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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Chudley (Chad) Werch, PhD, Addictive & Health Behaviors Research Institute, Department of Health Education & Behavior, University of Florida, 6852 Belfort Oaks Place, Jacksonville, FL 32216, (904) 281-0726, cwerch@hhp.ufl.edu

Background: Most prevention programs address single health risk behaviors. This submission presents two recent studies evaluating Project Sport, an innovative intervention using self and other images to integrate health communications addressing health promoting behaviors like exercise, with risk behaviors such as alcohol use. Methods: Study One involved a randomized trial with 465 8th graders from three schools in the northeast Florida who were assigned to one of three groups: a brief individual sport consultation, the sport consultation plus an alcohol consultation, or the sport consultation, alcohol consultation and parent print materials. Study Two involved a randomized trial with 604 students from a suburban high school in northeast Florida who were assigned to receive either the revised Project Sport brief consultation, or a minimal intervention control. Results: For study One, significant improvements were found over time (p's<.05) on two exercise measures, three alcohol measures, and four risk/protective factors, for all three versions of the pilot Sport intervention. For study Two, Project Sport participants demonstrated significant positive effects at 3-months post-intervention for exercise habits, drug use, alcohol consumption, alcohol initiation, and alcohol use risk and protective factors, and at 12-months for cigarette use, cigarette initiation, and alcohol use risk and protective factors (p's<.05). In addition, 12-month effects for both vigorous and moderate physical activity, and cigarette and marijuana use, were found among drug using adolescents receiving Project Sport (p's <.05). Discussion: Brief, image-based interventions such as Project Sport hold promise for influencing multiple health behaviors, particularly among high risk adolescents.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Restate the primary purpose of the study presented.
• List the mail methods of the study.
• Describe the key findings from the study.
• Evaluate the importance of the study's findings to public health.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Interventions

Related Web page: www2.hhp.ufl.edu/hse/Institute/index.html

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None

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