Browsing by Subject "Young adults"

Tobacco has been recognized as a serious public health issue that threatens people’s health in Palau, Micronesia, especially as young people consume tobacco in multiple ways. The research of this thesis begins with a description of the complex mix of habits, social norms, history, and cultural practice that make up tobacco use in Palau. Then an intervention project using “journaling behavior change paradigm” among young adults based on their own reflections on tobacco use by writing journals, is described. A high prevalence of tobacco use in all forms was revealed in this study, among which chew betel nuts with tobacco is the most popular method. Friend and family members’ attitude play important roles in affecting people’s tobacco use. Also, the evaluation of journaling paradigm reveals potential in lowering tobacco consumption in Palau and other countries by raising awareness of the problem through the writing of journals and diaries.

Young adults find it difficult to transition to life beyond college—in their relationships, professional work, and most especially in their faith. This project explores the practical steps necessary to start a fellows program in Athens, Georgia that would help young adults flourish and integrate their faith into the whole of life, concluding that through sustainable networks, funding, and detailed planning, such a program could become viable within one year.

In the United States, there has been over 1,000,000 deaths and more than 90 million cases of COVID-19. As of April 19, 2021, all adults aged 16 and older were eligible to receive vaccination. Nevertheless, young adults are being vaccinated at a slower rate than older adults. The current study aimed to identify potential factors associated with young adult vaccine hesitancy through a mixed methods approach comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated through both a quantitative survey and qualitative in-depth interviews. The survey captured 350 responses from young adults aged 20 to 30 living in four states: California, Mississippi, Oregon and Texas. The online survey differentiated between vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals and analyzed different aspects of vaccine hesitancy from political trust to COVID-19 vaccine beliefs. Sixteen semi-structured in-depth interviews lasting 20 to 30 minutes were performed on Zoom. The main factors associated with vaccine hesitancy in young adults for both the survey and interviews were social drivers, trust in institutions, barriers to vaccination, perceptions of the vaccine, and COVID-19 vaccine information quality. Study findings will increase understanding of COVID-19 vaccination decision-making pathways of young adults with the purpose of informing future interventions and policy for promoting vaccination rates in young adults.



Deep societal trends impact the religious fervency and participation of millennials in the Black Church. Many young adults, though remaining Christian, have fallen away from their faith communities, finding them irrelevant for their daily lives. Even the most religiously committed have shown signs of waning faith, as evidenced by limited participation, and theological and ideological dissonance with the Black Church. Historically strong across all indicators, the Black Church is ideally positioned to stave off the attrition of youth and young adults, having a missional mindset toward this cohort—prioritizing them in their ministry development and programming. African American congregational leaders must develop disciples who have cohesive identities, live integrated lives, and experience an infusion of their personal vocation and the mission of the Church. Thus the future of the Black Church depends on the development of millennials who have an integrated faith life, which is distinguishable by its practices, disciplines, and virtues that are nurtured by an understanding of the Church’s mission and their role in it. Key will be establishing mentoring relationships that allow for questioning, exploration and discovery. To enact the changes necessary the church must understand the cultural worlds of young adults and engage them in holistic ministry that is reflective of the mission of God through Christ (missio dei)—activity that culminates with reaching the world with God’s redemptive plan for humanity.

Sexual risk behavior among young adults is a serious public health concern; 50% will contract a sexually transmitted infection (STI) before the age of 25. The current study collected self-report personality and sexual history data, as well as neuroimaging, experimental behavioral (e.g., real-time hypothetical sexual decision making data), and self-report sexual arousal data from 120 heterosexual young adults ages 18-26. In addition, longitudinal changes in self-reported sexual behavior were collected from a subset (n = 70) of the participants. The primary aims of the study were (1) to predict differences in self-report sexual behavior and hypothetical sexual decision-making (in response to sexually explicit audio-visual cues) as a function of ventral striatum (VS) and amygdala activity, (2) test whether the association between sexual behavior/decision-making and brain function is moderated by gender, self-reported sexual arousal, and/or trait-level personality factors (i.e., self-control, impulsivity, and sensation seeking) and (3) to examine how the main effects of neural function and interaction effects predict sexual risk behavior over time. Our hypotheses were mostly supported across the sexual behavior and decision-making outcome variables, such that neural risk phenotypes (heightened reward-related ventral striatum activity coupled with decreased threat-related amygdala activity) were associated with greater lifetime sexual partners at baseline measured and over time (longitudinal analyses). Impulsivity moderated the relationship between neural function and self-reported number of sexual partners at baseline and follow up measures, as well as experimental condom use decision-making. Sexual arousal and sensation seeking moderated the relationship between neural function and baseline and follow up self-reports of number of sexual partners. Finally, unique gender differences were observed in the relationship between threat and reward-related neural reactivity and self-reported sexual risk behavior. The results of this study provide initial evidence for the potential role for neurobiological approaches to understanding sexual decision-making and risk behavior. With continued research, establishing biomarkers for sexual risk behavior could help inform the development of novel and more effective individually tailored sexual health prevention and intervention efforts.