Perceptions of college and university presidents regarding tobacco-free campus policies.

Objective: To identify college presidents' support for tobacco-free campus policies (TFCP), perceived barriers and benefits to implementing such policies, and activities that might initiate policy adoption.

Participants: Participants were 405 presidents (51% of 796 delivered surveys) from a national sample of eligible 4-year institutions in summer 2012.

Methods: A 4-page, 24-item cross-sectional questionnaire was mailed to potential participants in 4 waves to maximize the response rate.

Pediatricians' knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors regarding car booster seats.

Pediatricians are a recognized primary resource and advocate for injury prevention. The purpose of this study was to examine pediatricians' knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors regarding car booster seats and their willingness to use resources for parent education. Investigators implemented an anonymous, mailed survey to a national random sample of 1,041 US office-based pediatricians with 464 respondents: 53% female, 63% Caucasian, 52% parents of children under 12 years, and 87% board-certified.

Collegiate athletic trainers' knowledge and perceptions of disordered eating behaviors in athletes.

To assess athletic trainers' perceptions and knowledge regarding disordered eating behaviors and to estimate their confidence in response to a test of knowledge, a cross-sectional mail survey was distributed to a national random sample of 500 athletic trainers from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. 408 collegiate certified athletic trainers responded (rate of 81.6%).

Primary grade teachers' perceptions and practices regarding pedestrian safety education.

Background: Pedestrian injury is the third leading cause of unintentional injury and death among children 1-14 years old. The purpose of this study was to examine primary grade teachers' perceived role in pedestrian safety education.

Methods: A total of 630 surveys were sent to a national random sample of primary school teachers and 54% responded.

Health department activities regarding nonmotorized small-wheel forms of recreation.

The Stages of Change Model and perceived benefits and barriers to providing injury prevention activities for nonmotorized small-wheel forms of recreation by local health departments were used to determine the status of injury prevention activity. A questionnaire mailed to a national random sample of 600 health departments resulted in a response rate of 67%. Approximately 10% of health departments were in the action and maintenance stages of the Stages of Change Model in relation to nonmotorized small-wheel forms of recreation, while the majority (70%) was in the precontemplation stage.

Tone of postcards in increasing survey response rates.

This study assessed differences in response rates to a series of three-wave mail surveys when amiable or insistently worded postcards were the third wave of the mailing. Three studies were conducted; one with a sample of 600 health commissioners, one with a sample of 680 vascular nurses, and one with 600 elementary school secretaries. The combined response rates for the first and second wave mailings were 65.

Adolescent smoking cessation services of school-based health centers.

A national sample of 390 junior and senior high school-based centers were mailed an 18-item survey to assess their institutional stages of change regarding smoking cessation education, referral, and prescription nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) services and their perceived barriers and benefits regarding the provision of these services. Nearly half were in the maintenance stage for cessation education programs, one-third were in maintenance stage for referral services, and 12% were in the maintenance stage for NRT. The most frequently cited perceived benefits included an increased awareness of short- and long-term effects of smoking (education programs and referral services) and increasing student access to cessation methods (NRT).