This study sought to determine the factors associated with the effectiveness of the nutrition education program among economically disadvantaged youth of St. Landry Parish, La. Sex, race, and age differences were found relative to food consumption. Farm youth and those with gardens tended to have a better diet. (Author/DM)

It is important to study youth abusive drinking patterns because adolescent abusive drinking has been linked to several behavioral and sociological problems. Few studies, however, have examined early adolescent alcohol abuse or have addressed the problem of abusive drinking among rural area youth. A study was conducted to assess the extent to…

Disadvantaged rural and urban intermediate grade children were administered the Michigan State Self-Concept-of-Academic Ability Scale to ascertain any difference in perceived self-concept-of-academic ability due to residential setting (rural vs. urban). Grade level differences were found. (Author/CS)

Adolescents (n=414) living with rural Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) families were studied to determine predictors of sexual behavior in blacks and whites. Sex- and age-related differences were noted. The role of family support, welfare, and feelings of frustration were studied along with other variables. (Author/MMU)

The Neighborhood Youth Corps Out-of-School Program in 27 Oregon counties was studied (1) to assess the effectiveness of the program in aiding enrollees (school dropouts aged 16-21) to obtain productive jobs and/or to continue their education and (2) to identify socioeconomic and educational factors associated with success or failure in the…

Inconsistencies in adolescents' self-reports of sexual behavior were studied for 758 rural adolescents (eighth-grade students in rural Maryland) who completed surveys over 3 years. Consistency rates fluctuate depending on the measure of sexual behavior, the racial/gender subgroup, age, and prior sexual experience, but the majority present…

The trends toward an increase in the percentage of nonfarm members and the concurrent increase in the percentage of girls in 4-H programs prompted the need for this 1970 study involving Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. A primary purpose for the study was to confirm or deny these suggested trends. The problem of…

Surveyed all secondary school students (n=1,175) in rural county school system to assess prevalence rates of substance use for teenagers and their parents. Age, sex, and race were related to frequency and type of substance abuse. Lifestyle variables such as music preferences, sexual activity, and choice of friends also related to substance use.…

This 4-year study of 191 girls and 185 boys living in intact families in the rural Midwest examined the trajectories of life events and depressive symptoms during adolescence. Compared with boys, girls experienced a greater number of depressive symptoms after age 13. Changes in uncontrollable events were associated with increases in girls'…

In 1990, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was completed by a random sample of 1,448 West Virginia public-school students in grades 9-12. The sample was 51 percent male and 89 percent white. About 71 percent of subjects were aged 15-17; 39 percent were in the ninth grade. The YRBS covered behaviors producing vehicle-related or other injuries,…

A survey of 150 poor rural students in grades 4-8 revealed that age is relevant in choosing role models, that there are major gender differences in the types of glamour figures selected as role models and as simple figures of success, and that age and gender appear to affect youth's perceptions of success and their occupational choice. (LP)

A revised form of the Scale of Children's Attitudes Toward Handicaps (SCATE), which provides a breakdown of attitudes toward specific disabilities, was administered to 332 children in grades 2 through 6. The SCATE was shown to be reliable. The ranking of most positive attitudes to least was: nonhandicapped, learning disabled, hearing impaired,…

Since there is no private property in the Soviet Union, social status is largely determined by education. Consequently, the educational levels of rural youth in all the Union Republics are nearly identical, while among the older generations of rural inhabitants there are still definite differences. In Estonia, for example, the educational level of…

Describes the results of survey of 1,100 grade 5, 8, and 11 students to determine their knowledge of and attitudes toward world affairs. Notes that age, sex, and class were the most important correlates and that children were only marginally more knowledgeable about domestic politics than international affairs. (SB)

The Purdue Perceptual-Motor Survey, a standardized test of perceptual-motor ability, was administered to 98 disadvantaged rural 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. Comparisons between the mean scores of the disadvantaged sample and the norm group, and within the group of disadvantaged children, were made on the basis of both the total test scores and…