Purpose: This paper aims to examine how influences at home and school interact to predict smoking among adolescents. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 15-year-old pupils from Norway (n=1,404 in 73 Grade 10 school classes). Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to determine how family and school influences interact to…

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the feasibility of using patient-driven, hand-held computers in primary care settings, in order to address the apparent failure to implement prevention initiatives into the routine delivery of health care services. Design/methodology/approach: During an eight-day period, patients of an English…

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to report on an evaluation of a programme of supported education in a Further Education context for students with long-term mental health problems, based on Antonovsky's Salutogenic model of health. The students are referred by the Community Mental Health Team. Design/methodology/approach: Three consecutive…

Purpose: The paper sets out to describe how children from disadvantaged areas perceive their communities and actively negotiate threats in their lives. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 60 interviews and 16 discussions groups were held with 8 to 14-year-olds sampled from four deprived communities located in the West of Scotland. Participants…

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to undertake a formative evaluation of a young person's Smokebuster club and to examine how young people's experience of being a club member can be used to inform the club's future development. Design/methodology/approach: After seeking and being granted Local Research Ethics Committee approval to undertake the…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the usefulness of a simplified version of cognitive response analysis (CRA) as a formative evaluation tool for health education materials developed for small, unfunded projects. Design/methodology/approach: A group of women (n=15), aged between 25 and 50 years, provided cognitive responses (CRs)…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine Finnish seventh-graders' (13 to 14 years old) nutrition health attitudes, perceptions of skills, reported behaviour and perceptions of families' and friends' nutrition health-related behaviour. Design/methodology/approach: The research data were collected in a baseline situation through a…

Purpose: Although implementation fidelity is an important component in the evaluation of school health promotion programs, it assumes that teaching is the most relevant teacher role. To understand the social context of program implementation, a qualitative study was undertaken with the aim of identifying the schoolteacher's role in implementing…

Purpose: Given the importance of education-based approaches in stimulating breastfeeding, the paper aims to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of discussing breastfeeding with school children. Design/methodology/approach: Two workshops about breastfeeding and on the view of the human being as a mammal were carried out in schools in Brazil.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the process and lessons learned from an evaluation of "Teen Talk", a health drop in service at Kidbrooke, a state secondary school in Greenwich. Design/methodology/approach: A multi-pronged approach was adopted for the evaluation. This included a questionnaire survey of a sample of 180 pupils…

Purpose: To evaluate a remote learning initiative involving filming live lectures and disseminating these via digital interactive television (DiTV), satellite to PC terminals and VHS cassette. This was accompanied by online learning materials. Design/methodology/approach: In-depth interviews were used for the aspects of the study reported in this…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the baseline results of a school development project where the aim was to improve school community staff's occupational wellbeing in co-operation with occupational health nurses. Design/methodology/approach: The Wellbeing at Your Work index form for school staff developed for the study aimed to…

Purpose: Alongside teachers, community nurses have been identified as having an important role to play in the provision of school-based personal, social and health education (PSHE) and sex and relationships education (SRE). However, there currently exist few programmes of preparation for this work that recognise the specific contribution of…

Purpose: In response to rising prevalence of sexually transmitted infection (STI) among teenagers, this study was designed to examine teenage perceptions of sex education, access to services, and attitudes relevant to STI. Design/methodology/approach: A focus group study was conducted in three schools to discuss the sexual health needs of…

Purpose: Designed to reduce anxiety and boost self-concept, The Modified Feeling Great Program (MFGP) consisted of a series of mental training exercises used to improve the quality of life for 6-17 year old children (N=20) with cancer. More specifically, the children were taught how to relax, look for highlights (good things that happen to them),…