Background. Disturbed eating behavior and psychosocial variables have been found to influence metabolic control, but little is known about how these variables interact or how they influence metabolic control, separately and combined. Objective. To explore associations between metabolic control (measured by HbA1c) and eating disorder psychopathology, coping strategies, illness perceptions, and insulin beliefs in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Methods. A total of 105 patients (41.9% males) with type 1 diabetes (12–20 years) were interviewed with the Child Eating Disorder Examination. In addition, self-report psychosocial questionnaires were completed. Clinical data, including HbA1c, was obtained from the Norwegian Childhood Diabetes Registry. Results. Significant gender differences were demonstrated. Among females, HbA1c correlated significantly with eating restriction (.29, p < .05), the illness perception dimensions consequences, personal control, coherence, and concern (ranging from .33 to .48), and the coping strategy ventilating negative feelings (−.26, p < .05). Illness perception personal control contributed significantly to HbA1c in a regression model, explaining 23% of the variance among females (β .48, p < .001). None of the variables were significantly associated with HbA1c among males. Conclusions. Illness perceptions appear to be important contributors to metabolic control in females, but not males, with type 1 diabetes.

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BackgroundThe effectiveness of the universal school-based alcohol prevention program “Unge & Rus” [Youth & Alcohol] was tested by an independent research group. The program aims to prevent alcohol use and to change adolescents’ alcohol-related attitudes. The main outcome measure was frequency of monthly alcohol use, favorable alcohol attitudes, perceived behavioral control (PBC), positive alcohol expectancy and alcohol-related knowledge.MethodsJunior high school students (N = 2,020) with a mean age of 13.5 years participated in this longitudinal pre, post and one-year follow-up study with a quasi-experimental design, involving an intervention group and a comparison group recruited from 41 junior high schools in Norway. Multilevel analysis was used to account for the repeated observations (level 1) nested within students (level 2) who in turn were clustered within school classes (level 3).ResultsResults showed an increased level of alcohol-related knowledge in the intervention group (p < .005) as compared to the comparison group at one-year follow-up. However, no significant difference in change was found between the intervention group and the comparison group in frequency of monthly alcohol use, alcohol-related attitudes, PBC or alcohol expectancy at one-year follow-up.ConclusionsThis study offers adequate data on the effectiveness of a school-based alcohol prevention program widely implemented in Norway. Under its current method of implementation, use of the program cannot be supported over the use of standard alcohol curriculum within schools.

Aim: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the parental part of the Norwegian Unge & Rus (Youth and Alcohol) programme. The intervention was aimed at changing parents' rules and attitudes towards adolescent alcohol use, and their ability to talk with their adolescents about alcohol, as well as improving parents' relationships with and knowledge about

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Early drinking onset is associated with different psychosocial adjustment problems among adolescents. The aim of this study was to assess determinants associated with early drinking and to identify factors predicting early drinking onset among adolescents. The study included 1,550 eighth-graders with a mean age of 13.5 years from 41 schools. A total of 24% (boys 29%, girls 19%) had ever drunk alcohol, while 14% had drunk some alcohol in the last 30 days. Further, early drinking was associated with gender, religion, school performance, smoking and bullying in the bivariate tests. Predictors of early drinking onset were identified by generalized linear mixed models with two multivariable models created. The first model included social and environmental variables. Entering intentions, expectancies, attitudes and norms into the multivariable analysis resulted in a significant improvement of the model fit constituting 86% in the second model. The percentage correctly classified those (56%) who had been drinking in the second model which was two times higher compared to the first model. Gender, religion and smoking emerged as significant predictors of drinking in both models.

Abstract. Some salient fe atures of the physical training programme for paraplegics at the State Rehabilitation Institute in Oslo are mentioned. A ten-year fo llow-up study of 42 clients with complete lesions (TI-L3) is presented. After an intensive physical training programme of some 10-15 weeks 7 4 per cent were able to climb and go down 20 standard stairs and 7 1 per cent were able to walk 100 metres indoors with crutches. The authors stress the importance of ambulations independent of wheelchairs whenever this is possible.