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Objective: To study actual and perceived substance use in Canadian university students and to compare these rates with US peers. Participants: Students (N = 1,203) from a large Canadian university. Methods: Participants were surveyed using items from the National College Health (NCHA) Assessment of the American College Health Association questionnaire. Results: Alcohol was the most common substance used (65.8%), followed by marijuana (13.5%) and cigarettes (13.5%). Substance use and norms were significantly less than the NCHA US data. Overall, respondents generally perceived the typical Canadian student to have used all 3 substances. Perceived norms significantly predicted use, with students more likely to use alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana if they perceived the typical student to use these substances. Conclusions: Similar to their US peers, Canadian university students have inaccurate perceptions of peer substance use. These misperceptions may have potentially negative influences on actual substance use and could be a target for intervention. Further research examining the cross-cultural differences for substance abuse is warranted. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

Despite the numerous benefits of physical activity (PA) participation, children and youth with physical disabilities (CYPD) are not active enough. Limited research has explored the PA preferences and attitudes of CYPD, which are critical to the design of effective community-based PA programs. To address this gap, this study examined the PA preferences and attitudes of CYPD (N = 38, mean age = 15 years, 54% male). Top PA preferences included: being active after school (39.5%), in a gymnasium setting (52.6%), at a moderate intensity (52.6%), and with close friends (65.8%). Participants reported high positive attitudes (M = 4.36 out of 5) toward PA. This study offers important findings for therapeutic recreation (TR) professionals to consider as they design, deliver, and assist children and youth to locate PA programs within their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]