Citation

D'Elio MA, Mundt DJ, Bush PJ, Iannotti RJ. Am. J. Health Promot. 1993; 7(5): 354-363.

Affiliation

Division of Children's Health Promotion, Department of Community and Family Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, SAGE Publications)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10172039

Abstract

PURPOSE: Relationships between positive health behaviors and abusable substance use in preadolescent, urban, African-American schoolchildren were investigated. DESIGN: Personal interviews and classroom surveys were used to assess health behavior and abusable substance use cross-sectionally. SETTING: All respondents resided in the District of Columbia and attended the public school system. SUBJECTS: The sample consisted of 303 urban, African-American fourth and fifth graders (151 boys, 152 girls). MEASURES: Classroom surveys assessed drinking, drinking without parental knowledge, smoking, use of other abusable substances, friends' use, self-esteem, and academic performance. Personal interviews assessed children's diet, exercise, overall health behavior, and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Logistic regressions showed that children who engaged in more health behaviors (exercise and proper nutrition) were one-third less likely to have smoked (OR=0.66) or to have drunk alcohol (OR=0.63) than those who engaged in fewer healthful activities. However, when gender, socioeconomic status, self-esteem, academic performance, personal use, and friends' use of other abusable substances were controlled, relationships were no longer statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that although positive health behaviors appear to be inversely related to abusable substance use in urban, African-American preadolescents, the relationship may be spurious.

Language: en