Background: Tobacco users disproportionately reside in lower-and-middle income countries, with many people beginning consumption of tobacco in adolescence. Countries employ interventions in schools as a means of providing health education thereby creating mass awareness among them. However, research has mostly restricted to developed nations.…

Diffusion of innovations theory can be used to understand how to prevent or slow the spread of harmful behaviors, such as e-cigarette use in adolescent social networks. This study explores how different network intervention strategies could impact diffusion dynamics through network simulations based on observed social norms and e-cigarette use…

Electronic cigarettes are the most widely used tobacco product among youth in the United States. Although rapidly growing, research on effective message strategies for e-cigarette use prevention is still limited. This study examined the relative effectiveness of gain framing versus loss framing in youth-targeting prevention text messages delivered…

Adolescent smoking is dangerous. This study examined the self-assessment of risk factors to expose student teachers to smoking, compared the scores of health belief model structures in experimental and control groups, and summarized the poster and slogan campaign to prevent smoking. The experimental and control groups (n=30 each) were selected…

Background: Hookah is addictive and hazardous for health, but it has become popular particularly among adolescence. Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Health Communication Efforts (HCE) based on the KAP model to reduce hookah use among adolescents in Sirjan, Iran. Methods: This was a pre- and postintervention…

The aim of this study was to identify the association between type D personality and smoking cessation among high school students who had participated in a stop smoking program. From 27 high schools, we recruited 279 smoking students who had participated in a stop smoking program between May 29, 2015, and January 25, 2016. About 26.5% of…

Background: Assessment of implementation is essential for the evaluation of school-based preventive activities. Interventions are more easily implemented in schools if detailed instructional manuals, lesson plans, and materials are provided; however, implementation may also be affected by other factors than the intervention itself--for example,…

Our longitudinal, qualitative study with 29 pregnant adolescents who smoke used a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to understand experiences and the function of tobacco through pregnancy to 6 months postpartum. The young women described complex lives of overlapping oppressions interspersed with expressions of resistance; these were…

Preventive behaviors established during adolescence can reduce cancer throughout the life span. Understanding the combinations of multiple behaviors, and how these behaviors vary across states, is important for identifying where additional interventions are needed. Using data on 2011-2015 vaccination, energy balance, and substance use from…

Drug use in Spain is one of the most serious problems faced by society today, and is particularly relevant in adolescence. Practicing physical sport activity is considered one of the most representative habits of a healthy lifestyle, and can act as a preventive factor in drug use. The physical self-concept of the people who practice sport plays a…

Background: Peer crowds are macro-level, reputation-based subcultures with shared preferences, values, and behavior. The Country peer crowd has been the focus of tobacco industry research and marketing but has yet to be the primary focus of public health research. The current study explores the utility of "Down and Dirty," a "Social…

Objective: Low socioeconomic status young people in low- and middle-income countries use tobacco at higher rates than their wealthier peers. School-based tobacco use prevention interventions that employ a life skills approach are effective at preventing tobacco use. In India, the Salaam Bombay Foundation (SBF) has implemented a multiyear,…

Electronic cigarettes (ECs) acting as a gateway to smoking traditional cigarettes (TCs) is a growing public health concern of EC use among youths. To gather the opinions and perceptions of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) on whether and how EC can act as a gateway to smoking TC among youths. A qualitative method included 42 AYAs. Participants…

Mental illnesses are often deemed low in health priority despite their large burden of disease. Because many chronic mental illnesses have early onset, youth present a high-risk cohort for disproportionate health burden. Stigma and literacy are two potential barriers to care, so pre-K to 12 schools offer an efficient platform for disseminating…

Background: Health promotion policies targeting risk-taking behaviors are being implemented across schools in Israel. This study identified the most effective components of these policies influencing cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption among adolescents. Methods: Logistic hierarchical linear model (HLM) analysis of data for 5279 students in…