Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine tooth-brushing frequency in 575 urban and nearby suburban African American children as part of a comprehensive risk-reduction study for students at high risk for violence, drugs, school delinquency, and unsafe sexual behaviors to determine which covariates predicted tooth-brushing frequency.Methods: Students were surveyed 5 times, from the beginning of grade 5 and the end of each year through grade 8, and parents were surveyed at the beginning of grade 5. Peer influence, importance of being liked, self-esteem, attitudes towards tooth-brushing, oral health knowledge, self-efficacy, parental attitudes, and other covariates were examined for the ability to predict self-reporting of tooth-brushing frequency.Results: In the fifth grade, peer influence, the importance of being liked, and physical self-esteem were the significant predictors, and peer influence continued to predict tooth-brushing in the eighth grade. Oral health knowledge and parental influence were not significant.Conclusion: Peer influence is an important factor in tooth-brushing behavior in metropolitan African American preadolescent children.

Objectives: A large study of risky pre-teen behavior provided an opportunity to examine self-reported toothbrushing frequency for stability over time and adequacy. Methods: 1115 metropolitan African-American children at risk for violence and drug use self-reported toothbrushing frequency in at least one of five measurement points from 5(th) to 8(th) grade as part of a larger study. Longitudinal data were available for 815 students. Results: 81% reported mainly twice daily, 8% reported mainly once daily, 10% changed over time, and 1% were consistently less than once daily. Conclusions: Overall, the children reported once or twice daily toothbrushing frequency, stable between 5(th) and 8(th) grades. A minority of children showed low or inconsistent frequencies and these results may indicate an opportunity for intervention to improve habits.

OBJECTIVES:In this study, we test the effectiveness of involving parents in school-based AIDS education with respect to altering AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, behavioral intentions, communications patterns, and behavior of students. METHODS:Fifteen high risk school districts (pre-test N = 2,392) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: parent-interactive (classroom curricula + parent-interactive component); parent non-interactive (classroom curricula only); control (basic AIDS education ordinarily provided by the school). Students were tested over time in grades 7, 8 and 9. RESULTS:Results indicate that both treatment conditions (parent-interactive and non-interactive) had a strong positive impact in enhancing student's knowledge, attitudes, communication patterns and behavioral intentions. Further, results indicate that there were no behavioral outcome differences between the treatment groups and the control condition. Results demonstrate few outcome differences between the two experimental conditions. CONCLUSIONS:In the two treatment groups (parent-interactive and parent non-interactive), the program effects appear to be the result of school-based curricula and of student self-determined intentions and behaviors, rather than the presence or absence of planned parental involvement. Whether or not structured or planned parental involvement becomes part of a school-based educational activity should perhaps be determined by (a) the existing level of parent-school interaction based on the nature of the community, (b) the amount of money readily available to follow through on a program of parent involvement without compromising on student programs, (c) the age of the child and the sensitivity of the issue, and (d) the ability of the parent/family to be involved effectively without extraordinary expense or sacrifice by either parent or school. Our findings speak to the positive role of the school regardless of parent participation.

Using a mail survey, we collected data on attitudes and opinions about school drug/sexuality education from 606 individuals representing 106 junior and senior high schools in Illinois. Respondents from five role groups (principals, district administrators, school board members, teachers and parents) completed questions regarding perceptions of student risk behaviors and effects of school health programs in four areas: drug/alcohol use, tobacco use, AIDS/STDs and teen pregnancy, For each program area, we analyzed six constructs across respondent groups: perceived seriousness of problem, perceived prevalence of problem, perceived acceptance of school program, perceived program effectiveness on student attitudes and behavior, and satisfaction with school program. To test role differences, MANOVA and random-effects regression model analyses were performed. Significant differences in role perceptions were found for all constructs except perceived program effectiveness on student attitudes. Overall, teachers and parents responded similarly to each other and different from other groups. They tended to be less satisfied with school programs, view programs as less effective and perceive other role groups as less accepting. We discuss the discrepancy in role perceptions in the context of diffusion theory, application to designing interventions, and potential impact on school program decisions, implementation and maintenance of change.

This paper examines levels of participation in and correlates of AIDS-related risk behavior for young adolescents in high-risk communities as determined by proxy indicators such as rates of reported STDs and adolescent pregnancies. Seventh and eighth grade students from two middle schools and ninth grade students from the receiving high school were surveyed. Descriptive and inferential techniques examined grade, racial, behavioral, and gender differences in participation in risk (substance use and sexual activity) and protective (use of condoms and use of condoms and foam) behaviors. Grade, race, and sexual activity were significant correlates of both licit and illicit drug use. Gender, grade, race, and licit and illicit drug use were significant correlates of sexual activity. Results demonstrate that not only are adults and older teens at risk in these communities, but younger adolescents also are at risk. Findings indicate a need for comprehensive HIV prevention programs at younger ages.

As part of an evaluation of an experimental school-based AIDS risk-reduction program, data from 2,392 middle-school students in 15 high-risk school districts and from 1,627 of their parents were compared to examine how young adolescents and their parents differ with respect to AIDs-related knowledge and attitudes. At the time of the seventh-grade pretest, parents knew significantly more about AIDS than their children did. At the eighth-grade posttest, students who participated in the program knew either more than or at least as much as their parents in several subject areas, while among those not exposed to the program, parents still knew more than their children in most areas. The intervention had a positive impact on students' attitudes toward people with AIDS and on their degree of comfort about discussing with their parents such issues as drug use and sexuality.

This project assessed the impact of a school-based AIDS prevention program on student participation in sexual risk and protective behaviors such as use of condoms and use of condoms with foam and intention to participate in such behaviors. The paper focuses on students who became sexually active for the first time between the seventh and eighth grade ("changers," n = 312). The school-based intervention was developed using social cognitive theory and the social influences model of behavior change. Using an experimental, longitudinal design, 15 high-risk school districts were divided randomly into two treatment (10 districts) and one control (five districts) conditions. Students in both treatment conditions received a 10-lesson classroom program in the seventh grade with a five-lesson booster in the eighth grade, while control students received basic AIDS education (current practice in their districts) in compliance with state mandates. Results indicated classroom programs had an impact on certain protective behaviors and on frequency of sexual activity the past month. Post-intervention measures also indicated the program affected students' intentions to perform specific protective behaviors.

This paper examines the impact of a school-based AIDS prevention program on enhancing AIDS/STD-related self-efficacy and prevention practices among young teenage students. The 15 participating school districts are located in a large metropolitan area in the Midwest and were recruited from 45 districts likely to be at greatest risk for high prevalence of the human immunodeficiency virus. Districts were randomly assigned to either the treatment or the delayed treatment/control group. The intervention, which consisted of a 15-session curriculum taught in seventh and eighth grades by trained health educators, was delivered to 2318 students. It was designed to enhance AIDS-related self-efficacy, behavioral intentions and prevention practices through behavioral skills training. We measured two types of self-efficacy: (1) use self-efficacy, defined as students' perceived ability to obtain and use protective contraceptive products, and (2) refusal self-efficacy, defined as students' perceived ability to refuse to engage in high-risk behaviors. Results indicate that there were significant changes in some types of self-efficacy and intentions to adopt prevention practices in the treatment group. Specifically, the intervention had a significant effect on students' self-efficacy to buy contraceptive foam from stores, to obtain condoms and foam from clinics, and intentions to use condoms and foam together.

This paper explores differences in adolescents' attitudes, beliefs, and resistance skills regarding sexual behaviors and use of substances in the context of AIDS prevention. A total of 553 7th and 8th grade students completed a self-administered questionnaire as baseline data collection for a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention project. Students' attitudes about sexual behavior and substance use differed markedly. Teens in this sample reported feeling significantly more comfortable discussing substance use with their parents than discussing sex; they also reported that it is easier to say "no" to alcohol or marijuana than to resist pressures to have sex. Furthermore, these young adolescents believed that their parents would be less upset to discover that they were sexually active than to find out they were using drugs. Among students who had ever had sex and who had ever used alcohol, young adolescents indicated that their parents would be much less upset to find out they were having sex than to discover they were smoking, drinking alcohol, or using drugs. Implications of the findings for HIV/AIDS prevention efforts are discussed.

Journal of School HealthVolume 62, Issue 4 p. 151-153 Risk for Unintended Pregnancy and Childbearing Among Educable Mentally Handicapped Adolescents Susan R. Levy, Susan R. Levy Susan R. Levy, PhD, FASHA, CHES, Associate Director of School/Adolescent Research; and Cydne Perhats, MPH, Research Specialist, Prevention Research Center, M/C 275, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 850 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607.Search for more papers by this authorCydne Perhats, Cydne Perhats Susan R. Levy, PhD, FASHA, CHES, Associate Director of School/Adolescent Research; and Cydne Perhats, MPH, Research Specialist, Prevention Research Center, M/C 275, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 850 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607.Search for more papers by this authorMyra Nash Johnson, Myra Nash Johnson Myra Nash Johnson, ACSW, (former Director, Arts of Living Institute), Executive Director, Westside Health Partnership, 3829 W. Ogden Ave., Chicago, IL 60623.Search for more papers by this author Susan R. Levy, Susan R. Levy Susan R. Levy, PhD, FASHA, CHES, Associate Director of School/Adolescent Research; and Cydne Perhats, MPH, Research Specialist, Prevention Research Center, M/C 275, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 850 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607.Search for more papers by this authorCydne Perhats, Cydne Perhats Susan R. Levy, PhD, FASHA, CHES, Associate Director of School/Adolescent Research; and Cydne Perhats, MPH, Research Specialist, Prevention Research Center, M/C 275, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 850 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607.Search for more papers by this authorMyra Nash Johnson, Myra Nash Johnson Myra Nash Johnson, ACSW, (former Director, Arts of Living Institute), Executive Director, Westside Health Partnership, 3829 W. Ogden Ave., Chicago, IL 60623.Search for more papers by this author First published: April 1992 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.1992.tb08196.xCitations: 3 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat References 1 Advance report of final natality statistics, 1988. Monthly Vital Stat Rep. 1990; 39( 4). 2 Moore KA. Facts At A Glance. Washington, DC: Child Trends Inc; 1990. 3 Mulchahey KM. Adolescent pregnancy: Prevalence, health and psychosocial risks. In: M. Story, ed. Nutrition Management of the Pregnant Adolescent. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse; 1990; 1–7. 4 Kleinfeld LA, Young RL. Risk of pregnancy and dropping out of school among special education adolescents. J Sch Health. 1989; 59(8): 359–361. 5 Interventions for pregnant and parenting adolescents. In: CE Hayes, ed. Risking the Future: Adolescent sexuality, pregnancy, and childbearing. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences; 1987: 189–230. 6 The Bottom Line: Chicago's failing schools and how to save them. Chicago, Ill: Designs for Change research report no 1; 1985. 7 Kirby D. Comprehensive school-based health clinics: A growing movement to improve adolescent health and reduce teen-age pregnancy. J Sch Health. 1986; 56(7): 289–291. 8 Dryfoos JG. School-based health clinics: A new approach to preventing adolescent pregnancy?. Fam Plann Perspect. 1985; 17(2): 70–75. Citing Literature Volume62, Issue4April 1992Pages 151-153 ReferencesRelatedInformation

A 3-year evaluation of The Children and Adolescent Pregnancy Project suggests that adolescents with mental retardation may be at increased risk for early pregnancy and dropping out of school. The Pregnancy Project is a school-based intervention that primarily serves black and Hispanic pregnant teens with mild to moderate mental retardation and elementary school-age pregnant teens in the same program. Outcome data were presented in terms of four common indicators of teen pregnancy programs: low birth weight, infant mortality, school drop out, and repeat pregnancy rates. Results indicate that serving pregnant adolescents with mild to moderate mental retardation (ages 11 to 19) in the same program with very young pregnant teens (ages 11 to 15) is an effective and developmentally appropriate means of reducing risks.

AIDS education, the only immediate solution to containment of AIDS, encourages active risk reduction among high-risk populations. Self-efficacy is a construct that can measure the likelihood preventive behaviors will be performed, and thus could be applied to identify specific areas where AIDS education should be augmented. In this study, pregnant, mostly black, teens (N = 58) attending an alternative school in a large, midwestern city completed a self-efficacy scale to identify self-perceived areas of vulnerability to participating in preventive behaviors and avoiding high-risk behaviors concerning AIDS. The AIDS Self-efficacy Scale identified four areas of greatest vulnerability: using condoms, discussing previous homosexual activity, discussing previous bisexual activity, and telling a partner about an experience with a bisexual. The last three situations result from an inability to discuss a partner's past sexual history, indicating a need to be very specific in these areas. School health interventions should recognize and deal with issues sexually active teens have identified as most difficult, particularly specific aspects of sexual histories, and provide these adolescents with prevention skills necessary to reduce high-risk behaviors.