Social norming campaigns that work to show the disparity between students' perceptions of campus drinking and actual levels of drinking have proven to be successful in reducing alcohol use by college students. The premise of social norming is that human behavior is greatly influenced by perceptions of the population from which acceptance is…

This meta analysis summarizes the available data concerning the impact that the 1991 announcement of Earvin "Magic" Johnson, a National Basketball Association all-star, had on the issues concerning HIV infection and testing. The analysis notes that the effect of Johnson's disclosure may not be uniform for all possible outcomes. Some…

This report presents data on Hispanic Americans, one of the nation's largest racial minorities. Hispanics have had much lower high school completion rates and higher dropout rates than blacks and whites since the 1970s. Hispanic high school students are more likely to carry weapons and more likely to become pregnant than black and white students.…

Smokers are increasingly stigmatized in our society. Pressures to limit public smoking have mounted, and there is evidence of discrimination against smokers in the workplace. This study examined how current smokers, former smokers, and nonsmokers were differentially characterized by students drawn from a suburban high school and college. Students…

This paper proposes embedding various positive psychology themes in the context of an undergraduate course on the psychology of personal adjustment. The specific positive psychology constructs considered include those of hope, optimism, perseverance, humility, forgiveness, and spirituality. These themes are related to appropriate course content…

This paper is designed to inform program managers and others who are interested in learning more about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and infant feeding but who are not necessarily familiar with all of the technical issues in either of these fields. The paper reviews the major advances in the study of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and…

Social learning theory provides a complex scientific foundation for health education and can be used to improve health education research and practice. This foundation includes proven cognitive and behavioral constructs and techniques for promoting health behavior changes. (JN)

Reports the development of two nutrition behavior scales (for grades 2-3 and grades 4-6) given to 3,107 students from 129 schools nationwide. Results indicated significant nutrition knowledge gaps among students and identified several groups with excess knowledge gaps. The instrument appeared appropriate for most of the U.S. population. (SM)

Investigated AOD (alcohol and other drug) use among social workers, examined its potential negative professional consequences and explored the denial that may facilitate AOD abuse. Results are reported from an anonymous survey of 751 NASW members in North Carolina. Research and practice implications for social workers, supervisors, and the…

Investigated whether 9th graders' participation in school team sports, exclusively or in combination with other extracurricular activities, would relate to higher levels of psychological functioning and healthy behavior than participation in other extracurricular activities alone or nonparticipation. Participants in any type of extracurricular…

Investigated the association between 13 health risk and protective factors and reporting two or more lifetime sexual intercourse partners and non-condom use for last coitus among rural high school students. Data from the 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey highlighted important relationships between prior sexual behavior, sexual and physical abuse,…

Investigates the relationship of depression to health risk behaviors and health perceptions in Korean college students. The level of students' depression predicted alcohol consumption, symptom pattern, and physical health. Students who were more depressed reported more symptoms and perceived their health as worse than those who were less…

Synthesizes 10 school- and family-based studies of cardiovascular health behaviors in youth, including sociodemographic characteristics, study designs, interventions, measures, and results. Use of results as components of school health programs is addressed. (SK)

Presents Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines that summarize school-based strategies most likely to be effective in preventing tobacco use among youth. The guidelines recommend that all schools develop and enforce a policy, provide instruction on tobacco use consequences, provide prevention education, train teachers, involve families,…

Studied how multiple methods of follow-up can enhance the rate of response to mail questionnaires. The initial sample of 1,505 adults was contacted by mail for a health behavior survey. Follow-ups by mail and telephone resulted in an 89% response rate and demonstrated the efficacy of the follow-up methods. (SLD)