Making informed health decisions requires knowledge and skills in appraising health claims, and teaching adolescents these skills may prepare them for future decision-making. This cluster randomized trial evaluated the effectiveness of an educational intervention on students' ability to identify and appraise health claims. Nine Australian high…

The group at the highest risk of smartphone addiction is adolescents. In particular during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, factors such as conducting education online, curfew and the increase in the monotonous time spent at home have led to an increase in the use of smartphones among adolescents. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the…

This study assesses the ability of an online sexuality education (OSE) module ('You and Me') to enhance sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge and attitudes among 10th-grade vocational high school students in China. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial, randomizing 29 vocational high schools to (i) receiving the module…

Southern Africa remains the epicentre of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic with AIDS the leading cause of death amongst adolescents. Poor policy translation, inadequate programme implementation and fragmentation of services contribute to adolescents' poor access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services. This study…

Iceland has witnessed a dramatic decline in adolescent substance use that may be partly the result of efforts related to the Icelandic prevention model (IPM). We sought to test risk and protective factor assumptions of the IPM using a prospective cohort study with 12 months separating baseline from follow-up. Participants were students in grades 8…

Belonging to a school Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) is associated with lower substance use among LGBTQ+ youth. However, it is unknown whether GSA participation facilitates access to resources for substance use concerns. Using longitudinal data from 38 Massachusetts high schools, we compared sources of support for substance use concerns…

Process evaluation of public health interventions is important for understanding intervention results and can help explain why interventions succeed or fail. This study evaluated implementation of a school-based intervention combining educational and environmental strategies to prevent stress among Danish high school students. We investigated dose…

Reducing youth cannabis use in Canada is a public health priority with schools of interest as a potential modifier of behavior and as a venue for prevention programming. This work aimed to provide a basis for future policy and programming by evaluating pre-legalization cannabis use change patterns in schools and the impact of school…

Rates of e-cigarette use are high among youth, and there is little known about the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes. Since peer influence is a powerful determinant of tobacco use, we aimed to identify message themes about e-cigarettes that youth would use to encourage or discourage peers from using e-cigarettes. We conducted 10 focus…

Sexual minority (e.g. lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning; LGBQ) and gender minority (e.g. transgender) youth experience myriad health risks. Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) are school-based settings where they may have opportunities to discuss substance use, mental health, and sexual health issues in ways that are safe and tailored to their…

Adolescent girls are at substantial risk of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. To reduce these risks, we developed Health Education And Relationship Training (HEART), a web-based intervention focused on developing sexual assertiveness skills and enhancing sexual decision-making. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of…

Although smoking declines in the United States, the prevalence of male adolescent smokeless tobacco (ST; moist snuff and chewing tobacco) use remains unchanged. ST product characteristics, such as flavoring, packaging, and branding, could influence adolescents' ST initiation and continued use. This qualitative study examines the potential role of…

Weight-related outcomes were examined among high school students in Minnesota public school districts according to the quality of district wellness policies. Wellness policy strength and comprehensiveness were scored using the Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) for 325 Minnesota public school districts in 2013. The associations between…

Feasibly implemented Web-based smoking media literacy (SML) programs have been associated with improving SML skills among adolescents. However, prior evaluations have generally had weak experimental designs. We aimed to examine program efficacy using a more rigorous crossover design. Seventy-two ninth grade students completed a Web-based SML…

The Tips From Former Smokers ("Tips") campaign in the United States primarily targets adult smokers, but considers adolescents an important secondary audience. This study examines the association between exposure to Tips and smoking outcomes in the adolescent population in the United States. We analyzed data from the 2013 National Youth…