Urban Seventh Grade Students: A Report of Health Risk Behaviors and Exposure to Violence

The health of adolescents and the adults they will become can be linked to the health-related behaviors they adopt as children, according to an article published in The Journal of School Nursing on October 24, 2011. To replicate a pilot study with a more culturally diverse population a descriptive, correlational study was undertaken with 379 seventh grade students. Key findings from this study include (a) students exposed or involved in violence (e.g., fighting and carrying a weapon) were more likely to report smoking cigarettes, (b) nearly a quarter (24%) of students have smoked cigarettes at some time, and (c) almost half of the students (48%) reported having at least one alcoholic drink.

To access the report, visit: http://jsn.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/10/19/1059840511425678.abstract

• Youth Violence Prevention