Objective: Depressive disorders in adolescents are a widespread problem with extensive psychosocial consequences. The authors designed a school-based program to prevent the increase in depressive symptoms. The authors expect the program to reduce dysfunctional automatic thoughts and improve social skills and thus prevent the increase in depressive…

For decades, empirically tested youth interventions have prevented dysfunction by addressing risk and ameliorated dysfunction through treatment. The authors propose linking prevention and treatment within an integrated model. The model suggests a research agenda: Identify effective programs for a broadened array of problems and disorders, examine…

Rates of adolescent smoking appear to be on the increase, with a number of authors documenting increases in the 1990's. However, the issue of prevention rather than cessation has received greater attention in tobacco control programmes among youth. This review provides details of published school based and other tobacco cessation programmes for…

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…

Adolescents face a number of obstacles on the way to adulthood, from time-crunched parents, dangerous substances and behaviors, overburdened schools and a more demanding job market. Consequently, many believe that adolescents should no longer fend for themselves during the non-school hours. Growing public support for more structured activities…

As part of the effort to reduce cigarette smoking--the single most preventable cause of death in the society--researchers have tried for over half a century to identify effective school-based anti-tobacco education that can discourage tobacco use among children and adolescents. Unfortunately, deaf and hard of hearing young people have been largely…

People with profound intellectual disabilities rarely experience a physically active lifestyle, and their long-term physical inactivity likely contributes to poor health. The authors developed and implemented a pilot exercise program for persons with a profound intellectual disability and conducted a study to evaluate the effort. The development…

This paper argues that many internationally financed literacy programs do not sufficiently take into consideration important daily life issues of the learners, including nutritional deficiencies that may hinder learning, or of children-parent-society interactions that may improve learning. As a result, many programs have become synonymous with…

School mental health (SMH) programs and services have grown progressively in the United States in the past two decades, related to increased acknowledgement of their advantages and prominent federal initiatives (e.g., No Child Left Behind Act President's New Freedom Initiative; 20(13). Nonetheless, SMH is an emerging and tenuously supported field…

Moderate physical activity provides substantial health benefits for individuals not only in fitness, athletic, and health organizations, but also for individuals who struggle with addictions and behaviors in correctional programs. The purpose of this pilot study is to examine the relationship between physical activity and offender attitudes. The…

Attrition in weight loss programs is a complex process, influenced by patients' pretreatment characteristics and treatment variables, but available data are contradictory. Only a few variables have been confirmed by more than one study as relevant risk factors, but recently new data of clinical utility emerged from "real world" large observational…

This article focuses on the formal evaluation of large-scale preventive interventions promoting positive mental health in children and adolescents, using examples of conduct problems. The state of the art in program evaluation is discussed based on quantitative evaluations of mental illness prevention programs. The article reviews current thinking…

This study examined the effect of an innovative smoking prevention program, the "Giant Texas SmokeScream," on 512 middle school students' knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intent about smoking. The data indicated that the program had no effect on students and provided a basis for discussion of "proinnovation bias." The…

Reviewed research on school-based obesity prevention programs to identify ways to minimize increasing obesity levels. Seven studies showed change in body mass index and differed from those not finding change in three ways: program implementers were not classroom teachers, intervention targeted middle or high schools, and inactivity reduction was…

Examined tobacco prevention education practices and curriculum in North Carolina Public Schools by analysis of 125 questionnaires completed by school districts and school representatives from 321 middle schools. Found 101 districts had adopted a systemwide curriculum, a large percentage of districts were using commercially published materials, and…