OBJECTIVE:To examine relationships between body mass index (BMI) and psychological correlates in Chinese school adolescents during the period of economic transition. DESIGN: Baseline data of 1655 Chinese adolescents aged 11-15 y were retrieved from a longitudinal smoking cessation and health promotion program in Wuhan, China. Assessments of body weight and height, depressive symptoms, perceived peer isolation (PPI) and perceived availability of social support (PASS) were collected. RESULTS: Based on the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) age-and sex-specific BMI cutoffs, 12.5% of boys and 9.2% of girls were overweight. In girls, high BMI was significantly related to higher self-reported depressive symptoms, and was dominantly mediated by PPI. On the contrary, high BMI boys reported significantly lower levels of PPI although high PPI level aggravated depressive symptoms. For both girls and boys, the observed effect of PPI on the relationship between BMI and depressive symptoms was sustained only in low PASS boys and girls. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed different effects of PPI on the association of BMI and depressive symptoms between boys and girls, which were buffered by levels of PASS. The findings of this study may contribute to our understanding of the influences of psychological correlates in pediatric overweight in the Eastern cultural environment.

Students at alternative high schools may be at substantial risk for drug abuse. The present article provides a general overview of the drug use-related context of continuation high schools in southern California. A total of 144 students and ninety-six staff were interviewed from twenty continuation high schools. The interview data revealed that continuation school students show high levels of substance use. However, only 20 percent of the students report that they received any drug abuse prevention programming. Also, students at continuation high schools aspired to a productive life after high school including continued education. Thus, these youth may still be amenable to preventive educational interventions which deter them from drug use and help them to fulfill their future goals.

This study examines the effects of alcohol use prevention curricula designed to have differential impact on hypothesized mediating variables. Three curricula, one which focused on teaching individuals social pressure resistance skills, one which focused on solidifying conservative group norms, and one which had a goal of increasing student understanding of the consequences of using alcohol, were tested. Results confirm that each program had a differential effect on hypothesized mediating variables.

Coping strategies may influence adolescent smoking behaviour because they provide alternative behavioral and cognitive outlets which facilitate or inhibit smoking, or because they are expressions of general coping effort to smoke or not smoke. The present investigation examined three possibilities regarding how coping strategies versus coping effort compare as predictors of adolescent smoking: (1) general coping effort to not smoke may be a better predictor of adolescent smoking behaviors than are specific coping strategies; (2) coping strategies may be relatively better predictors of smoking behaviors; or (3) these two constructs may be relatively better predictors of different parameters of smoking behavior. Analytic strategies included calculation of a series of multiple regression models, involving (a) 11 coping strategies previously studied in adolescent smoking research, (b) a new simple measure of coping effort to not smoke, and (c) perceived stress, as concurrent predictors of four smoking-related items. Of the 11 coping strategies, partying, relaxation, seeking spiritual guidance, and getting revenge were related to at least one of the four cigarette smoking items. Only coping effort was directly related to recent smoking behavior, whereas only the coping strategies were related to cumulative smoking. Both types of items predicted refusal self-efficacy and intention to smoke in the future. Apparently, these two types of items show unique as well as common predictive variance. These results suggest that coping strategies are related to cumulative smoking for reasons other than motivation to not smoke.

Objective-Although ethnic diVerences in adolescent smoking have been well documented, smoking among multiethnic adolescents has received little research attention. This study examined smoking prevalence and tobacco related psychosocial risk factors among multiethnic adolescents in California, as compared with white, African American, Asian American, and Hispanic adolescents. Design-This study used a cross sectional design. Data were obtained from the independent evaluation of the California Tobacco Control, Prevention, and Education Program. Setting-Students completed a paperand-pencil survey in their classrooms. Subjects-Data were collected from a stratified random sample of 5072 eighth grade students (age 13-14 years) in California during the 1996-97 school year. The data were weighted by school enrollment in analyses to make the estimates representative of the population of California students attending public schools. Main outcome measures-Outcome variables included self reported smoking prevalence, susceptibility to smoking, access to tobacco, and related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours. Ethnicity was assessed with a self reported, "check all that apply" question. Results-Results indicated that multiethnic adolescents were at higher risk than single-ethnic adolescents on several variables, including 30 day cigarette smoking prevalence, lifetime smokeless tobacco use, buying cigarettes, receiving cigarette oVers, and expected friends' reaction if the respondent smoked. For several other variables (lifetime cigarette smoking prevalence, susceptibility to smoking, and number of friends who smoked), Hispanic adolescents were at higher risk than all other ethnic groups including multi-ethnic adolescents. Although susceptibility to smoking was highest among Hispanics, multi-ethnic adolescents scored significantly higher on susceptibility than the three other single-ethnic groups. Conclusions-Multi-ethnicadolescents may be at increased risk for smoking and may have easier access to cigarettes. Culturally targeted smoking prevention interventions for adolescents should address the unique social challenges faced by multi-ethnic adolescents that may increase their risk for smoking.(Tobacco Control 2000;9(Suppl II):ii9-ii14)