11 pages, Background: Teenage pregnancy is a major public health concern, especially in low- and middle-income countries, due to various social, economic and cultural influences on teenage girls. These pregnancies prove to have negative long-term effects on the health status of both the mother and the child where there are high risks of further complications and poor nutrition among the pregnant woman and the unborn child.
Methodology: This review combined searches from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The main languages of the included articles were restricted to English, and the themes for the search were limited to teenage pregnancies and child malnutrition. The selection criteria were studies published between 2010 and 2023, and peer-reviewed articles that involved adolescent mothers between the ages of 10-19 years and different child nutrition outcomes.
Results: This study shows that teenage mothers are more likely to suffer some pregnancy complications, such as anaemia, which is made worse by poor maternal diets. These complications result in poor child health outcomes including stunting, wasting and low birth weight. The review revealed influential factors related to teenagers’ pregnancy including poverty, illiteracy, early marriage and unavailability of reproductive health facilities to all. Conversely, high-income countries record fewer incidences of these outcomes owing to improved and enhanced medical care services and social welfare provisions.
Conclusion: Findings from this review underscore issues that require intervention such as; education on the broader aspects of sexual and reproductive health, access to healthcare services, socio-economic empowerment, and addressing cultural factors through community mobilization. The realization of these strategies can greatly enhance maternal and child health outcomes. Future research should incorporate longitudinal designs and employ panel data analysis to investigate other social and economic effects of teenage pregnancy.
15 pages, Agriculture is a significant contributor to the global economy and critical for future food and fibre production. To maximise the industry efficiencies and improve sustainability, a knowledgeable workforce is essential. Today’s school-aged youth will be the next generation agriculture workforce. However, there is concern that today’s youth are more detached from agriculture than ever before, viewing the industry as an unattractive career prospect and possessing low levels of agricultural literacy. Using a qualitative approach, this research presents the results from an open-response survey item asking Australian primary and secondary students to ‘list three words you think of when you hear the word ‘agriculture’’. Focus groups with Australian primary and secondary teachers were also conducted to explore these findings. Overall, students appear to have what can be described as a conventional understanding of agriculture as it relates to traditional farming, particularly animal production. However, students appeared to have a lower level of understanding and perception of the industry in less-traditional settings, including modern careers and the technologies involved. Improved agricultural education in Australia, including both formal and informal programs on possible career paths and technology adoption in the industry is recommended to support knowledge development of the modern sector to attract the next generation workforce.
8 pages, The National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization (NAITCO) is a professional network of state and territory Agriculture in the Classroom programs. Its purpose is to provide national leadership in promoting agricultural literacy with the vision that “agriculture is valued by all” (National Agriculture in the Classroom, Citation2023c, Vision, para. 2). The organization grew out of a task force formed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1981 (National Agriculture in the Classroom, Citation2023e). Agricultural literacy is not a new concept. In the late 1980s, the National Research Council of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences established the Agricultural Education in Secondary Schools Committee to examine the status and forecast the future of agricultural education. The impetuses behind this research were the many forces identified by the Council that were challenging American agriculture and education.
4 pages, A family-skills program for Latino fathers and youth was implemented to prevent youth obesity. Lessons learned focused on practices to address barriers to engagement and retention among fathers and youth within the Latino community. Program development issues included selection of organizations, facilitators, language, and delivery methods. Implementation issues included timing and location. Cultural issues regarding learner needs, and teaching and implementation methods need to be considered. Using the lessons learned, Extension professionals can create impactful programs that engage and retain Latino fathers and youth.
11 pages, Research suggests participating in youth hands-on cooking programs, like those offered by Extension and 4-H, can improve nutrition behaviors and reduce the risk for obesity. We surveyed [STATE] Extension professionals (n = 127) to explore factors (e.g., employee characteristics, resources, county demographics) related to offering youth hands-on cooking programs and curricula used. Over 2/3 of participants offer programs and reported creating their own curriculum. More years of experience, having received Extension Specialist training, and increased confidence were positively related to offering these programs. Results suggest training could increase confidence and program implementation and standard curricula may be needed.
5pgs, Strong communication skills are important in an individual’s personal and professional life; however, research regarding what influences youth’s public speaking self-efficacy is limited. To address this gap, we surveyed youth who participated in a statewide presentation event about their self-efficacy and sources of that self-efficacy. Results show mastery experiences have the greatest relationship to youth’s public speaking confidence. Extension can strengthen youth’s public speaking self-efficacy by increasing the number of presentation opportunities and by removing barriers from participating in existing presentation opportunities.
Mott, Rebecca (author), Preston, Kate (author), and Brandt, Heath (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2022-12-19
Published:
United States: Clemson University Press
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 206 Document Number: D12800
Notes:
4pgs, The Anchor podcasting tool provides an innovative way for Extension professionals to deliver information to youth, as well as promote further engagement. This article describes the process our team followed to create a series of career podcasts for middle school students using Anchor. We discuss benefits and considerations to keep in mind if you are considering launching a podcast of your own.
5 pages, Social media usage has precipitated changes in Cooperative Extension’s delivery of programs to amplify involvement with selected audiences and it is important that we craft relevant content for a variety of audiences. Current research tells us that social media and related content can enrich education and can create broader audiences for programming. Resources like blogs, podcasts, and geofilters have shown to be received positively by a wide range of audiences and have created greater rates of engagement.
Yet, one platform that has received limited attention is TikTok, perhaps due to TikTok’s mixed reviews in educational systems. With current trends showing that 48% of 18-29 year olds are using the app, we believe that TikTok has great potential for connecting audiences with research-based information and engaging previously unreached communities.
18pgs, Can the power of digital communications create opportunities for overcoming generational renewal problems on farms? This interdisciplinary review explores the reported impacts of digital communication on career initiation into farming from a global perspective via the lens of career theories. Seventy-three papers were synthesized into two domains: (1) the impact of digital communication interactions on farming career initiation, and (2) the dynamics of digital communication initiatives that create opportunities to inspire youth into farming. The finding shows that the mainstream literature primarily aims to support the continuity of farming careers but pay little attention to the potential of digital communication to attract youth into farming. This review argues that career communications for farming receives insufficient attention, and could be better integrated into agricultural communications strategies by using the potential of digital communications. Study concludes that while economic and geographic factors, as well as societal and cultural norms, lead to negative perceptions on farming careers, there are three pathways that may contribute to breaking down these negative perceptions. Firstly, taking the changing nature of career motivations, such as the trend towards sustainable farming linked to self-fulfillment, among today’s youth into consideration is essential. Secondly, highlighting technological advances in digital agriculture practices, like geographical flexibility or innovation capacity of farming, for example, is important to increase awareness about new opportunities in the profession. Lastly, communication campaigns with targeted groups (e.g., young females) play a role to change the negative perceptions of the rural way of life and the farming profession.
9pgs, The goal of this literature review was to identify evidence-based curricula that support youth mental health with special attention to inclusion of access, equity, and belonging (AEB). Four databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2019 related to youth mental health curricula. A total of 1446 articles were identified, and 171 articles underwent a full-text review. Of the 61 curricula identified, 44% addressed AEB to some extent and 65% showed program effectiveness. Four programs were recommended (Sources of Strength, Teen Mental Health First Aid, Dynamic Mindfulness, and Youth Mental Health First Aid) and eight conditionally recommended.
14 pages, For centuries music has played a vital role in the lives of people, communities, and organizations. This is the same for agricultural and youth organizations like the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and the New Farmers of America (NFA). From the very beginning of these youth groups, music has played an important part in the live’s of members, as well as in chapter, state, and national events. The purpose of this historical research study was to document the history of music within the Future Farmers of America and New Farmers of America youth organizations. Historical research methods were used to gather information for this study. From the beginnings of both the FFA and NFA, local advisors quickly saw the benefit of using music to build leadership, confidence, and esprit de corps among the boys in their organizations. The NFA developed quartet and talent competitions at the state and national levels. Both the FFA and NFA organizations established chorus groups for boys from across the country. The FFA placed more emphasis on state and national bands and orchestras than did the NFA. Song books were published to encourage the inclusion of singing in FFA and NFA events. Official manuals for the organizations included songs and yells that could be used in local chapter activities. Organization leaders saw the benefits of using music to inspire youth to develop their musical and leadership skills. Music has been a key component of the success of both the FFA and NFA organizations.
6 pages, This study introduces a framework for 4-H leadership competencies and explores the relationship between 4-H leadership programs and participant leadership life skills development. Illinois 4-H members aged 15-18 completed an online survey about their 4-H experiences and skills. Participants reported local programs exhibited the characteristics in the leadership competencies framework. Members participating in leadership competency programs reported higher leadership life skills scores than those in other 4-H non-leadership oriented programs. Females reported higher leadership life skills scores in comparison to males. However, spending more years in leadership programs was only related to a significant change in skills development for some participants.
Online from publication. 3 pages., Executives for three global produce marketers report on the role of social media in reaching parents with children at home.
Online from publication, by membership. 6 pages., As a farmer/rancher, photographer, and freelancer, Author Johnson features four of her photos to "encourage you to take pause and recognize the unique gifts and opportunities that agriculture provides our children on a daily basis."
USA: International Food Information Council Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 202 Document Number: D12150
Notes:
Online from publisher. 45 pages., Report of findings from a probability survey of 1,199 American parents and caregivers ages 18-80 regarding children ages 2-10. Aspects involved knowledge and understanding of dietary recommendations, behavior associated with feeding this age group, sources of information when making dietary decisions, purchasing habits when food shopping for children, areas of concern when feeding this age group, and areas of need for additional science-based information when feeding this age group.
USA: College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12156
Notes:
Online from publisher. 2 pages., Describes a new USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant project to develop a virtual reality curriculum for agricultural equipment safety training.
USA: Food Marketing Institute, Arlington, Virginia.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11746
Notes:
3 pages, Via Food Marketing Institute website. 3 pages., Summary of findings of focus group interviews and a larger survey, "The grocery shopping habits of Gen Z and Millennials." "It turns out younger generations prefer to shop for groceries in the store versus shopping online for them."
6 pages., Article #:v58-1tt2, via online journal., Research supports Extension educators' use of social media as an engagement, outreach, and marketing tool beyond posts shared by staff and faculty. This article highlights the practical use of Snapchat geofilters at county and statewide Extension events to support the creation of user-generated content and increase Extension's visibility with the public. The development and implementation of an innovative statewide marketing project resulted in data and recommendations that can help Extension educators make meaningful marketing decisions.
