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Objectives. We analyzed age, time period, and cohort effects on trends in adolescent cigarette smoking in California from 1990 to 1999. Methods. Data from subjects aged 12 to 17 years (n = 26 536; 50.4% male) from the California Tobacco Survey and the California Youth Tobacco Survey were analyzed, and never smokers were used as the outcome measure. Results. The proportion of never smokers increased from 60% for males and 66% for females in 1990 to around 70% for both sexes in 1999. Respondents were more likely to be never smokers if born in 1978 or later (i.e., aged 12 years or younger in 1990, when most tobacco control programs started in California). Conclusions. The statewide antitobacco programs prevented adolescents from starting to smoke, primarily through a cohort effect. (Am J Public Health. 2003;93: 2099-2104) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine injuries related to playground equipment, children's vehicles, roller skates, and skateboards, 1991 data on emergency room patients younger than 25 years in the Consumer Product Safety Commission's 91 surveillance hospitals were used. Head injury was the primary diagnosis for an estimated 58,480 patients, exceeding the total number of head injuries to bicyclists younger than 25 years. The head injury rate decreased with age. The large number and high rate of head injuries in children involved in a variety of recreational activities suggests the value of multipurpose helmets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]