Objective: To examine the association of multiple health behaviors to mental health functioning in male and female collegiate athletes. Participants: Prospective National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletes (n = 183) completed a health and wellness survey in the summer prior to joining the athletic program. Methods: Health…

Early adolescents often hear messages like "Don't spend too much time on your phone!" Yet little is known about how middle school youth regulate their smartphone usage. To help fill that gap, the authors held a week-long summer workshop to explore early adolescents' perspectives on positive and healthy social media usage. A…

Background: Teen pregnancy continues to burden families, communities, and society. Programs continue to educate and impower youth and young adults to make positive behavioral decisions. Methods: We evaluated a program aimed at high-risk youth in after-school programs. The goal of the program was to instill a sense of community and empathy, as well…

Purpose: Mental health problems are a growing concern on college campuses. Although postsecondary institutions often provide mental health services to students free of charge, it is unclear which students access such treatment and why. Methods: This study examined predictors of mental health treatment among college students. 2,280 students…

This study aimed to determine whether problematic internet use and healthy lifestyle behaviors among high school students varied by gender, grade level, academic average, and school type variables and to investigate the relationship between problematic internet use and healthy lifestyle behaviors. The sample of the study consisted of a total of…

Following the widespread adoption of free primary education, African policymakers are now considering making secondary school free, but little is known about the private and social benefits of free secondary education. We exploit randomized assignment to secondary school scholarships among 2,064 youths in Ghana, combined with 12 years of data, to…

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is an epidemiologic surveillance system that was established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 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 that can occur during…

Homelessness threatens the well-being of over 1.3 million school children in the United States. Many more students are believed to experience homelessness each year, but they go unrecognized. This report provides new estimates of student homelessness in high school, and the experiencing accompanying it, based on data from the 2019 Youth Risk…

Parkinson's disease is a progressive movement condition and, after Alzheimer's disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disease. Parkinson's disease has no proven cure. However, efforts are being made to improve the quality of life of people with Parkinson's. Quality of life encompasses a variety of domains, including nutritional health.…

Social marketing campaigns are effective in promoting health behavior changes in individuals and communities. Mississippi State University Extension Service's (MSU Extension) Office of Nutrition Education launched a statewide social marketing campaign branded HappyHealthy to target nutrition and healthy lifestyle-related behaviors of Supplemental…

Background: Since 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has implemented "Tips From Former Smokers" ("Tips"), the first federally funded tobacco education campaign in the United States. To date, there are no evaluations of its long-term impact. Aims: To assess the impact of varied doses of the…

As obesity rates rise among youth, physical education classrooms have become a resource for teaching children how to make lifelong changes that will lead to improved overall health. In addition, new curricula and government mandates are focusing on health-related fitness content and its application to lifelong fitness. As these components become…

Objectives: To identify salient behavioral determinants related to STI testing among college students by testing a model based on the integrative model of behavioral (IMBP) prediction. Participants: 265 undergraduate students from a large university in the Southeastern US. Methods:Formative and survey research to test an IMBP-based model that…

Heavy Episodic Drinking (HED) is becoming a common drinking pattern among young adults in South Europe. Additionally, alcohol consumption has increased among young women, narrowing the gender gap in alcohol use. In the scope of the European action-research project 'ALLCOOL', this study explores sex-related differences on HED among young adults…

Sleep is an important physiological process which is very much essential to lead a healthy life. Sleep was once considered an inactive, or passive, state in which both the body and the brain "turned off" to rest and recuperate from the day's waking activities. The quality of sleep determines the well being of an individual. Adequate…