Youth obesity is a major public health problem in the United States, especially among urban-based, minority youth. The B'More Healthy Communities for Kids (BHCK) trial worked at multiple levels of the food environment, including carryouts, to increase access to and demand for healthy, affordable foods. The objective of this article is to describe…

High-quality after-school programs devoted to science have the potential to enhance students' science knowledge and attitudes, which may impact their decisions about pursuing science-related careers. Because of the unique nature of these informal learning environments, an understanding of the relationships among aspects of students' content…

Background and Purpose: Given the urgency to design programs to increase physical activity, especially to combat obesity in children, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions and opinions of a nature-based physical activity intervention designed for low-income urban adolescents. Methods: Four focus groups of adolescents,…

Urban Alliance serves at-risk youth through its high school internship program, which provides training, mentoring, and work experience to high school seniors from distressed communities. The program aims to help youth move on to higher education or employment after graduation. The Urban Institute is conducting a six-year, randomized controlled…

Many children, including those with asthma, remain exposed to secondhand smoke. This manuscript evaluates the process of implementing a secondhand smoke reduction counseling intervention using motivational interviewing (MI) for caregivers of urban children with asthma, including reach, dose delivered, dose received and fidelity. Challenges,…

To inform effective school-to-work programs, this study evaluates the effect of a school-based psychoeducational intervention on the academic self-efficacy of urban youth enrolled in the ninth grade. Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected using a quantitative measure of academic self-efficacy and eight semistructured interviews over the…

In 1992, Congress established the Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP). This report describes the initial stages of the ongoing evaluation of 93 projects funded under JUMP and includes its preliminary findings, which suggest hope for the future. Positive outcomes of the evaluations to date include reports from both mentors and youth that mentoring…

The juvenile justice system is exploring alternatives to the use of secure facilities as a means of juvenile crime control. Some of these alternatives are known as diversion programs. This bulletin offers an overview of the diversion programs and evaluation findings from the Detention Diversion Advocacy Project (DDAP), a disposition case advocacy…

Describes progress made in recent years in addressing the educational needs of homeless children and youth in America and notes concerns that remain, including awareness and perceptions of homelessness, early childhood educational needs, interventions, interagency collaboration, and the need for comprehensive evaluations of educational efforts for…

Examines six mentoring programs conducted by fraternities and other organizations to ascertain the perceptions of participants of the effectiveness of their involvement. Results with 51 mentors and 54 African-American male adolescents support the positive impact of mentoring programs. Mentoring can be an important component of multifaceted…

The Children-at-Risk program (CAR), a drug and delinquency prevention program, targets high-risk adolescents aged 11 to 13 who live in distressed neighborhoods. The program features integrated delivery of comprehensive services that are tailored to the community and involve close collaboration with other services providers. The Urban Institute is…

A primary goal of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is to identify and promote programs that enhance the field of juvenile justice. Since 1992, the Gould-Wysinger Awards, commemorating two OJJDP professionals, have recognized programs that advance the objectives of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act…

Reports on the Children at Risk (CAR) program, a program aimed at diverting inner-city youth from involvement in drugs, gangs, and crime through an intensive program of activities. The article describes the CAR program in general and its specific application in Austin (Texas). (GLR)

Eighty-five African-American male adolescents receiving an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) intervention had greater AIDS knowledge, less favorable attitudes toward risky sexual behavior, and lower intentions to engage in such behavior than 72 African-American male controls. Follow-up data at three months support lasting effects of the…

This report describes the first operating year of Project Support, a 3-year gang/drug prevention program aimed at elementary students in six inner city schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The project involves the implementation of nine strategies described in the research literature as being effective in drug/gang prevention. These…