This study tests the impact of an in-school mediated communication campaign based on social marketing principles, in combination with a participatory, community-based media effort, on marijuana, alcohol and tobacco uptake among middle-school students. Eight media treatment and eight control communities throughout the US were randomly assigned to…

This article describes how an international group of infant-family researchers, practitioners, program directors, and advocates have helped the World Health Organization recognize the importance of caregiving relationships to children's survival, health, and development. When children lack contact and attachment to caregivers, they may fail to…

Adolescents with homosexual and bisexual orientations have higher levels of psychological distress than other adolescents. Drawing from previous studies, I hypothesize that this epidemiological pattern is due largely to the interpersonal problems that sexual minorities experience at home and at school. Analysis of longitudinal data based on a…

The purpose of this paper is to critically reflect upon the mixed/modest results of the primary studies related to the effectiveness of physical activity enhancement and improving nutritional intake in obesity prevention programs for children and youth. The results of a recent review of this topic that included 57 randomized controlled trials…

Objective: To assess whether parental psychological and physical factors and child factors measured in the first year of life were associated with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in children at age 6 3/4 years. Method: A longitudinal cohort study (the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children), followed 8,272 children from pregnancy to age 6…

Background: Existing evidence points to a substantial rise in psychosocial disorders affecting young people over the past 50 years (Rutter & Smith, 1995). However, there are major methodological challenges in providing conclusive answers about secular changes in disorder. Comparisons of rates of disorder at different time points are often…

In 2002 Save the Children UK carried out a study of child poverty in Uganda, as part of the on-going Uganda Participatory Poverty Assessment Programme. Using participants from all regions of the country, the researchers asked children about their perceptions of poverty and anti-poverty strategies, as well as questioning adult key informants about…

To help people prevent weight gain, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre initiated the "balance intervention", which promotes moderation of food intake and/or increased physical activity in response to occasions of overeating. The aim of this study was to determine whether intervention materials were appreciated, encouraged information…

National surveys that have tracked weight and physical activity in the United States for more than 40 years have shown a continuing increase in the number of overweight children and adolescents. Overweight children and adolescents are showing an increase in diseases related to overweight: Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and…

The purpose of this article is to outline the process, content, and evaluation of a 14-week health education program for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in an inner city Catholic grade school who are at risk for multiple health problems. The process includes a needs assessment with findings, followed by construction of an age-appropriate program.…

With the recent rise of childhood obesity, teaching children with developmental disabilities about healthful lifestyle choices has important implications for special educators. Designing instructional interventions for children with developmental disabilities in the areas of nutrition and weight management poses challenges to educators, who must…

This qualitative study describes teens' perceptions about attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and medications. The four modes of adaptation of the Roy Adaptation Model were the framework for this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 15 high school teens aged 14-17 with parent-reported AD/HD. An inductive…

This qualitative focus group study examined the prevailing acclimatization concerns and strategies of 10 new female professors at a mid-sized state university. Emergent themes relative to challenges experienced were, in order of prevalence, "not enough time," "teaching effectively," "health," "job expectations," "institutional knowledge," and…

The aim of this study was to investigate pediatric occupational therapists' general experience and practice with weighted vests and their impressions about whether weighted vests are effective in changing specific behaviors of children with whom they have used weighted vests. A survey was mailed to a random sample of 514 pediatric occupational…

An HIV knowledge survey and qualitative interview were administered to 20 case managers in community-based programs for troubled youth to assess HIV knowledge and their perception of client HIV risk behaviors. Participants had good HIV knowledge. Case managers perceived client youth to be at high risk for HIV infection due to unsafe sexual…