Objective: College students, particularly first-year students, are at risk for alcohol misuse and alcohol-related consequences (e.g., condomless sex). Our objective was to determine if first- and second-year students were more or less likely to report any act of condomless sex under the influence of alcohol than third- and fourth-year students.…

Objective: To explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19 in university affiliates to inform future COVID-19 policies and practices. Participants: Undergraduate students, graduate students and university employees at a large public university. Methods: Semi-structured focus groups and interviews were conducted between…

Objective: The current study tracked attitudinal and behavioral changes related to a campus-wide smoking ban. Participants: Students from 2 colleges in Massachusetts (N = 418; April 2014; N = 640 April 2018). Methods: Surveys tracked students' smoking habits, beliefs about smoking, and attitudes before and four years after the implementation of a…

Asthma morbidity disproportionately impacts children from low-income and racial/ethnic minority communities. School-supervised asthma therapy improves asthma outcomes for up to 15 months for underrepresented minority children, but little is known about whether these benefits are sustained over time. We examined the frequency of emergency…

Background: Sexting is sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, images, or videos through electronic means. Research has examined sexting in high school and college students. This study seeks to add to the existing literature by exploring the nature of pressured or problematic sexting in middle school-aged subjects. Methods:…

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can prevent 90% of cancers caused by HPV. Health care provider recommendations affect vaccine uptake, yet there are a lack of studies examining the impact of the school nurse (SN) in vaccine recommendations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of adding a SN HPV recommendation to the standard…

Using data from a regional census survey of high school students, we compared substance use patterns between transgender and cisgender students, and students who did not know if they are transgender (DKT). Data from more than 23,000 youth from 26 high schools were used to compare alcohol-related behaviors, marijuana use, and non-medical use of…

Background: Few cessation studies have examined their recruitment methods to determine the most effective methods for enrollment and retention. Purpose: Data from a randomized controlled trial of yoga for smoking cessation was used to evaluate recruitment methods (e.g., radio, referral) and their relationship to enrollment, participant…

Recent research shows personal financial debt is an important socioeconomic determinant of health, but the mechanisms through which it operates are not well understood. This article uses data from a mixed-methods study to explore how changes in spending and behavior that result from debt have salient health consequences in a cross-sectional sample…

Background: Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is a clinical guideline that can help delay, prevent or reduce substance use behaviors in youth. We aimed to describe the experiences of middle and high school (MS and HS) students attending a school with an SBIRT program. Methods: This was a survey study conducted in 2…

Childhood obesity is a prevalent health condition, the effects of which extend to mental health, social relationships, educational performance, and long-term physical health conditions. The present study focused on an optimized student support intervention that functions in predominantly high-poverty urban locations, which recognizes students as…

Early adolescence is a time of rapid cognitive, psychosocial, and physical development, and an array of contextual factors, such as systemic racism, exert significant influence. Universal behavioral health screening data of 4,234 middle school students were examined to explore the influence of demographic (e.g. ethnicity, race) and contextual…

Early adolescents often hear messages like "Don't spend too much time on your phone!" Yet little is known about how middle school youth regulate their smartphone usage. To help fill that gap, the authors held a week-long summer workshop to explore early adolescents' perspectives on positive and healthy social media usage. A…

Background: Employee health promotion in the elementary school setting can support students' health and academic success. School employees can serve as role models, yet evidence suggests poor health in this population. We identified factors that influence school employee health behaviors to inform subsequent development of employee wellness…

Nudge theory describes how indirect suggestions and positive reinforcement can influence decision-making. We used nudge theory to implement a traffic-light labeling and choice architecture (modifying product placement) intervention at Harvard University cafeterias, but found no significant change in sales. Survey and focus group data showed that…