Cigarette smoking has been identified as the most important source of preventable morbidity and premature mortality worldwide (American Lung Association, 2002). Statistics show that youth who do smoke report having their first cigarette while in middle school, thus this is a critical opportunity for prevention (Eissenburg & Balster, 2000). This…

This research explored the type of traditional healing practices sought by Muslim psychiatric patients treated at public hospitals of Lahore city, Pakistan. The sample comprised 87 adult psychiatric patients (38% male and 62% female). The patients self-reported on the Case History Interview Schedule that they had sought diverse traditional healing…

The feeding habits acquired during childhood and adolescence have important implications on the health state of individuals, and their physical and emotional well-being. According to WHO (1993), one of the most serious problems that young people face is the excessive consumption of certain types of food that are less healthy. On the other side,…

Adolescent obesity is positively associated with soft drink consumption. We investigated the association of social-environmental and individual-level factors with soft drink consumption in a Dutch adolescent sample. Data were gathered in a longitudinal Dutch adolescent sample (n = 208, 62% girls). Soft drink consumption, social cognitions from the…

Objective: To study whether behavioral and emotional problems during childhood predicted early sexual debut, risky sex at age 21 years, and sexually transmitted infections up to age 21 years. Some possible mediational pathways were also explored. Method: Participants were enrolled in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (n =…

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to show that a syndrome of problem behaviours, i.e. early substance abuse, school and family problems and sexual promiscuity impairs normal development in adolescence. This comparative study looked for differences in the problem behaviour profiles of 15-year-old adolescents in the Pitkaranta district in Russia…

Aim: To examine the associations between connectedness to family and friends, and school engagement, and selected health compromising and health promoting behaviours in a sample of New Zealand adolescents. Methods: A web-based survey was designed and administered to a random sample of 652 Year 11 students aged 16 years from all Dunedin (NZ) high…

This report summarizes the major results of a youth risk behavior survey administered to 1,549 students (grades 9-12) in 14 New Mexico schools identified as predominantly "Native American." The purpose of this report is to stimulate useful discussions into ways to increase informed support for effective, school-based comprehensive health…

Following an overview and background information on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), this paper is divided into six sections. The first section discusses the extent of the problem and educational implications for children, adolescents, and young adults. The second section, Calls to Action, provides…

This training guide is intended to increase the understanding and skills of Head Start managers and directors to: (1) identify the ways in which employee health affects the organization's effectiveness; (2) design training programs that encourage employees to improve their own health; (3) understand how the organization contributes to the overall…

This study describes research on the impact of three intensive health curriculum models (respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems) administered at the fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grades on the knowledge levels, attitudes, and health behaviors of teenage students. The hypotheses of the study were that students enrolled in one or more units of…

The National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives at Mississippi State University, known as Rural Early Childhood, commissioned the nonpartisan research organization Child Trends to conduct such an analysis of the ECLS-K and ECLS-B baseline data, focusing on selected indicators related to child and family health and socioeconomic…

This report discusses commercialism in schools and its possible connection to student health. Sections of the report are titled as follows: "The Context in Which School Commercialism Flourishes"; "Schoolhouse Commercialism: Marketing Methods"; "Nutrition-Related Marketing in Schools"; "Exclusive Agreements with…

This chartbook investigates areas where U.S. adolescents' health or health-related behaviors emerged as significantly different from those of adolescents in other counties in positive, negative, or suggestive directions. Data come from the international Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, which has coordinated comparable,…

This chapter attempts to reconcile findings suggesting that early adolescence is a time during which students' motivation declines and disciplinary problems increase, and those suggesting it is a time during which youngsters endorse attitudes and values consistent with those of their social structure. The aim of the chapter is to integrate…