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,…

Public schools are under increased pressure to implement evidence-based substance abuse prevention programs. A number of model programs have been identified, but little research has examined the effectiveness of these programs when "brought to scale" or implemented district-wide. The current paper summarizes the application of the Adelman and…

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…

Background: Policies set at the state, district, and school levels can support and enhance a healthy and safe school environment. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts the School Health Policies and Programs Study every 6 years. In 2006, computer-assisted telephone interviews or self-administered mail questionnaires were…

Substance use by American young people has proven to be a rapidly-changing phenomenon, requiring frequent assessments and reassessments. Since the mid-1960s it has remained a major concern for the nation. Smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use are leading causes of morbidity and mortality, both during adolescence as well as later in life. How…

This article examines whether the importance of parents, siblings, best friends, and romantic interests are sex-specific in predicting daily juvenile smoking. Juveniles who smoke daily are strongly influenced by prosmoking attitudes and behaviors of same-sex family members. However, peers remain the most important associations in predicting daily…

Noting that health-risk behaviors among youth may result in immediate health problems or extend into adulthood and increase risk for chronic diseases, this report examines the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among a nationally representative sample of persons aged 12 to 21 years and presents age group comparisons of the most important…

A survey of health risk behaviors was administered to a representative sample of 7,776 Idaho students in grades 8-12. Respondents were 86% White, 6% Hispanic, 4% American Indian, 3% Asian, and 2% Black. These rural adolescents reported that they had engaged in some health risk behaviors at rates comparable to those of other U.S. adolescents: 57%…

This research report describes alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among a representative sample of 7,187 Nebraska junior and senior high school students. The research is from an ongoing project: the Nebraska Adolescent Drug Use survey, which was initiated in 1982. The stated purpose of the project is to provide baseline and updated survey…

In the fall of 1991 246,258 Louisiana students enrolled in grades 7-12 were surveyed regarding the prevalence and patterns of drug and alcohol use as compared to 241,858 students surveyed in the fall of 1990. The state-wide reports were comprised of data combining junior high school (grades 7 and 8) and senior high school (grades 9 through 12).…

This booklet comprises the high school health component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. It is designed to meet the age-specific needs of ninth and tenth grade students. Objectives include: (1) reviewing comprehensive fire and burn prevention techniques and emergency actions; (2) developing an awareness of fire safety…

This second survey of drug and alcohol use among 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students enrolled in California's public secondary schools was conducted from December 1987 to February 1988. The purpose of this survey was to provide information on levels of substance use and related attitudes and experiences among young people who are enrolled in public…

The results of a national survey conducted by Louis Harris and Associates for "Prevention" Magazine on American health practices are presented in this report. The following topics are covered: (1) changes in health-promoting behavior 1984-1987; (2) steps people take, or fail to take, for better health; (3) exercise and weight control by adults;…

This study involved the third administration of a survey of drug and alcohol use among students at Middle Tennessee State University. The original study was completed in 1977 (N=1,551), the second in 1983 (N=1,198), and the third in 1987 (N=1,535). Findings from the 1987 survey revealed that females and fraternity and sorority members were…

Programs which have been somewhat effective in reducing the rates of onset of regular tobacco use have featured such components as peer pressure resistance training, correction of normative expectations, inoculation against mass media messages, information about parental influences, information about consequences of use, public commitments, or…