Taiwan-born mothers' perceptions of sexual health affect their Taiwanese American girls' sexual perceptions. Taiwanese American girls grow up balancing two different cultural influences (Taiwanese and American) while living in the majority society. The process of balancing two different cultures is called bi-cultural straddling. Four separate focus group interviews with two sets of mothers and daughters ( N = 20) were conducted to understand intergenerational transmission of thoughts, perceptions, values, and attitudes associated with sex-related taboos and their impact on sexual communication, safety, and sexual health of second-generation Taiwanese American girls. The findings suggest that mother-daughter relationships, particularly mothers' traditional cultural values, influence their daughters' decision-making process. A secondary finding suggests that these girls tend to experience mental strain if they decide to go against their mothers' advice. Implications are that maternal involvement should be increased and further studies conducted to understand mother-daughter relationships, their pattern of sexual-related communicating, and expectations.

Maternal influences on adolescents' sexual initiation have been examined over two time points in 433 Asian American-Pacific Islander (AAPI) adolescents in a secondary analysis of the Add Health data set using structural equation modeling. A longitudinal model built on a preliminary qualitative study is used to examine the fit between data and model. Maternal perceived connectedness and adolescents' perceived maternal sexual expectations in sexual timing are found to be protective for delaying AAPI adolescents' sexual initiation. Unexpectedly, mothers' perceptions of sexual discussion are not protective for delaying adolescents' sexual initiation. The results suggest interventions should focus on promoting AAPI mothers' perceptions of connectedness with their adolescents and adolescents' perceptions of their mothers' sexual expectations (as measured by adolescents' perceived maternal disapproval attitudes and affects) in delaying sexual initiation.

Summary To update existing literature and fill the gap in meta‐analyses, this meta‐analysis quantitatively evaluated the worldwide economic burden (in 2022 US $) of childhood overweight and obesity in comparison with healthy weight. The literature search in eight databases produced 7756 records. After literature screening, 48 articles met the eligibility criteria. The increased annual total medical costs were $237.55 per capita attributable to childhood overweight and obesity. Overweight and obesity caused a per capita increase of $56.52, $14.27, $46.38, and $1975.06 for costs in nonhospital healthcare, outpatient visits, medication, and hospitalization, respectively. Length of hospital stays increased by 0.28 days. Annual direct and indirect costs were projected to be $13.62 billion and $49.02 billion by 2050. Childhood obesity ascribed to much higher increased healthcare costs than overweight. During childhood, the direct medical expenditures were higher for males than for females, but, once reaching adulthood, the expenditures were higher for females. Overall, the lifetime costs attributable to childhood overweight and obesity were higher in males than in females, and childhood overweight and obesity resulted in much higher indirect costs than direct healthcare costs. Given the increased economic burden, additional efforts and resources should be allocated to support sustainable and scalable childhood obesity programs.

This study explored the relationships among personal factors, family structure and family function, adolescents' self-efficacy for safe sex, and sexual behaviors among sexually active adolescents. A subset sample from the first three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) was selected for this exploratory secondary data analysis. Hierarchal and logistic regressions were conducted to explore the relationships among personal factors, family factors, and adolescents' self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STI) over time. Findings suggest that adolescents' racial/ethnic background, parents' disapproving attitudes, and family connectedness are significant predictors for birth control and condom use among adolescents. Although adolescents' personal factor and family structure play a role in their sexual behavior, positive family function significantly protects adolescents from STIs over time. School nurses can provide a vital point of care for at-risk adolescents by finding ways to encourage and incorporate parental and familial influences.

Summary The current body of research lacks a meta‐analysis of the relationship between hair cortisol concentration (HCC) and anthropometry in children. Therefore, this systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted to examine this relationship and explore possible moderators between HCC and body mass index (BMI/BMI z‐score). Eleven databases were searched: CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, PsycEXTRA, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Social Sciences Full Text, Sociological Abstracts and Web of Sciences. Random‐effects models and exploratory moderator analyses with mixed‐effects models were performed using the Comprehensive Meta‐Analysis software. The meta‐analysis showed small positive correlations between HCC and BMI (r = 0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02, 0.14, n = 18, p = .009), BMI z‐score (r = 0.10, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.16, n = 12, p = .003), waist circumference (r = 0.10, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.17, n = 10, p = .001) and body fat including fat mass index (r = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.11, n = 3, p = .005). The relationship between HCC and BMI/BMI z‐score was significantly moderated by children's sex. Results from this meta‐analysis provide initial objective support for a small positive relationship between HCC and anthropometric factors.