town (i.e., living in a place with fewer than 50,000 residents that is not a suburb or located next to a larger place). Six types of smaller places were created from a cross-tabulation of nonmetropolitan-metropolitan status and where subjects reported growing up. Substance-use rates among 12th graders residing in these six types of smaller places from 1976 to 1997 at three-year intervals were compared, based on data available from the Monitoring the Future study. For past-year alcohol use, some differences were found by place, with farm youth showing the lowest rates. Large differences were exhibited for past-year marijuana use, both across nonmetropolitan-metropolitan status and across youth from farm, country and small-town locations within nonmetropolitan counties. Rates of past-year illicit drug use were essentially the same regardless of location. Overall, when significant differences were found, most revealed less use for the more rural location.

Russian adolescent drug use and comparisons to United States adolescents.

There is limited drug use data on Russian youth since the dissolution of the USSR. This study provides descriptive and comparative data for establishing initial baseline levels of Russian adolescent drug use. A convenience sample of 150 Russian adolescents (mean age = 15.4 years) was surveyed at a suburban Moscow secondary school during the fall of 1992. The findings showed that tobacco and alcohol were the most commonly used drugs, and that there were gender differences in their use. More Russian girls had used alcohol than Russian boys, while more boys had used tobacco and at an earlier average age than the girls. Tobacco and alcohol use between the Russian sample and United States samples was generally similar. Differences were attributed to age variations in the Russian and US samples.

Adolescents becoming adults: attributes for adulthood.

The research literature identifying the end of adolescence and the onset of adulthood has focused on event-related factors (e.g., marriage, occupation), while ignoring cognitive-related factors (e.g., responsibility for one's self and making decisions). This study addresses both realms. Adolescents (N = 113, M age = 16.5 years) were surveyed to determine what they believed were the most important attributes for becoming adults, and at what age their adulthood began. The sample perceived that adult status occurred at a mean age of 17.4 years (SD = 2.55) with 78.8% of the youth reporting that they were "adults." The majority of the sample identified cognitive factors as indicators of adulthood. Further analyses indicated that respondents who perceived that adulthood occurred at younger ages had higher levels of self-esteem. Implications of the consequences of adulthood attributes and beliefs for current and later life adjustment are discussed.

Parents' perceptions of their adolescence: implications for parent-youth conflict and family satisfaction.

This study examined the relation between parents' perceptions of "storm and stress" in their own adolescence and their current relationships with their children. A sample of 121 adolescents and their parents (106 mothers) were surveyed. Analysis indicated that over 48% of these parents viewed their adolescence as being stormy and stressful. Parents who experienced greater storm and stress as youth had more conflict in their relationships with their children and were less satisfied with their families. Implications for intergenerational theory and family intervention are presented.