Specialty substance abuse treatment services have been found to be effective regardless of race/ethnicity. Understanding why Latinos use specialty treatment at low rates is key to reducing existing racial/ethnic disparities related to substance abuse. This study identified several malleable barriers that interventions can target to increase Latinos' utilization of treatment. These barriers may also be key to explaining Latino-White disparities in treatment utilization.

The primary objective of this study was to identify risk factors associated with becoming susceptible to e-cigarette use over the course of a year among e-cigarette-naive adolescents considering a comprehensive model of risk factors (risk perceptions, social influences and norms, affective risk factors, and other behavioral risk factors). Data came from the Texas Adolescent Tobacco and Marketing Surveillance system (TATAMS), a longitudinal cohort study of students who were in the 6th, 8th, and 10th grades (n = 3907) during the 2014-2015 academic year. Weighted generalized linear mixed models assessed multiple predictors' associated with the transition to susceptibility to e-cigarettes at 12 months. Among 6th graders, family influence, use of other substances, and positive affect were important. Adolescents transitioning from 8th grade to high school presented the greatest number of risk factors (e.g., social and normative influences). Only sensation seeking increased the risk of susceptibility to e-cigarettes among 10th graders. Overall, by grade level, incidence of susceptibility to e-cigarettes at 12 months did not vary, but risk factor profiles varied substantially.

Purpose: ¡Activate Ya! was a group-randomized controlled intervention trial aimed at developing and evaluating the impact of a school-based intervention on preventing cigarette smoking and promoting physical activity (PA) in secondary school students in Uruguay. Secondary aims were to evaluate the program’s impact on students’ smoking- and PA-related psychosocial risk and protective factors. Methods: Sixteen schools and n = 654 students participated in the study. The one-year intervention included a classroom-based curriculum, an afterschool program, activity breaks, and final showcase event. A self-administered questionnaire measured outcomes at three time points. Fixed effects regression models tested for differences in outcomes by study condition. Results: While positive intervention effects were found for selected psychosocial-related smoking outcomes, no impact on past-year smoking or smoking susceptibility was detected. Past 7-day PA, measured by the PAQ-C, was significantly higher among intervention school students overall ( p = .048) and for girls ( p = .03) at posttest, and intervention girls reported significantly higher athletic identity PA competence, friend and teacher PA support at posttest, and PA enjoyment at follow-up ( p < .05). Conclusion: The positive short-term effects of ¡Activate Ya! on PA and related outcomes for girls support the utility of school-based health promotion in Uruguay. Additional research is needed to determine the most effective strategies to prevent tobacco use among students and promote PA among boys in this setting.

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