Clusters of health behaviours among young adults in Ireland

Abstract

The mission of the Economic and Social Research Institute is to advance evidencebased policymaking that supports economic sustainability and social progress in Ireland. ESRI researchers apply the highest standards of academic excellence to challenges facing policymakers, focusing on 12 areas of critical importance to 21 st Century Ireland. The Institute was founded in 1960 by a group of senior civil servants led by Dr T.K. Whitaker, who identified the need for independent and in-depth research analysis to provide a robust evidence base for policymaking in Ireland. Since then, the Institute has remained committed to independent research and its work is free of any expressed ideology or political position. The Institute publishes all research reaching the appropriate academic standard, irrespective of its findings or who funds the research. The quality of its research output is guaranteed by a rigorous peer review process. ESRI researchers are experts in their fields and are committed to producing work that meets the highest academic standards and practices. The work of the Institute is disseminated widely in books, journal articles and reports. ESRI publications are available to download, free of charge, from its website. Additionally, ESRI staff communicate research findings at regular conferences and seminars. The ESRI is a company limited by guarantee, answerable to its members and governed by a Council, comprising 14 members who represent a cross-section of ESRI members from academia, civil services, state agencies, businesses and civil society. The Institute receives an annual grant-in-aid from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to support the scientific and public interest elements of the Institute's activities; the grant accounted for an average of 30 per cent of the Institute's income over the lifetime of the last Research Strategy. The remaining funding comes from research programmes supported by government departments and agencies, public bodies and competitive research programmes.

The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for policy in relation to children and young people: a research review

“…Almost fourfifths (78%) of nine-year-olds were in schools where PE/sports were seen as an important extracurricular activity. At second level, almost all (99%) young people attended a school where team sports were offered as an extracurricular activity while 82 per cent were in schools where individual sports were offered (Nolan and Smyth, 2020). School closure and the suspension of structured sports activities are likely to have had a significant impact on activity levels among children and young people.…”

“…School closures are also likely to have affected food consumption. GUI research suggests that schools can be an important arena in relation to nutrition by directly providing school meals and/or by encouraging healthy eating among students (Nolan and Smyth, 2020). Overall, 13 per cent of primary students have access to a breakfast club while 20 per cent are in schools providing free lunches, with provision being much more common in DEIS than non-DEIS schools.…”

Risk and protective factors in adolescent behaviour: The role of family, school and neighbourhood characteristics in (mis)behaviour among young people

“…The research presented in this report builds upon a number of previous studies on the wellbeing of children and young people based on Growing Up in Ireland data. These studies have focused on a number of different aspects of wellbeing, including children with emotional behavioural difficulties in primary schools (Banks et al, 2012), teenage parenthood and child internalising and externalising problems (Brady et al, 2016), early life stress in migrant children (Cotter et al, 2019), family structure and child outcomes (Hannan and Halpin, 2014;Thornton, 2012), changes in the self-concept and risk of psychotic experiences in adolescence (Healy et al, 2019), the role of emotional and behavioural problems in educational outcomes (Layte and McCrory, 2013), the role of parent and peer relationships in adolescent wellbeing (McMahon et al, 2020), antisocial behaviour (Thornton and Williams, 2016), risky health behaviours (Nolan and Smyth, 2020) and the influence of school factors on wellbeing (Smyth, 2015). These studies have highlighted the centrality of school and family factors in a range of outcomes for children and young people but few have focused on the influence of neighbourhood factors (Quail, 2010 being a notable exception).…”

“…However, for those experiencing difficulties, risk factors included coming from low-income or lone-parent families. Socio-economic disadvantage also emerges as a factor in risky health behaviours such as drinking and smoking (Nolan and Smyth, 2020). McNamara et al (2020) highlighted the importance of peer relationships, with young women more likely to report positive and trusting relationships.…”

“…Peer characteristics are based on the size of the friendship network as reported by the 13-year-old. They were also asked how many of their friends were two or more years older than them; here we distinguish those who 'mainly' associated with older friends, as this has been found to be associated with risky behaviour (Nolan and Smyth, 2020). Two subscales of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) are analysed: the degree of mutual understanding with, and respect for, peers (the trust scale), and feelings of anger towards and interpersonal alienation from peers (the alienation scale) (Armsden and Greenberg, 1987).…”