Examined the effectiveness of a 2-year, stage-based alcohol prevention intervention using nurse consultations and parent prevention materials among 6th graders in one neighborhood school and one bused magnet inner-city school. Students received either the experimental program or a minimal intervention. Student surveys and saliva testing indicated…

Compares opinions of students from secondary, vocational, and technicums technical schools in the USSR on why Soviet students drink alcohol. Reasons include companionship, celebrations, curiosity, and imitation. Investigates gender differences. Underscores student naivete about alcohol's effects. Indicates discrepancies between students' stated…

Examines issues in preventing further Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection among adolescents, highlighting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, substance use, adolescent development, cultural and language diversity, health and social service needs, socioeconomic contexts, and role of media, school, and youth-serving organizations.…

Explores the extent of and reasons for alcohol use among Soviet juvenile delinquents, ages 14-18, confined to labor-upbringing colonies. Examines reasons for drinking, for committing crimes, onset of drinking, and links between types of crimes and frequency of drinking. Illustrates alcohol-crime link. Postulates how family influence predetermines…

This analysis determined the association between 13 selected health risk and protective factors and reporting two or more lifetime sexual intercourse partners and non-condom use for last coitus among sexually experienced U.S. rural high school students. The sample was 569 sexually experienced adolescent females and 561 sexually experienced…

Since 1996, our research team has conducted 15 focus groups with 169 middle-school youth in small communities as formative research for campaigns against alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and violence. Some key findings of a synthesis of focus-group results are that girls and boys perceive different risks to alcohol and tobacco use; peer relationships are…

Describes an approach to help school districts conduct needs assessment of school health programs, emphasizing injury, violence, smoking, substance use, sexual behavior, nutrition, and physical activity. Researchers surveyed students and district personnel, observed physical education classes, interviewed faculty, and analyzed school lunch menus.…

Posits reasons for accelerated alcohol use and accompanying personality changes among Soviet adolescents. Analyzes the relationship between difficult family environment and poor academic performance. Contends that students who are alienated from school seek to meet needs in antisocial groups where the frequency of drinking to excess often produces…

Discusses research into parental alcoholism as the cause of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Reports that a study examined the family history of children in 18 schools in the Soviet Union. Concludes that intellectual deficiencies can be traced to various genetic and environmental factors. Calls for early intervention to prevent intellectual…

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a serious and widespread problem in this country. Positioned within the community with links to children, families, and healthcare systems, school nurses are a critical element in the prevention and treatment of those affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Although most school nurses are familiar…

Juvenile delinquency is a pervasive and costly problem. As a society, we are losing too many youth to substance abuse, gang involvement, and criminal activity. The toll delinquency places on families, educational systems, and social welfare systems costs monetarily and socially. In this article, I review the research literature on juvenile…

Although higher education for 50% of all school leavers by 2010 is the stated aim of the United Kingdom government, it is clear that initiatives aimed at widening access do not reach those most in need. This is nowhere more true than in the case of people who have spent all or part of their childhood in the care of local authorities, and who…