The present study evaluated the efficacy of Familias Unidas + Parent-Preadolescent Training for HIV Prevention (PATH), a Hispanic-specific, parent-centered intervention, in preventing adolescent substance use and unsafe sexual behavior. Two hundred sixty-six 8th-grade Hispanic adolescents and their primary caregivers were randomly assigned to 1 of…

In Australia, there is a growing expectation that sexuality education should reduce the risks associated with youth sex by providing young people with information on protecting their sexual health. However, this information may be insufficient to ensure that young people make choices that support their sexual safety and autonomy. This paper…

This study examined 1,361 Chinese adolescents who reported self-injurious behaviors. Groups A and B both acknowledged deliberate self-injury, but only Group A had made a suicide attempt. Group C reported accidental self-injury. Deliberate self-injurers (Groups A and B) were more frequently girls, older, and with more suicidal ideation. Group A had…

Cigarette smoking almost always begins in the adolescent years and smoking at early ages increases the risk of becoming ill or dying from causes attributable to smoking. This report uses data from the 1992 National Health Interview Survey of Youth Risk Behavior and presents prevalence estimates for selected unhealthy behaviors among adolescents in…

This book on the choices faced by adolescents regarding health behavior draws from recent publications of the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development as well as from other recent reports. The book contains eight chapters. Chapter One discusses the risks that adolescents face today, including lack of attention from adults, poverty, suicide, drug…

This K-6 interdisciplinary nutrition curriculum focuses on vegetables and fruits. The lessons use core subjects to promote consumption of fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables and fruits; vegetable and fruit juices; and dried fruits. The lessons also investigate the Food Guide Pyramid. Each lesson plan has a section entitled Extensions. The…

Two studies investigated the utility of a Cognitive-Behavior Change model in predicting adolescents' health behavior changes. The intervention specifically aimed at increasing students' knowledge of heart healthy habits, strengthening their beliefs, attitudes, and confidence regarding their ability to improve their health habits, and providing…

This bibliography includes references from major articles, Index Medicus (1972- 1977), and Psychological Abstracts (1967-1977). The material is arranged under four major headings--health behavior, health education, health services utilization, and compliance with health regimes. It will be of interest to persons working in medical settings and…

The author describes the nature of the rural poor in southern Appalachia, with emphasis on the elderly and their attitudes toward health practices and medical care and their resistance to change. He concludes that problems of health care delivery have no easy solution. (MF)

The results of a study to determine whether health behavior contracting was effective in changing health styles among 190 college freshmen are reported. Methodology is described. (JL)

Concludes that the coverage of health issues in the British press is modest and lacking in information, making health less of a concern than illness among the public. (FL)

A study was conducted at a large midwestern university to assess effectiveness of health behavior contracts for students enrolled in a personal health course. Results showed that health behavior contracts, as utilized in this study, appeared to have no significant impact on participant health behavior. (JMK)

The 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) report is a continuation of the surveillance and reporting system for adolescent risk behaviors developed by the Division of Adolescent and School Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The purpose of the Youth…

The social factors that impact Caucasian middle-class women's practice of breast self-examination (BSE) were examined through in-depth interviews with 15 women who were selected to represent a mix of women who practiced BSE monthly, occasionally, or never. The meaning of BSE was analyzed in relation to body image and the social definition of being…

This paper reviews the literature related to wellness. Wellness is reviewed in terms of definitions, theoretical perspectives, and research approaches. The definitions of wellness by six theorists are outlined. Regardless of definition chosen, today's conception of wellness has been fostered by disillusion with traditional medicine and the growing…