Objective: Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges worked to minimize transmission through non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). The objective of this study was to apply the Health Belief Model to assess correlates of US college students' early stage NPI uptake. Participants: Sample includes 1,223 students from a medium-sized university who…

Waterpipe tobacco smoking is a public health concern that poses many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking, especially among young adults--a subpopulation characterized by the highest prevalence of waterpipe tobacco smoking. Nevertheless, it remains understudied relative to other forms of tobacco use. We examined sociodemographic,…

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the association between life skills (self-awareness (SA)) and risky sexual behaviours among adolescents in primary schools. It was thought so because a larger number of adolescents engage in risky sexual behaviours and life skills were among the preventive measures. Design/methodology/approach: This…

The use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is on the rise among young adults, with higher public acceptance than traditional tobacco. A study in Taiwan employed concept mapping to explore risk and benefit perceptions of e-cigarette use among college students. The study involved 100 college students from 11 Taiwanese universities, with 50…

Background: Children with asthma are often marginalized at school, including bullying victimization. The purpose of this study is to estimate the association between asthma and school or electronic bullying victimization among US high school students, and test whether the association varies significantly by sex. Methods: Pooled data from five…

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) experience increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent studies suggest that a vaccine against AD may be forthcoming. Parental buy-in is critical to the success of any intervention in this population, as adults with DS often rely on familial support. This study aims to characterize parents' perceptions of…

Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) are aging with chronic health issues. However, little is known about the racial disparities in chronic health conditions among adults with IDD. Do racial and ethnic minority adults with IDD experience elevated risk of chronic health conditions like in the general population? How do…

The study tested whether deficits in executive function are associated with adolescent risky behavior engagement. At baseline, adolescents (n = 102) aged 12 to 19 years were administered a performance-based measure of executive function and self-report measure of broad-based risky behavior engagement. Additionally, a teacher report for each…

Optimism bias is common across health risk assessments, including firearm injury risk, and can have behavioral consequences. Using data from the 2018 California Safety and Wellbeing Survey, we examine whether optimism bias influences firearm injury prevention practices and policy support by comparing the characteristics, behaviors, and opinions of…

Objective: The key to controlling tobacco use lies in preventing new smokers. Graphic health warnings and plain packaging are policy interventions to discourage cigarette consumption. This study examined the effect of the warning message frame (gain vs loss) and cigarette packaging (branded vs plain) in non-smokers. Methods: Young adult…

Persons with serious mental illnesses experience high rates of medical comorbidity, especially diabetes. This study examined initial implementation feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of a new 6-month Multicomponent Intervention for Diabetes risk reduction in Adults with Serious mental illnesses (MIDAS) among persons in residential…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a gender-specific intervention targeted to adolescent males to reduce sexual risks. Method: This study used a randomized clinical trial comparing a broad-based male empowerment curriculum with a no-treatment control group. The sample (N = 580) was recruited…

Objective: Extreme sport participation and injury rates have increased in recent decades. This study aimed to investigate sub-dimensions of impulsivity and sensation seeking that contribute to participation and injury risk in extreme sports. Participants: Data included cross-sectional survey responses from 7,109 college students (Mage=19.68, SD =…

Background: While more than 2.5 million U.S. high students worked in 2020, data to assess how work affects this group are sparse. To facilitate such research, a set of occupational safety and health questions for inclusion on the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) and other youth-focused surveys was developed. Methods: Survey…

Families are key in the healthy development of Latinx sexual minority youth (Latinx SMY), a group that experiences behavioral, mental, and sexual health disparities. Despite this, there are no family-based interventions for Latinx SMY and their families to prevent drug use, sexual risk behaviors, and depressive symptoms. The purpose of this pilot…