Objective: Dieting is a known risk factor for disordered eating, yet many college women engage in this behavior. Given the popularity of diets, and the risks associated with dieting, it is important to enhance understanding of dieters' experiences. This study utilized a qualitative approach to investigate college women's experiences of dieting.…

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…

Few sexual health studies have examined subgroup differences in youth risk behaviors that sufficiently account for sexual orientation and gender identity. This study used 2017 New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (N = 10,191), a stratified cluster-sampled survey, to examine descriptive differences in the prevalence of risky sexual…

Marijuana use among U.S. college students is the highest since the mid-1980s. Because knowledge about marijuana and confidence in the knowledge are related to changing marijuana laws and marijuana-related messages ubiquitous in college students' information environment, we examined their relationships with use. The Structural Equation Modeling…

Background: Knowledge of specific health-related events encountered by students studying abroad and the availability and use of pre-travel healthcare for these students is lacking. Methods: Anonymous web-based questionnaires were sent to study abroad offices, student health centers, and undergraduate students after studying abroad at eight…

Objectives: We aimed to document the social factors encouraging and discouraging e-cigarette use amongst Latino college students. Participants: Participants were second-generation Latino male college students. Methods: We interviewed 20 second-generation Latino male college students, 10 regular smokers and 10 infrequent smokers, at the University…

Early adolescent children communicate on smartphones and social media, resulting in online sexual risks and potential adverse health outcomes. This study investigated parents' awareness of early adolescent engagement in online sexual risks on smartphones and social media and the protective practices used to mitigate these risks. Semi-structured…

The measurement of sensation seeking has been mired in controversy since Zukerman defined it. The sensation seeking personality trait (SSPT) eliminates many of the psychometric issues found in previous scales and may allow researchers to better understand the role of sensation seeking in the engagement in health risk behaviors.

About three in ten Americans with hypertension do not take medication to control their blood pressure. The risk and protective factors of non-adherence to prescribed anti-hypertensive medication have not been well investigated. Participants who were aware of their hypertension, advised by healthcare professional to take anti-hypertensive…

The consequences of adolescent drug and alcohol use may be serious and far-reaching, forecasting problematic use or addictive behaviors into adulthood. School counselors are particularly well suited to understand the needs of the school community and to seamlessly deliver sustainable substance use prevention. This pilot study with 46 ninth-grade…

Objective: To assess awareness about prolonged sitting and acceptance of interventions to reduce bouts of prolonged sitting. Participants: Undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and faculty from a large public university. Methods: Eight focus groups were conducted with 4 groups of undergraduate students and 4 groups of…

Objective: Most sexual assault prevention approaches are universal in nature. The present study evaluated a Transtheoretical Model (TTM)--based Stages of Change (SOC) measure assessing readiness to utilize sexual assault risk reduction skills. The measure was evaluated with regard to Decisional Balance and Self-Efficacy. Participants: Survey data…

Background: Many misconceptions about breast cancer exist. College students have the opportunity to perform breast cancer risk-reducing behaviors. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess breast cancer knowledge among university students and examine the influence of breast cancer knowledge on health behaviors for breast cancer prevention.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why Saudi Arabian students engage in specific health risk behaviours (HRBs), and if there are gender differences. Design/methodology/approach: In order to find out the situation regarding university students in Saudi Arabia, quantitative data were collected by administering…

The Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is administered by the Montana Office of Public Instruction every two years to students in grades 7 through 12. The purpose of the survey is to help monitor the prevalence of behaviors that not only influence youth health, but also put youth at risk for the most significant health and social problems…