A THEORETICAL APPROACH TO STUDYING HEALTH BEHAVIORS IN ADOLESCENTS - AN AT-RISK POPULATION

Alcohol use and misuse among adolescents is a major health problem tha t has been targeted for intervention at the national level. Studies sh ow that alcohol use often begins in preadolescence (8 to 11 years) and , for some youths, escalates to heavy use during senior high school. A number of factors, such as parental and peer norms and attitudes, env ironmental influences, and self-efficacy, have been identified as pred icting alcohol use. Less is known about how school and pubertal transi tions affect alcohol use or how alcohol use and misuse affect health o utcome. Although a number of factors related to alcohol use and misuse have been identified, frameworks to organize these factors into a the oretically coherent schema are still being explored. The revised healt h-promotion model adapted for adolescents is a potentially viable fram ework for organizing the antecedents of alcohol use and misuse in chil dren and adolescents. A better understanding of the mechanisms by whic h alcohol use and misuse are initiated and maintained will facilitate the development of interventions for diverse populations of adolescent s.