This study evaluates El Camino, a goal-setting sexual health promotion program developed for Latino youth. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in grades 9-12 in 68 classrooms (n = 746 students) across 11 schools in Maryland with large populations of Latino students. A total of 208 students were lost to follow-up, leaving 538…

The delivery of comprehensive sexuality education to adolescents at school is recognized as a long-term strategy to support adolescent health. Suboptimal sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes among South African adolescents necessitate the ongoing development and optimization of SRH education and promotion models. We conducted a…

Objective: Numerous studies have examined the effectiveness of graphic health warnings on different population segments, including male and female smokers, in an effort to reduce health disparities in Europe and the USA. However, research exploring the impact of gender-specific tobacco control interventions on Asian smokers is lacking. This study…

Sexual regulation has been a core component of formal schooling in Southern Africa since its inception, with discipline central to teachers' work. Yet internationally funded, girl-focused development programs give new shape and legitimacy to teacher interventions on student sexuality. Building on a combined two years of multi-sited ethnographic…

Objective: Each year, humanitarian groups provide health education programmes and interventions to underserved communities in Nicaragua. The purpose of this study was to identify the health education needs of a small community in rural Nicaragua to inform health education programming. Design: Mixed methods approach that used a quantitative survey…

Objective: This study evaluated the longitudinal impact of the Teen Outreach Programme (TOP) on adolescent pregnancy, sexual behaviour, risky sex and sexual intentions in non-metropolitan high schools. Design: Pair-matched, cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting: Non-metropolitan public high schools in Florida, USA. Methods: TOP was…

Late identification of children with ASD remains a concern. Due to limited research in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as South Africa (SA), the early management of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) should be further explored. The aim was to describe the demographic characteristics and early management of ASD that may influence…

A systematic literature review was conducted to assess the utility of Positive Youth Development (PYD) concepts in promoting positive sexual health behaviors in young minority adolescents (n = 12 studies). Interventions reported significant associations between PYD-focused interventions and ever having sex, sexual partners in the last 30 days,…

The study sought to investigate the role of the community in inhibiting girls' access and participation in formal education in Marsabit County-Kenya. As one of the marginalized counties in Kenya, the county had among the highest rate of illiteracy in Kenya with 68 per cent of residents with no formal education. The study involved a total of 128…

Each year, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) releases a list of scientific advances that represent significant progress in the field of autism research. The "Summary of Advances" provides short, plain language summaries of the top research breakthroughs selected by the IACC from a pool of research articles nominated by…

Children in child welfare protective custody (e.g., foster care) are known to have increased health concerns compared to children not in protective custody. The poor health documented for children in protective custody persists well into adulthood; young adults who emancipate from protective custody report poorer health, lower quality of life, and…

The State Compensatory Education (SCE) program is designed to reduce dropout rates and increase academic performance of students identified as being at-risk of dropping out of school. For this year's evaluation of SCE, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) served as the state assessment measures for grades 3 through 8 and…

Data from 1,087 adolescent participants in three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used to examine the effects of peer selection and socialization processes in adolescence on later reports of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and unintended pregnancies. Friends' attitudes and behavior were assessed with…

The State Compensatory Education (SCE) program is designed to reduce dropout rates and increase academic performance of students identified as being at-risk of dropping out of school. SCE operates as a funding source to supplement instructional services and offer academic support to students who meet the SCE at-risk criteria established by the…

Teenage mothers are more likely to use drugs, and their children are more likely to use substances and become pregnant during adolescence. Teenage mothers' substance use may play a role in the intergenerational risk for adolescent pregnancy. Pregnant adolescents (12-18 years) were seen during pregnancy and postnatal years 6, 10, 14, and 16 (n =…