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Patterns in Civic Engagement and Health Among Diverse Adolescent Students
Parissa J Ballard1, Sara Suzuki2, Erin Manalo-Pedro3
1Wake Forest University, School of Medicine, Winston-Salem NC, USA.
Health Promotion Practice
|May 25, 2026
Summary
Adolescent civic engagement impacts health, but these links differ across race and gender. Programs should address these variations for better civic health equity.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Adolescent Development
Background:
- Adolescent civic engagement encompasses diverse actions, attitudes, and skills.
- Civic engagement may influence adolescent physical, mental health, and well-being.
- Associations between civic engagement and health can be shaped by social factors like race and gender.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the associations between civic engagement and health in U.S. adolescents.
- To investigate how these associations vary across different race-gender subgroups.
- To inform strategies for promoting civic health equity.
Main Methods:
- Survey data from 1,286 U.S. adolescent students (grades 6-12) were analyzed.
- Civic engagement was measured through behaviors, attitudes, and skills.
- Health outcomes included physical health, mental health, and well-being.
Main Results:
- Overall analyses masked subgroup-specific patterns in civic engagement and health.
- Positive associations between civic engagement and health were stronger for girl/transgender and gender-diverse subgroups.
- Political participation and civic discussions showed negative health associations for some boy and racial minority subgroups.
Conclusions:
- Civic engagement's impact on adolescent health is not uniform across all demographic groups.
- Sense of community consistently showed positive health associations for all subgroups.
- Interventions must consider intersectional differences in race/ethnicity and gender to advance civic health equity.
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