Objectives: To examine hope in relation to alcohol use, binge drinking, smoking, exercise, and limiting of dietary fat among college students. Methods: Undergraduate students (N = 2265) completed an online survey. Results: Lower hope scores were related to binge drinking and smoking in the past month and more frequent drinking and binge drinking,…

Objective: To examine perceived discrimination and substance use among Latino high school students. Methods: Latino 9th graders (N=1332) completed self-report measures of perceived discrimination and substance use behavior. Results: Perceived discrimination was associated with lifetime use measures of smoking (OR=1.73, P less than 0.01), alcohol…

Objectives: To measure relative effectiveness of tobacco countermarketing advertisements by category and emotive execution style among young adults. Methods: Participants (n = 1011) from 2 US 4-year colleges, one southern and one northern were surveyed before and after viewing advertisements in one of 3 categories: social norms, health…

Objective: To examine associations between social influences and smoking-related attitudes and age of cigarette use initiation among college students. Methods: Responses from 3 campus surveys (2 random, 1 convenience) were analyzed. The surveys were modeled from existing state or national tobacco surveys and other psychometrically valid surveys.…

Objectives: To describe smoking and quitting history among multiethnic adolescent smokers and examine these as correlates of readiness to quit. Methods: Data were analyzed from 121 high school smokers. Sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported smoking history, number and duration of recent quit attempts, attitudes toward smoking/quitting,…

Examined data from adolescents who had completed the 1989 Teenage Attitudes and Practices Survey and who were re-interviewed in 1993 to determine social and environmental factors that influenced their smoking progression. Smoking behavior of best friends and smoking beliefs were consistent and significant factors in predicting progression from…

Surveyed black and white college women regarding their eating disorder attitudes and use of cigarettes and alcohol. Black women used substances significantly less than whites. Substance use related to eating disorder symptoms. Women at highest risk of eating disorders reported highest levels of substance use. Negative affect reduction and weight…

Examined fourth graders' tobacco attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge and investigated the validity and reliability of the survey instrument. Results indicated a positive relationship between attitude and behavior, and gender differences were significant. High numbers of students had already tried tobacco. The survey instrument was comprehensive…

Examined smoking and drinking levels relative to body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness among female college students. Student surveys indicated that frequency of smoking and drinking significantly and linearly related to body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness. Negative-affect reduction motivations for use of these substances more…

Objective: To examine the role of expectancies in adolescent smokeless tobacco (ST) use. Methods: Self-report measures of students' ST expectancies, cigarette and ST use, and peer and family tobacco use were collected from a sample of 978 rural high school students. Results: Student expectancy beliefs significantly predicted ST use and intention…

Objectives: To examine the relationship between an aggregate risk score (smoking, drinking, and number of sex partners) and measures of youth assets in a sample of 3439 youth aged 14?18 years. Methods: Linear regression models for African American and white males and females predicted an aggregate risk score. Results: After adjustments, the youth…

Objectives: To identify predictors of increases in smoking stage among sixth graders. Methods: At the beginning and end of sixth grade, 973 students completed surveys. Multivariate, partial proportional odds analyses were conducted. Results: Time 1 intenders were 4 times more likely than never users to smoke at Time 2. In adjusted analyses, female…

Reports a study that examined the relationship between high school students' smoking under stress, psychological distress, and social support. Survey data indicated that white students were more likely to engage in stress-related smoking than black students, as were adolescents with higher psychological distress and lower social support scores.…

Aliteracy is defined as the quality or state of being able to read but the lack of interest in doing so; aliterates can read, but they never read for the love of reading. Aliteracy is said to be prevalent among college students. Also prevalent among college students are risk behaviors that contribute to poor health. Problem behavior theory links a…