Teacher training as a behavior change process: principles and results from a longitudinal study.

For students to realize the benefits of behavior change curricula for disease prevention, programs must be implemented effectively. However, implementation failure is a common problem documented in the literature. In this article, teacher training is conceptualized as a behavior change process with explicit teacher motivation components included to help effect the intended behavior (i.e., implementation). Using this method, the Hutchinson Smoking Prevention Project, a randomized controlled trial in school-based smoking prevention, conducted 65 in-service programs, training nearly 500 teachers (Grades 3-10) from 72 schools. Implementation was monitored by teacher self-report and classroom observations by project staff. The results were favorable. All eligible teachers received training, virtually all trained teachers implemented the research curriculum, and 89% of observed lessons worked as intended. It is concluded that teacher training conceptualized as a behavior change process and including explicit teacher motivation components can promote effective implementation of behavior change curricula in public school classrooms.

Predicting adolescent smoking: a prospective study of personality variables.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated how personality variables measured at 5th grade predict daily smoking in 12th grade. METHODS: A group of 3130 fifth graders was assessed for a propensity toward Rebelliousness, Risk Taking, Problem Helplessness, Affect Regulation, and Early Maturation and susceptibility to Peer Compliance and Peer Approval. Daily smoking status was determined for 94.7% of them 7 years later, in 12th grade. RESULTS: Rebelliousness and Risk Taking were the most significant predictors of smoking. There was no statistical evidence that the extent of prediction depended on gender or history of early smoking. No predictive evidence was seen for the other personality measures, including those describing susceptibility to peer influences. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that propensity toward rebelliousness and risk taking in childhood predicts adolescent smoking. They suggest that smoking prevention programs would do well to address the needs and expectations of rebellious and risk-taking youth.

Semivolatile organic compounds in adipose tissue: estimated averages for the US population and selected subpopulations.

OBJECTIVES: The fiscal year (FY) 1986 Environmental Protection Agency National Human Adipose Tissue Survey (NHATS) was conducted to estimate average concentrations of 111 semivolatiles in human adipose tissue within the US general population and selected subpopulations. METHODS: Population and subpopulation estimates of average semivolatile concentrations were established from 671 adipose tissue specimens pooled across 50 analytical samples. RESULTS: Among polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), average concentrations for the group aged 45 and older were from 188% to 706% higher than for the 0- through 14-year-old age group. Similar increases with age were observed for pesticides. Geographic effects on average concentration were mixed, and no significant race or sex effects were observed. Statistically significant increases from FY 1982 NHATS results were observed for PCBs and hexachlorobenzene, whereas a decrease from FY 1982 was significant for beta-BHC (benzene hexachloride). Increases from FY 1984 NHATS results were significant for p,p-DDT (dichlordiphenylethylene), p,p-DDE (dichlordiphenyldichlor), hexachlorobenzene, and PCBs. CONCLUSIONS: The survey establishes baseline average levels of semivolatile compounds in the adipose tissue of US residents.

Children's perceptions of smokers and nonsmokers: a longitudinal study.

In a longitudinal study we investigated 5th- and 7th-grade children's perceptions of smokers and nonsmokers, changes in perceptions from 5th to 7th grades, and the degree to which these perceptions predict smoking in 9th grade. The participants were 1,663 students from 14 school districts in Washington state. The results showed large developmental shifts from 5th to 7th grade in children's perceptions of both smokers and nonsmokers: Students at 7th grade saw smokers in a much more positive light and nonsmokers in a much more negative light than they did at 5th grade. Children's positive perceptions at 5th grade of smokers predicted smoking 4 years later at 9th grade and were stronger predictors than positive perceptions at 7th grade. The results suggest that smoking prevention interventions must begin before 5th grade to counter perceptions predictive of subsequent smoking.

The antimicrobial activity of hexapeptides derived from synthetic combinatorial libraries.

A series of peptides identified through the use of synthetic hexapeptide combinatorial libraries (represented by the formula Ac-RRWWCO-NH2) were examined for their antimicrobial activity against five different micro-organisms. Their toxicity was also evaluated in an in vitro haemolytic assay. The peptides showed activity against the five micro-organisms, although higher activities were found against Gram-positive bacteria. Both growth inhibition and cell viability assays were carried out to demonstrate the bactericidal activities of these peptides against two of the micro-organisms tested. The dimeric cystine forms of these peptides were shown to have biological activities identical to the monomeric forms.

Adolescents' reasons for smoking.

Part of the Hutchinson Smoking Prevention Project, this study provides information on reasons reported by adolescents for their smoking behavior. A total of 1,615 10th grade students in 20 rural and suburban school districts in Washington state were asked why they currently smoke and why they first smoked. For beginning smoking, curiosity, social norms, and social pressure were the most frequently given reasons for smoking. For current smoking, pleasure and addiction were mentioned most often. A number of gender differences occurred with 10th grade students beginning and current smoking. More females than males reported social norms and social pressure as reasons for beginning to smoke, whereas for currently smoking, pleasure was given as a reason more frequently by females than males. When developing interventions, smoking prevention programs need to consider students' current and past smoking behavior, and the reasons they give for smoking.