The interdisciplinary "Foodways and Futures" project (2013-2016) is based on a pilot study which found no improvement in the nutritional state of formerly homeless young people (16-25), now in supported accommodation at a charitable youth organization. Because a healthy food intake during adolescence is important, and because young…

Anemia is known to be a significant public health problem in many countries. Most of the available information is incomplete or limited to special groups such as people with intellectual disability. The present study aims to provide the information of anemia prevalence and associated risk factors of children and adolescents with intellectual…

Media-related commercial marketing aimed at promoting the purchase of products and services by children, and by adults for children, is ubiquitous and has been associated with negative health consequences such as poor nutrition and physical inactivity. But, as Douglas Evans points out, not all marketing in the electronic media is confined to the…

Adolescents of low socio-economic position (SEP) are less likely than those of higher SEP to consume diets in line with current dietary recommendations. The reasons for these SEP variations remain poorly understood. We investigated the mechanisms underlying socio-economic variations in adolescents' eating behaviours using a theoretically derived…

Background: Obesity and mental health disorders are 2 major public health problems in American adolescents, with prevalence even higher in Hispanic teens. Despite the rapidly increasing incidence and adverse health outcomes associated with overweight and mental health problems, very few intervention studies have been conducted with adolescents to…

Diets high in fat and calories and low in calcium, may not only be putting African-American children at risk for obesity, but can make them prone to a common bone disease associated with adults at mid-life. If children and adolescents don't receive adequate amounts of calcium when their bones are still forming, the chances of them getting…

A study compared serum total cholesterol and blood pressure levels of participants in a voluntary national health screening with NHANES II estimates of the general U.S. population. Findings suggest the levels may not have decreased appreciably over 10 years; and continued national, state, and local behavior modification efforts are warranted. (SM)

The National Adolescent Student Health Survey (NASHS) was designed to assess students' health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in eight areas of critical importance to the health of youth. Two grade levels, eighth and tenth, were chosen to be the focus of the study. The survey provides a national profile of students at these two grade…

Obesity among children and adolescents is a major public health concern affecting the physical and emotional health of youth while increasing their risk of reduced quality and duration of life. Schools and communities have begun to galvanize to address this epidemic and need quality empirical information to guide their policy, programming, and…

Each year, half a million teenagers become mothers in the United States. School-based child care programs are a positive way for educational institutions to encourage young mothers to return to or stay in school, prepare for employment, and acquire accurate information about child development and appropriate parenting practices. Nationwide,…

Presents findings from the Bogalusa Heart Study that describe the early natural history of coronary artery disease and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, noting the benefits of early, regular, comprehensive school health education. A discussion of cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking, oral contraception, drinking, and diet…