American journal of preventive medicine
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Few U.S. adolescents meet physical activity guidelines. Although several neighborhood characteristics influence physical activity, the role of food-related features as potential drivers of adolescent physical activity remains understudied. Using representative U.S. data, authors examined the effect of the neighborhood food environment on adolescents' out-of-school physical activity. ⋯ The availability of a diverse combination of retail food destinations within walking distance from home may provide opportunities for adolescents to achieve more physical activity, likely because of transport-based physical activity. Pending future research, these findings suggest that the role of the food environment on health extends beyond its influence on dietary behaviors to other health behaviors like physical activity.
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Youth who fall behind academically are at increased risk for school disengagement, school dropout, and substance use. Summer school is an opportunity for youth to complete needed coursework yet has not been utilized as a venue for substance use prevention. To date, little is known about the rates of summer school attendance among adolescents or the relationship between summer school attendance, school disengagement, and substance use. The purpose of this study is to assess the characteristics of summer school attendance over the past 20 years and to examine the associations between summer school attendance, indicators of school disengagement, and recent substance use among eighth-grade students. ⋯ These findings suggest that students with a high propensity to use substances do attend summer school. Summer school may be a venue to deliver information on the risk of alcohol or other drugs to a population of at-risk students.