Purpose: Guided by the cognitive load theory, the purpose of this study was to determine the impacts of cognitive load and school socioeconomic status-related environmental factors on ninth-graders' energy-balanced living knowledge gain. Methods: A stratified random sample of high-school students (N = 150) participated in this study. Data were…

Combining the theory of emerging adulthood with self-authorship, the authors utilized students' reflection papers (n = 111) to explore their current lifestyles and reasons behind behavioral changes. Decreased physical activity, increased substance use, irregular sleep patterns, and unhealthy dietary habits emerged after students transitioned to…

This manuscript reports 2 experiments that were conducted to test and extend the work of J. P. Dillard and L. Shen (2005) examining the cognitive and affective processes involved in psychological reactance. In particular, the studies reported here (a) examined the best-fitting model of reactance processes and (b) tested 3 factors that may affect…

Background: An instrument assessing smoking-cessation-specific parenting was developed and tested in relation to a) the pros of smoking and quitting and self-efficacy to resist smoking, and b) adolescent readiness to quit. Methods: Cross-sectional survey data from 998 Dutch adolescents who smoked regularly were used to perform structural equation…

Objective: This study examines the relation between cognitive-motivational variables and self-reported health behaviours among adolescents. Design: Cross-sectional survey of adolescents via questionnaires delivered in classrooms. Setting: One large junior high school and two senior high schools located in the Memphis area. Method: Data from 257…

Purpose: To assess the impact of a school-based toothbrushing intervention aimed at encouraging primary school children to brush their teeth daily at school, on cognitions, toothbrushing behaviour and habit strength. Design/methodology/approach: The effects of an intervention were examined in a quasi-experimental trial among 296 fifth-graders in…

The brain gets fed first! That is an important idea that directly relates to the nutrition/cognition connection in schools. As the education community faces the challenges of childhood obesity, malnutrition of the brain, food allergies, disorders of metal metabolism and biochemical imbalances, educators are eager to learn about how to guide…