Reports a study that examined the physical activity habits of African-American college freshmen at a historically African-American institution. Self-report measures of physical activity and assessment of height and weight indicated males were more active than females. Overall, the students, especially females, had low physical activity levels. (SM)

Presents survey data on low-income elderly people. Examined sociocultural and quality-of-life variables as they affected use of health care and transportation services. More than half of respondents did not receive medical care despite reporting multiple symptoms. Most participants relied upon public transportation to obtain health services. (RJM)

Examines the prevalence of self-reported enrollment, attendance, and participation in school physical education, noting dietary patterns among students in grades 9-12 from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Percentages of students participating varied significantly. Males participated and exercised more than females. Very few students…

Costs and benefits that adolescents perceive for engaging or not engaging in potentially health-harming behaviors of alcohol use and nonmarital sexual intercourse were studied for over 2,400 seventh through twelfth graders. Perceptions of costs and benefits are related to gender, age, and the behaviors themselves. (SLD)

Berkeley Nutrition Study followed 180 children longitudinally to investigate whether child rearing practices, health beliefs, demographics, and parental characteristics related to childhood obesity. Results indicated a high mother-daughter correlation. Other factors included how often per day the child ate, irregular eating patterns, and parental…

Adolescents privately recorded open-ended descriptions of problematic social situations related to sex. Issues mentioned included birth control, pregnancy, condom use/nonuse, violence, alcohol use, and rape. Few mentioned concerns about sexually transmitted diseases. Subjects who included alcohol as a problem were more likely to describe a variety…

Investigated determinants of participation in moderately and vigorously intense physical activity among African-American and Caucasian adolescent female high school students. Survey results indicated differences in psychosocial predictors of physical activity by type of activity and ethnic group. Self-efficacy and school sport participation were…

Assessed the impact of school organizational characteristics on outcomes of a teacher health behavior change program. Organizational, dietary, and psychologic data from intervention and control schools indicated that teachers at intervention schools with high organizational climate, organizational health, and job satisfaction reported better…

Investigated whether college level peer educators were adequately prepared to teach peers about sexual health, sexual assault, and substance abuse. They completed 20 hours of training on the issues and on public speaking, leadership, and presentation skills. Pretesting and posttesting indicated that the program increased students' factual…

Presents a guide to direct teachers of all grade levels to antismoking resources on the Internet. The paper discusses the importance of basic knowledge and facts about smoking and health risks, beginning at an early age; tobacco marketing awareness; and social action to reinforce knowledge. (SM)

This article reports on data collected as part of a four-phase study initiated to strengthen practice in the field of smoking cessation during pregnancy. It focuses on the perceived support pregnant smokers would receive for quitting smoking and how this support could be effectively used by incorporating the education of partners/family in smoking…

Despite the rising number of cases of HIV in adults over age 50, older persons rarely are considered to be at risk for HIV/AIDS, and even though they may be involved in risky behavior, such as unprotected penetrative sex, they may not consider themselves vulnerable to becoming infected. Informed awareness of risk is essential to making positive…

The authors reviewed studies on college students' physical activity (PA) behaviors and found that previous research on this topic focused on describing college students' PA patterns and their determinants. Researchers reported that about 40% to 50% of college students are physically inactive. More important, health and PA professionals in higher…

This article looks at how children between the ages of 4 and 8 years report they feel when they are exposed to passive smoking and how they react in these situations. Data were collected annually from a cohort of 250 primary school children, which was tracked from their Reception Classes to Year 3 across six Liverpool schools. Quantitative and…

We present a discussion of the literature addressing retention of ethnic minority samples in longitudinal studies. In addition, we describe the retention procedures implemented in the Parents Matter! Program (PMP), a community-based sexual risk reduction intervention for African American families. Finally, the results of PMP's retention strategies…