Melbourne F. Hovell

Skills training for pregnancy and AIDS prevention in Anglo and Latino youth.

PURPOSEnThis study tested social skills training (SST), didactic training (DT), and no training (NT) on adolescents social skills for resisting peer pressure to engage in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and pregnancy risk behavior.nnnMETHODSnA total of 307 Latino and Anglo youth ages 13-18 years were assigned at random to receive 18 h of SST, 18 h of DT, or NT.nnnRESULTSnSignificantly (p < 0.05) greater increases in assertiveness followed SST compared to DT or NT for three trained skills: condom negotiation, asking a friend about their sex/drug history, and discussing a friends risk of AIDS. Untrained negotiation skills (e.g., purchasing a condom) did not increase significantly. SST did not result in increased assertiveness for refusal skills. DT increased knowledge of AIDS significantly more than SST; both DT and SST increased knowledge significantly more than NT.nnnCONCLUSIONSnSocial skills training can increase assertiveness for certain negotiation skills that may decrease risk of AIDS for Latino, Anglo, and male and female adolescents. Both DT and SST can increase knowledge of AIDS prevention. Differences between experimental groups were supported by differences between trained and untrained skills within the SST condition, adding to discriminant validity.

Youth receiving orthodontic care are not immune to poor diet and overweight: a call for dental providers to participate in prevention efforts

OBJECTIVESnWhile obesity is common in the US, disparities exist. Orthodontic samples are assumed to be more affluent than the general population and not in need of assistance in developing or maintaining healthy lifestyles. This paper evaluates the need of the orthodontic population for intervention by examining diet and weight status of an orthodontic patient sample and describes a role for dental clinicians in obesity prevention efforts.nnnMETHODSn552 patients age 8-14 years, 54% female, 51% non-Hispanic white, 26% Hispanic were recruited from orthodontic practices in Southern California to participate in a randomized controlled trial of clinician-delivered health promotion. Height, weight, demographics, and diet were recorded. Chi-Square analyses were used to test for differences at baseline by gender, age, ethnicity, and income.nnnRESULTSn13% of the sample was overweight and 9% was obese. Males had a higher rate of obesity than females. Lower income youth had a higher rate than higher income youth. Hispanic youth had a higher rate than non-Hispanic white youth. Failure to meet national dietary guidelines was common, differing significantly by demographic group.nnnCONCLUSIONSnWithin a sample not typically thought of as needing assistance, nearly 25% were overweight or obese and the majority failed to meet dietary recommendations. While most patients could benefit from intervention, male, Hispanic, and lower income groups were in greatest need of assistance. Dental providers, who see youth frequently and already discuss nutrition in the context of oral health, have the opportunity to contribute to obesity prevention.

Demography of Exercise: Koreans Residing in Seoul

The purpose of this study is: (1) to report the prevalence of vigorous physical activity and walking for exercise among a population-based sample of adults residing in Seoul; and (2) to determine the demographic predictors for vigorous physical activity and walking for exercise among these adults. Telephone interviews were administered to 248 male and 252 female adults residing in households in metropolitan Seoul using random digit dial procedures and stratification by gender. Multivariate analyses investigated differences in exercise by age, education and marital status. Males participated in vigorous exercise more than females, and married males were less likely to engage in vigorous exercise than non-vigorous physical activity. Males, older persons and unmarried males also spent more time engaged in vigorous exercise than females, younger persons, and married males. Participants with a high concern for health walked for exercise more than those with less concern. The amount of time spent walking for exercise was positively related to age. There is little information available about the causes of exercise habits among specific Korean subgroups. Our results suggest that cultural contingencies may operate differently by gender, a hypothesized moderator of exercise. Social contingencies, such as marriage, may interact with these gender and cultural differences. Future studies of health behaviors should include questions to measure social and cultural contingencies to understand the underlying, motivating theoretical processes.