The association between dietary antioxidant vitamin intake and the risk of breast cancer was examined in a prospective study of 34,387 postmenopausal women in Iowa. Intakes of vitamins A, C, and E and of retinol and carotenoids were assessed in 1986 by mailed semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Through December 31, 1992, 879 incident breast cancer cases occurred in this cohort. There was little suggestion that breast cancer risk was associated with differences in intake of these vitamins. For example, from the lowest to highest total vitamin A intake categorized by quintiles, the age-adjusted relative risks of breast cancer were 1.0, 0.95, 1.17, 1.20, and 0.90 (p trend = 0.92). Similarly unremarkable relative risk patterns were seen for the intakes of vitamins C and E and of retinol and carotenoids. These findings were not altered after adjustment for breast cancer risk factors or in analyses confined to women who reported no supplemental vitamin intake. Exclusion of cases that occurred in the first 2 years of follow-up, under the assumption that women may have increased intake of these vitamins in response to preclinical symptoms of breast cancer, did not suggest an inverse association of these vitamins with the risk of breast cancer. Women who reported consuming at least 500 mg/day of supplemental vitamin C had a relative risk of breast cancer of 0.79 compared with women who did not take supplemental vitamin C, and women who reported consuming more than 10,000 IU/day of vitamin A had a corresponding relative risk of 0.73. However, these relative risks were not statistically significant. These results provide little evidence that intake of these vitamins is associated with breast cancer risk.

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This study examines two issues relevant to adolescents' self-reported sexual and contraceptive use behaviors: reliability of partner-referent reports versus 3 and 6 month reports, and test-retest reliability of reports completed over a 2 week period. Data are from 196 13 to 18 year old girls recruited into this study while they south reproductive care from health clinics in a metropolitan area. All participants reported having had sexual intercourse during the past 6 months. Twice over a 2 week interval, participants completed the same paper and pencil surveys. The survey presented questions about sexual behavior and contraceptive use using 3 sequential frames of reference: within the past 6 months, within the past 3 months, and by specific sexual partners in the past 6 months. Findings demonstrate that adolescent girls can reliably report sexual behavior and contraceptive use over a 6 month interval. Study findings have implications for future research utilizing adolescents' self-reported sexual and contraceptive use behaviors.

A qualitative survey on the collaborative experiences of colleges and universities, state-level organizations, and school districts related to comprehensive school health programs in 12 states found four primary collaborative outcomes: training, consultation, research, and networking. Five common dimensions of collaboration also were identified: interpersonal and organizational interactions, level of awareness and understanding of comprehensive school health programs, organizational priorities and reward systems, political forces, and availability and sharing of resources. The potential for such linkages to advance comprehensive school health programs remains largely untapped. Recommendations for developing such collaborations are presented.