The adverse effects of heavy alcohol consumption on the health and development of college students is a major concern in the United States. An exploratory evaluative process was undertaken at a university in the southeastern United States to assess stages of alcohol acquisition and modification among students who attended late-night programming…

How to foster wise decision-making generally and among young people in particular has been the subject of numerous studies. Professionals working in the field of student life struggle to accomplish two goals on campus: foster quality decision-making and curb irresponsible behavior. Given the range of choices confronting college students, it is no…

The Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is administered by the Montana Office of Public Instruction every two years to students in grades 7 through 12. The purpose of the survey is to help monitor the prevalence of behaviors that not only influence youth health, but also put youth at risk for the most significant health and social problems…

This paper critically explores how survey and routinely collected data could aid in assessing the generalisability of public health evidence. We propose developing approaches that could be employed in understanding the relevance of public health evidence, and investigate ways of producing meta-analytic estimates tailored to reflect local…

Adolescents commonly engage in substance use and sexual behaviors which pose risks for their health. Secondary data analysis of two school-based surveys explored the clustering of lifetime use of cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, and engagement in sexual intercourse among 2,489 adolescents in Scotland and 1,405 adolescents in Northern Ireland. All…

The rapid growth and diffusion of digital media technologies has changed the landscape of market segmentation in the last two decades, including its use in promoting prosocial and behavior change. New, population-specific and culturally appropriate prevention strategies can leverage the potential of digital media to influence health outcomes,…

Objective: The neurobiological model of risk-taking and the dual-process model of decision making each provide possible explanations of risky behavior among youth, but their interconnections have rarely been explored, especially among college students, a time of increased alcohol use. Participants:n = 382; Mage = 19.25, SD = 1.33. Method:…

Youth physical activity (PA) levels are a central focus for physical educators and health professionals worldwide. This study (a) examined the PA levels of children during structured and unstructured PA lessons of an after-school program (ASP) and (b) described the children's perceptions of structured and unstructured PA. Participants were 31…

Purpose: Public perception has been found to be influenced by the words used to describe those with behavioral health disorders, such that using terms like "substance abuser" can lead to higher levels of stigma. The purpose of this paper is to identify additional stigmatizing and empowering terms that are commonly used by different…

College is a time of transitioning as individuals move from the teenage years to adulthood. Accompanying this transition, there is a potential to establish lifelong behaviors such as a regular physical activity (PA) and exercise regimen, or a complete lack thereof, that can impact adulthood health. The current study included a convenience sample…

Purpose: The development of a physical literacy definition and standards framework suitable for implementation in Australia. Method: Modified Delphi methodology. Results: Consensus was established on four defining statements: Core--Physical literacy is lifelong holistic learning acquired and applied in movement and physical activity contexts;…

Objective: This study seeks to examine the health disparities of sexual minority older adults. Method. We used a probability sample of adults older than 50 years in select U.S. regions from the 2014, 2015, and 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System with administration of the sexual orientation question (n = 350,778). Binary and…

The aim was to examine the theoretical constructs and psychometric structure of the Protective Behavioural Strategies Scale (PBSS). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA, CFA) were conducted on data from two studies. Only data from registered university students (18-25 years) were included. EFA supported a two-factor solution for the…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how the content and approach of parent-adolescent communication about sexuality were associated with three adolescent sexuality variables (sexual attitudes, combination of all behaviors and advanced behaviors). Design/methodology/approach: Survey research with adolescents was conducted in classrooms…

Introduction: Game On: Know Alcohol, a school-based alcohol education program, aimed to educate adolescents on the harmful effects of (excessive) alcohol consumption. The program included two user-centered serious educational games, Perfect Pour and Dumb Driver. Purpose: To evaluate the objective effect of playing Perfect Pour and Dumb Driver on…