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Relationships among predictors and criteria of subjective well-being were examined in a sample of 151 urban adolescents of color, ages 12-15. The relative strengths of family, peer, and school-related support and esteem in predicting three measures of subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) were explored. Results suggested that sense of worth in one's family explained a significant amount of variance in subjective well-being variables, above and beyond the contributions of individual, school, and peer-related variables. Implications for prevention and mental health promotion with urban adolescents of color are discussed based on these findings.

This study examined the relationship between subjective well-being criteria (negative affect, positive affect, and subjective well-being) and individual, family, friend, school, and neighborhood predictor variables in 159 ethnically diverse, urban adolescents. Results indicated that negative affect was significantly predicted by family variables, positive affect was significantly predicted by individual, school, and friend variables, and satisfaction with life was significantly predicted by individual and family variables. Limitations, directions for future research, and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Objective To describe results of the first two years of enhanced measles surveillance in Victoria. Design Case series identified through enhanced measles surveillance. Participants and setting All measles cases notified to the Disease Control Section, Department of Human Services, Victoria, in 1997 and 1998. Main outcome measures Proportion of notified cases laboratory confirmed as measles, rubella, or human parvovirus infection; identification of clusters (two or more linked cases of measles); and utility of the National Health and Medical Research Council clinical case definition for suspected measles. Results Rates of laboratory testing of notified cases improved after introduction of a paediatric phlebotomy service in July 1997, from 21 of 90 notified patients (23%) in the preceding six months, to 258 of 317 notified patients (81%) between July 1997 and December 1998. Of the 317, only 19 (6%) were laboratory confirmed with measles, while a further 26 (8%) were laboratory confirmed with human parvovirus infection (18) or rubella (8). Three clusters of measles, involving 11 cases, were identified during 1998. Use of the NHMRC case definition did not greatly improve the positive predictive value for diagnosis of measles above that of notification alone (14% versus 8%). Conclusions Circulation of measles virus in Victoria in 1997 and 1998 appeared minimal. In this interepidemic period most notified cases of measles were not measles; to identify true cases, surveillance during an interepidemic period must include laboratory testing of notified cases.

ObjectivesTo describe an outbreak of measles in Victoria. DesignCase series with cases identified through enhanced passive surveillance and outbreak‐related active surveillance. SettingState of Victoria, 1999. Main outcome measuresNumber of cases; epidemiological links and patterns of transmission; patient demographic features and vaccination status; complications. Results75 cases were identified (74 laboratory‐confirmed; and one epidemiologically linked to a laboratory‐confirmed case), with onset between 11 February and 2 May 1999. The first case was in a 21‐year‐old woman who had recently holidayed in Bali and worked at a large cinema complex in Melbourne. Sixteen cases occurred in people who had contact with the index case at the cinema on one evening. The outbreak spread to regional Victoria and South Australia. Median age of patients was 22 years; 64 (85%) were born between 1968 and 1981, with only one patient in the age group targeted by the primary school component of the 1998 Australian Measles Control Campaign; this child had not been vaccinated. More than a third of patients (28) were hospitalised (total, 97 inpatient days), and five were healthcare workers. ConclusionsThis outbreak was caused by international importation of measles virus. It highlights the change in epidemiology of measles in Australia, from a disease of childhood to one predominantly affecting young adults. A strong two‐dose childhood vaccination program, vigilant surveillance, and rapid response to outbreaks will continue to be the basis of measles control, but better protection for young adults should be considered.