4-H academics responded to the COVID pandemic by rapidly adapting CDC and other resources for virtual delivery. A statewide epidemiology project was taught to 48 youth with the goal of minimizing fears and confusion, increasing prevention measures, leveraging current topics for education, and bolstering the social-emotional health of youth…

Objective: This study evaluates the effectiveness of a smoke- and tobacco-free campus policy by examining the volume, density, and location of discarded cigarette butts before and after the implementation of the policy. Participants: Student, staff, and faculty volunteers collected and recorded the location of discarded cigarette butts in April…

The predominant method for treating obesity has been suggesting and providing information on a controlled diet and, to a lesser extent, increased exercise. That approach has largely failed beyond the short term for many decades as obesity rates continue to rise. Therefore, leveraging improvements in psychosocial correlates of weight-loss behaviors…

Objective: Psychoactive substance use is prevalent among young people in Nigeria. However, the dearth of accessible and good-quality treatment for substance use disorders in Nigeria creates a treatment gap. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a substance use prevention education programme (SUPEP) for young people in Nigeria. Design: A…

Lifestyle risk behaviours--physical inactivity, poor diet, poor sleep, recreational screen time, and alcohol and tobacco use--collectively known as the "Big 6" emerge during adolescence and significantly contribute to chronic disease development into adulthood. To address this issue, the Health4Life program targeted the Big 6 risk…

Behaviour change communication (BCC) remains a central component of the interventions used in the fight against malaria in Ghana. However, there is limited evidence of its effectiveness. This study evaluated the effects of BCC strategies on knowledge (symptoms, causes and prevention) and overall knowledge of malaria among Ghanaian women aged…

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a large source of added sugar in teenagers' diets, comprising 20-25% of daily calories. Despite efforts, teens in rural and southern states continue to have the high SSB consumption rates. Using Teen Advisory Councils (TAC), students designed and delivered school-specific interventions at five Tennessee…

Skin cancers are the most common malignancy in Australia. Regular sunscreen use can reduce the incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas and actinic keratoses and has been associated with reducing the incidence of basal cell carcinomas and melanomas. However, sunscreen effectiveness is limited by the failure of the population to use it…

Objective: We evaluated the feasibility of a 10-week program combining a smartphone application and theoretically-based, social media-delivered health education intervention to improve college students' health behaviors and outcomes. Participants: Forty-four college students (32 female; [x-bar][subscript age]=21.6 years) in 2015-2016. Methods:…

This study developed an online health education program by applying the Health Belief Model with social support to prevent tobacco use by student teachers and evaluated the effectiveness of the program during the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. This involved mixed method research divided into 2 phases, with phase 1 combining an online focus group…

Similar to national trends, in Illinois, fatal opioid overdoses have risen. Black men (35+) outrank all other racial subgroups for the highest rate of fatal opioid overdoses in the state. To address this, Prevention First and the Illinois Department of Human Services developed a public health education campaign to support increasing enrollment in…

Many factors impact an adolescent's willingness to appropriately use health-care services and intent to begin the health-care transition process. Published literature continues to show that the way adolescents experience and utilize health-care services is ineffective and has long-term impacts on individuals and systems. Building upon the success…

Objective: Fitness trackers are appealing in public health intervention programmes aimed at promoting physical activity, but it is unclear whether tracker use leads to health behaviour change in soldiers. This programme evaluation investigated the effects of fitness tracker usage on goal-setting, self-monitoring and physical activity behaviours in…

The supply of school mental health (SMH) providers and services cannot meet the demand of students in-need, and this gap is expected to widen in coming years. One way to increase the reach of helpful services for youth is to grow the SMH workforce through task-shifting to paraprofessionals. Task-shifting could be especially promising in expanding…

The authors designed and evaluated an innovative, branded campaign called 'Adelante' to promote positive youth development (PYD) and reduce risk behaviors among Latino youth near Washington, DC. Repeated cross-sectional surveys were conducted in the intervention and a comparison community to evaluate campaign exposure and changes in PYD outcomes.…