Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a large source of added sugar in teenagers' diets, comprising 20-25% of daily calories. Despite efforts, teens in rural and southern states continue to have the high SSB consumption rates. Using Teen Advisory Councils (TAC), students designed and delivered school-specific interventions at five Tennessee…

Background: Swallowing difficulties are common and complex in children with physical, behavioural, and cognitive needs. This study (i) describes mealtime management and (ii) identifies barriers and facilitators to implementation of a guideline for school-aged children with feeding difficulties in one specialist school. Method: Three data sets were…

Background: Owing to the associations between diet and health, it is important that effective health promotion strategies establish healthful eating behaviors from an early age. We reviewed the intensity of school-based interventions aimed to modify dietary behavior in preadolescent and adolescents and related intervention characteristics to…

A recent study in Saudi Arabia uncovered certain prevalent health-risk behaviors amongst the adolescent population. One of the most prevalent behaviors identified by this study is health-risk dietary behavior. In general, adolescents in Saudi Arabia reported poor dietary behaviors. Furthermore, the problem of poor diet in the adolescent population…

Background: Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are the largest source of added sugar in the US diet. In adolescents aged 12-19, these drinks account for 13% to 28% of total daily calories. Compared with other adolescents, those residing in Appalachia have the highest consumption rates of SSBs. Methods: Using a Teen Advisory Council (TAC), a…

Objective: Rural areas may suffer from a lack of access to health care and programmes to promote behaviours such as healthy eating and physical activity. Point-of-testing counselling is a method of promoting a healthy lifestyle during an individual's most "teachable moment". Design/Setting: This longitudinal study examined the effects of…

The Readiness and Motivation Interview (RMI) is a semistructured interview measure of readiness and motivation to change that can be used for all eating disorder diagnoses. The RMI has demonstrated excellent psychometric properties and has both clinical and predictive utility in adult samples. This study examined the psychometric properties of the…

A 9-month nutrition curriculum was presented to 438 low-income pregnant teens. Pre/posttest data showed that nutrition knowledge increased, but improvements in diet behavior were not apparent. (SK)

Described is a group weight control project with severely obese adolescent girls in a medical setting. Behavior modification principles were utilized with peer group interaction. Significant others had separate group meetings. Small amounts of weight loss were recorded. Dropouts continued to have a net gain. (Author/KC)

Behavioral strategies were used to teach exercise and weight control habits, and were combined with diet planning, nutrition education, and a strenuous physical education program in a residential summer camp, to successfully bring about a significant reduction in body fat and heart disease risk of obese boys, 8-18 years old. (Author/JDD)