Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

                         Research that Benefits Children and Families- Uplifting Stories

         In this week’s discussion I mentioned that throughout my life I was a participant in a Longitudinal Study. Over the course of 13 years I participated in Add Health Study designed by researchers at the University of North Carolina and funded by the National Institutes of Health. Add health began as a study of more than 20,000 adolescents in 1994 and 1995 and states as being the only source of longitudinal data about the health and health behaviors of nationally representative sample of men and women who were followed from adolescence to adulthood. 

          As a Wave I and IV participant I was provided with a pamphlet which described the nature of the research, what was expected of me, the benefits of the project as well as an incentive that was available once the interview was completed. The first phase consisted of an in-home interview that consist of questions on health status, peer networks, decision-making  processes family composition and dynamics, educational aspirations and expectations, sexual partnerships, substance use and several others. In addition to interviewing me my mother was also interviewed.  In Wave IV the topics were similar to phase one asking questions about physical and mental health, friendships and romantic partners, family relations, education, and community involvement . The information provided was stated as being essential to the research community and important in improving the understanding of the health and well-being of young  people as the mature and influence public policy. The information  combined information from all four  waves of interviews, physical measures and information  about  neighborhoods and school, public health professionals can examine how a wide variety of experiences during  adolescence are related to  health behavior  and  health  outcomes in adulthood.

         From the research that I participated in over 1000 published articles and reports from around  the world have been presented from the data conducted gained through Add Health. A few examples of findings that have been contributed are drug use puts teen, especially girls, at risk for future depression. From findings it was concluded that this finding contradicts the common idea that teens take drugs to Self-medicate their depression.  Another finding from the research is that parents have a strong influence on teens over a period of time. One of the most consistent factors associated with not having had  sex is a teen’s knowledge  that a parent disapproves.

          My participation was very vital in the development of  health and identifying and assessing  the various factors that place  adolescents at  risk for a host of  potentially health-compromising behaviors ranging from eating disorders to vehicular safety to early sexual activity. The studies and continued  research using  the Add Health data has promised to help parents, communities and policymakers understand the factors  that protect against or promote risky behavior among adolescents and also provide a role in interventions that will ultimately improve the overall health of teenagers and the population. For further information on the Add Health findings visit www.guttmacher.org/pubs The Guttmacher report on public policy, August 2001,Volume 4,Number 4 and www.cpc.unc.edu/projects/addhealth.