No abstract

A necessary condition for a functioning democracy is the participation of its citizens, including its youth. This is particularly true for political participation in environmental decisions, because these decisions can have intergenerational consequences. In this article we examine young people's beliefs about one form of political participation-protest-in the context of communities affected by fracking and associated anti-fracking protest, and discuss the implications of these representations for education. Drawing on focus groups with 121 young people (aged 15-19) in five schools and colleges near sites which have experienced anti-fracking protest in England and Northern Ireland, we find young people well-informed about avenues for formal and non-formal political participation against a background of disillusionment with formal political processes and varying levels of support for protest. We find representations of protest as disruptive, divisive, extreme, less desirable than other forms of participation and ineffective in bringing about change but effective in awarenessraising. These representations are challenging, not least because the way protest is interpreted is critical to the way people think and act in the world. These representations of environmental protest must be challenged through formal education in order to safeguard the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and ensure that the spirit of Article 11 of the UK Human Rights Act is protected.

Background: Low income and food insecure households are at risk of poor dietary quality and food insecurity. Especially in childhood, consuming a nutritionally adequate diet is an essential driver of health, growth, and development. Prior research has shown many household-level factors can present challenges to support the nutritional needs of the members of low income and food insecure households. Objective: The aim of the scoping review is to identify the contributing factors to dietary quality and food security in U.S. households of school-aged children and synthesize the evidence. Methods: The scoping review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) using search terms addressing food insecurity, low-income and dietary behaviors in the database PubMed (NCBI). Screening by 3 independent reviewers at the title, abstract, and full study phases identified forty-three studies included in the review. Results: The studies addressed six themes: parental behaviors, child/adolescent behaviors, food procurement behaviors, food preparation behaviors, and psychosocial factors. Most studies were cross-sectional (n = 40, 93%) and focused on parental behaviors (n = 24, 56%), followed by food procurement behaviors, and food preparation behaviors. Conclusion: The findings can be used to inform the development of future nutritional education interventions aimed at improving the dietary quality and food security in households with children. The themes identified were interrelated and suggest that providing parents with education on the following topics: 1) the importance of modeling positive eating behaviors in the home, 2) approaches to support and encourage positive feeding practices with their children, and 3) practical strategies to overcome barriers to purchasing and preparing foods of high nutrient quality. For example, delivering educational sessions on meal selection and preparation and improving nutritional knowledge hold promise to improve dietary quality among food insecure and low-income households.