Alcohol use of African Americans and Whites from ages 9-20: descriptive results from a longitudinal study.

African American and White youth (N = 405) were assessed annually for 8 years, providing alcohol use data spanning from ages 9-20 years. Alcohol use increased with age, as did binge drinking, drunkenness, peer alcohol use, and ease of obtaining alcohol. At younger ages, the usual alcoholic drink was wine; other drinks were preferred at older ages.

Development and correlates of alcohol use from ages 13-20.

This study examined alcohol use development from ages 13-20 years. The sample comprised 256 youth (50.4% female; 51.

A measurement model of youth physical activity using pedometer and self, parent, and peer reports.

Background: Because no single measure is able to accurately assess all types of physical activity (PA), some researchers advocate use of multiple methods and multiple informants to measure PA. However, little research has tested the validity of proxy reports of youth PA.

Purpose: The current study determined whether peer, parent, and self-reports reflects a latent measure of youth PA.

The ABC's of LGM: An Introductory Guide to Latent Variable Growth Curve Modeling.

In recent years, we have witnessed an increase in the complexity of theoretical models that attempt to explain behavior from both contextual and developmental perspectives. This increase in the complexity of our theoretical propositions regarding behavior parallels recent methodological advances for the analysis of change.These new analysis techniques have fundamentally altered how we conceptualize and study change.

Use of a Local Worker Survey as a Source of Neighborhood Information.

Researchers increasingly recognize the potential influence of the neighborhood environment on individual health and social behavior. To examine these influences, it is important to use varying measures and sources of neighborhood characteristics. Though neighborhood residents are often surveyed, the perceptions of neighborhood workers have been largely ignored.

Reliability of pedometer data in samples of youth and older women.

Background: Pedometers offer researchers a convenient and inexpensive tool for objective measurement of physical activity. However, many unanswered questions remain about expected values for steps/day for different populations, sources of variation in the data, and reliability of pedometer measurements.

Methods: This study documented and compared mean steps/day, demographic predictors of steps/day, and pedometer reliability in two longitudinal investigations, one involving a population-based youth sample (N = 367) and the other targeting postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes (N = 270).

A cohort-sequential latent growth model of physical activity from ages 12 to 17 years.

Background: Despite serious public health implications of decreased physical activity during adolescence, few longitudinal studies have been conducted to determine the trajectory and important correlates of physical activity change during this period.

Purpose: This study examines change in physical activity from ages 12 to 17 years and the influences of personal, family, peer, and demographic factors on activity patterns.

Methods: Data were from 371 youth.

Retention of African-American and White youth in a longitudinal substance use study.

The current investigation discusses successful strategies used to retain N = 405 African-American and White target youth in a longitudinal, non-intervention study focused on alcohol and other drug use. Ninety-one percent of youth remained in the study for all 4 years, including 87% of African-Americans and 96% of Whites. In a logistic regression model incorporating age, ethnicity, income, sex, parent/guardian marital status, parent alcohol use, and family cohesion, only sex significantly predicted retention, with girls being more likely to remain in the study compared with boys, although ethnicity neared significance.

Alcohol use from ages 9 to 16: A cohort-sequential latent growth model.

This study examined alcohol use from pre-adolescence to mid-adolescence and determined the influence of hypothesized covariates on changes in alcohol use rates during this developmental period. The sample comprised 405 randomly recruited youth from three age cohorts (9, 11, and 13 years), assessed annually for 4 years. Youth were 48.

Sources and types of social support in youth physical activity.

This study examines the influence of sources and types of social support on youth physical activity. The sample comprised 372 youth (mean age=12.05 years, SD=1.

Telephone Recruitment of a Random Stratified Youth Sample for a Physical Activity Study.

It is important that studies on youth health behavior obtain sufficiently large representative samples so that power is adequate and results are generalizable. Few researchers, however, have documented procedures and methods for recruitment of a random stratified youth sample for studies on health-related behavior, specifically physical activity. This study describes the recruitment methods used to attain a stratified sample of 360 target youth (male and female from 10-, 12-, and 14-year old cohorts), and a parent of each child, representing families in 58 different neighborhoods.

A multilevel approach to youth physical activity research.

Social environment factors are hypothesized to interact with individual-level factors to influence youth physical activity. Multilevel analytic approaches are ideal for examining the influence of the social environment on youth physical activity as they allow examination of research questions across multiple contexts and levels ( e.g.

The PHLAME firefighters' study: feasibility and findings.

Objective: To assess efficacy of 2 worksite health promotion interventions.

Methods: Randomly assign 3 fire stations to (a) team-based curriculum, (b) individual counselor meetings, and (c) control.

Results: Both interventions were feasible and acceptable, and they resulted in significant reductions in LDL cholesterol.

A multilevel contextual model of neighborhood collective efficacy.

Different data sources were used to examine hypothesized relations among neighborhood-, family-, and individual-level variables, and perceptions of neighborhood collective efficacy. Data were from 1,105 individuals (56% female, 42% African American, and 58% White) nested within 55 neighborhoods and 392 families, analyzed within a multilevel design using a 3-level model. At the neighborhood level, the study examined relations between Census, police, and neighborhood representative indicators.

Relations between youth antisocial and prosocial activities.

This study examines relations among antisocial and prosocial activities for boys and girls aged 10, 12, and 14 years. Antisocial activities included substance use and other deviant behaviors. Prosocial activities included physical activity, organized sports, organized nonsport activities, volunteer and religious activities.

A multilevel analysis of neighborhood context and youth alcohol and drug problems.

Various sources of data were used to examine hypothesized relations among neighborhood variables and youth alcohol and drug problems. Family members (N = 1186) were from 55 neighborhoods: 57% female, 41% African American, and 59% White. Data were clustered by neighborhood and analyzed within a multilevel design.

Cognitive Appraisal and Affective Reactions Following Physical Achievement Outcomes.

This investigation examined the roles of intuitive (subjective performance perceptions) and reflective (causal attributions) appraisals in the generation of affective reactions to gymnastic performance. Both intuitive and cognitive appraisal were significant predictors of general affect, whereas self-related affects were predominantly influenced by intuitive appraisal and other-related affect by causal dimensions. The stability dimension evidenced the strongest relationship with both general and other-related affective reactions.