Schools often credit instructional gardens with improving fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity in children. Many schools are able to obtain funding and supplies to establish a garden program, but there are challenges to program sustainability that often result in garden failure. This systematic review compares recommendations for…

Unhealthy relationships have a devastating impact on adolescents' academic performance, including poor attendance, difficulty concentrating, and feeling unsafe at school. Schools provide an ideal setting to positively influence adolescents' attitudes, knowledge, and relationship skills by integrating healthy relationship lessons into sexuality…

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for school age youth, with 1 in 12 high school students reporting seriously contemplating suicide over the past year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). The majority of students and teachers have not received adequate mental health training (Jacobs, 2006); thus, there is a need to…

Adolescent consumption of screen media continues to increase. A variety of theoretical constructs hypothesize the impact of media content on health-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. This study uses a coding instrument based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey to analyze health behavior contained in…

Stress poses one of the biggest threats to the health and well-being of young people. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to the negative effects of stress due to developmental factors. Recently, Mindfulness Meditation (MM) programs have been implemented into both clinical and school-based settings to reduce stress and promote the health of…

Background and Aims: The purpose of this project was to examine body dissatisfaction and the degree of acculturation to Western media body ideals among Japanese adolescents. Furthermore, sex differences in body esteem were examined between male and female participants. Methods: Male and female participants (N=158) aged 15 to 18 years in Okinawa,…

Four focus groups of undergraduate students (n = 32) were conducted to elicit perceptions regarding how text messaging affects personal health. Participant responses were coded and themed into five health dimensions: physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual. Results of focus groups showed several main themes linked each dimension of…

Too many racial/ethnic minorities do not reach their full potential for a healthy and rewarding life. This paper addresses the social determinants that impact, either directly or indirectly, child and adolescent health disparities. Understanding the role social determinants play in the life course of health status can help guide educational…

Underage drinking is a widespread national problem that requires continuous attention from different agencies and groups in the community. This project was funded by a 50-member local coalition that included groups such as researchers, faith-based organizations, law enforcement, parents, schools, community college, university, local businesses,…

A long-term public health goal in the United States involves convincing adolescents to postpone sexual activity or promote responsible sexual activity. This study investigated the effect of using infant simulators on sexuality, child care attitudes and knowledge with a sample of 309 high school students from seven different states. The treatment…

Race/ethnicity has been associated with the prevalence of sexual activity among youth as well as with youth assets. Research has also shown that youth assets are associated with youth abstinence. However, very few studies have examined whether the relationship between youth assets and sexual activity might differ based on race/ethnicity. The study…

This study examined reports of self-harm by early adolescents as well as associations between salient interpersonal stressors and self-harm. While attending health education centers located in Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, early adolescents (n = 737) responded to a questionnaire measuring stressors, coping, and self-harm.…

Indoor tanning continues to grow in popularity even though empirical investigations denounce the behavior. Various reports have illustrated the detrimental health effects of ultraviolet (UV) exposure including increased risk for skin cancer. According to some physicians, the risk may be especially high for adolescents whose skin cells are dividing…

Adolescents and young adults are likely to be sexually active and interested in sexual ethics. In order to tap into this interest and assist in their intellectual development, a sexual ethics continuum teaching strategy was developed during four semesters with six sections of two different college courses. A total of 52 behaviors of interest to…

Ninth and twelfth graders were surveyed to identify their health concerns and primary sources of learning about health. Results were consistent with current epidemiological data. There were statistically significant differences by grade and gender. The most prevalent concerns were weight, staying healthy, and HIV/AIDS and other sexually…