Papers by Kenneth McLeroy
Family medicine
This study explores youth and parent agreement about conversations on specific topics related to ... more This study explores youth and parent agreement about conversations on specific topics related to sexual risk behavior and youth-parent relationship. The study's objective was to determine if the amount of agreement was associated with youth sexual behavior. Data were collected using a computer-assisted data entry system from one parent and one youth in 1,350 randomly selected households in inner-city areas of two Midwestern cities. Youth-parent positive agreement scores about these conversations were significant after controlling for youth age, race, gender, family structure, and parental income and education. Scores were associated with youth abstinence and with the use of contraception if the youth had become sexually active. In this study, youth-parent agreement regarding their communication was associated with positive youth behaviors, including abstinence and the use of contraception if sexually active.
American Journal of Health Promotion, 2002
To investigate relationships among youth risk behaviors and demographic factors using an adolesce... more To investigate relationships among youth risk behaviors and demographic factors using an adolescent age group approach. Cross-sectional data from a randomly selected population. Risk behaviors were compared within specific demographic factors and by adolescent age groups. Racially diverse, inner-city neighborhoods in two midwestern cities. Teenagers (n = 1350) and parents (n = 1350) of the teenagers. Truancy; arrested/picked up by police; weapon carrying; fighting; sexual intercourse; tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use; demographic factors; and family structure. Youth mean age was 15.4 (+/- 1.7) years and 52% were female; racial/ethnic characteristics were 47% White, 22% Black, 19% Hispanic, and 10% Native American. Parents' mean age was 42.2 (+/- 8.4) years and 81% were female. chi 2 analyses indicated numerous significant (p < .05) youth risk behavior differences within the demographic factors and that many of the differences varied by adolescent age group. For example, risk behavior differences within racial/ethnic groups were most profound in the middle and older age groups, whereas risk behavior differences within parent income, education levels, and family structure were most apparent in the younger age groups. Of the demographic factors, family structure was most frequently associated with the risk behaviors. The results generally suggest that the relationships among risk behaviors and demographic factors vary within the adolescent age groups included in this study. The results will be useful for developing age-appropriate prevention programs for youth who fit the profile for these risk behaviors. The study protocol also includes specific sampling methods that may be useful for future studies that intend to collect data from difficult-to-reach populations.
American Journal of Health Promotion, 2004
American Journal of Health Promotion, 2002
To examine the effects of 10 youth developmental assets on adolescent tobacco use. Survey of a ra... more To examine the effects of 10 youth developmental assets on adolescent tobacco use. Survey of a randomly selected sample using in-home interviewing methodology. Inner-city areas of two midsized Midwestern cities. The researchers studied 1,350 teen-parent pairs. Demographic information, adolescent self-reported tobacco use, eight developmental asset Likert scales, and two one-item developmental asset measures. The response rate was 51%. Logistic regression results indicate that youth who possess nine of 10 developmental assets examined are significantly less likely to report tobacco use than youth with low levels of assets. Adjusting for youth age, race, gender, parental income and education, and family structure, significant odds ratios include the following: nonparental adult role model, 2.09 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.45, 3.02); peer role models, 2.48 (95% CI = 1.87, 3.29); family communication, 1.73 (95% CI = 1.29, 2.31); use of time (organized groups), 1.77 (95% CI = 1.28, 2.44); use of time (religion), 2.49 (95% CI = 1.86, 3.33); good health practices (exercise/nutrition), 1.61 (95% CI = 1.21, 2.14); community involvement, 1.66 (95% CI = 1.07, 2.58); future aspirations, 2.06 (95% CI = 1.42, 2.99); and responsible choices, 2.21 (95% CI = 1.55, 3.15). The findings of this study support the view that certain developmental assets may serve to protect youth from risk-taking behaviors, particularly tobacco use. Limitations include cross-sectional data and three scales with alphas below .7.
American journal of health behavior, 2003
To use youth and parent demographic factors, youth assets (strengths), and community constructs t... more To use youth and parent demographic factors, youth assets (strengths), and community constructs to develop age-group-specific profiles for youth who abstain from sexual activity. Data were collected using in-person interviews of youth (N = 1253) residing in randomly selected, inner-city neighborhood households. Data were analyzed to create classification trees. Results indicated that assets typically were the most important factors related to abstinence and that the profiles differed for each age group. When sexual abstinence is considered, the influence of youth and parent demographics, youth assets, and community factors appears to vary across adolescent developmental age periods.
Journal of Adolescent Health, 2004
Methods: Cross-sectional, in-home interview data from randomly selected inner-city neighborhood t... more Methods: Cross-sectional, in-home interview data from randomly selected inner-city neighborhood teenagers (N ؍ 1253) and their parents (N ؍ 1253) were analyzed. Demographic information (e.g., age, parental income, family structure) was statistically controlled for while investigating the relationships among youth asset and sexual activity outcomes using logistic regression analyses. Potential interactions between the demographic variables and the assets were also examined. The five sexual risk behaviors included "never had sexual intercourse," current sexual activity, number of lifetime sexual partners, current use of birth control, and age at first intercourse.
Publication View. 3477213. The effects of social support on physical functioning at six months in... more Publication View. 3477213. The effects of social support on physical functioning at six months in a hospitalized stroke population--[microform] /--by Kenneth Riley McLeroy. (1982). McLeroy, Kenneth Riley. Abstract. Thesis (Ph. ...
Games for Health Journal, 2015
Exergames are an innovative type of physical activity that engages participants through interacti... more Exergames are an innovative type of physical activity that engages participants through interactive gameplay. One exergame growing in popularity is geocaching. Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt that uses GPS-enabled technology to locate hidden caches. Caches are hidden all over the world, and their coordinates are listed in an online forum ( Geocaching.com ). Exergames like geocaching are widely endorsed; however, there is a lot of information that still needs to be learned about why people participate in these activities. Thirty-four current geocachers were recruited from a larger geocaching study to learn about their motivations for engaging in the game. Individuals were asked to respond to a 30-minute phone interview, and 12 both consented and participated the interviews. Interviews assessed how individuals became involved in geocaching, how frequently they participated, who they went geocaching with, and their motivations behind geocaching. Interviews were recorded and then thematically coded. The majority of participants had geocached for more than 5 years and had learned about the activity through media. All 12 participants geocached at least once a week. The primary motivations behind geocaching were being outdoors, social interaction, physical activity, and relaxation. Individuals described geocaching as being part of a community. They typically made friends while geocaching or when they were on Geocaching.com and felt connected to other geocachers through their mutual interest. Geocaching and other exergames that use game-like properties to engage users, specifically though technology, have the potential to impact individual health through nontraditional methods of activity and socialization.
J Sch Health, 1991
Page 1. Articles Promoting Comprehensive School Health Programs Through Summer Health Promotion C... more Page 1. Articles Promoting Comprehensive School Health Programs Through Summer Health Promotion Conferences Dennis W. Smith, Allan Steckler, Kenneth R. McLeroy, John Bennett, Robert Frye ABSTRACT: This study ...
American journal of health promotion: AJHP
Health Education Research
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
This article reviews 21 published evaluations of workplace smoking cessation programs. Its purpos... more This article reviews 21 published evaluations of workplace smoking cessation programs. Its purpose is to assess the quality of these evaluations and outline recommendations that may benefit such smoking cessation efforts. Issues that should be considered during the planning and evaluation of these smoking cessation programs include research design, behavior measurement and verification, employee recruitment strategies, nonsmoking behavior maintenance, and ethics.
Population health management, Jan 6, 2015
Derived from various health care policies and initiatives, the concept of population health has b... more Derived from various health care policies and initiatives, the concept of population health has been newly adopted by health care and medicine. In particular, it has been suggested that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provision that requires nonprofit hospitals to conduct a community health needs assessment (CHNA) and implement strategies to address health priorities has the potential to improve population health. A mixed methods study design was used to examine the potential for population health improvements to occur through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-mandated nonprofit hospital CHNA and planning processes. Methods involved a 2-phased approach composed of (1) content analysis of 95 CHNA/implementation strategies reports and (2) interviews with key informants, consultants, and community stakeholders involved in CHNA and planning processes. Although this is a great opportunity for the nonprofit hospital assessment and planning processes to influence population...
Work in public health increasingly requires coordination of multiple organizations within a commu... more Work in public health increasingly requires coordination of multiple organizations within a community to achieve positive change. Successful collaboration requires the connection of diverse organizations to tackle complex and pressing problems at multiple levels of the social ecological model (McLeroy et al., 1988). Diversity though can create challenges for the coordination of public health collaborations seeking to make an impact. Our presentation will use the experience from the development of a community health partnership in central Texas to assess study hypotheses related to the barriers to coordination created by diversity such as differences in sector (government, nonprofit, private), policy domain (public health, medicine, etc.), organization size, and tenure of membership within the collective. The data involve a comprehensive mixed-mode survey of all members to collect both organization-level attributes, connectivity within the network, and network position. Using the mos...
ABSTRACT Background: The Brazos Valley Health Partnership (BVHP), a regional partnership serving ... more ABSTRACT Background: The Brazos Valley Health Partnership (BVHP), a regional partnership serving seven counties in Central Texas, was established to improve access to care and health status in the Brazos Valley. Capitalizing on community health development constructs, the BVHP has evolved as a partnership to address disparities in access to a variety of health and social services, particularly in the rural areas, through establishing rural health resource centers and the expansion of services through telehealth technology. Methods: As part of the evaluation of the partnership, the Center for Community Health Development (CCHD) assessed the extent to which BVHP members' collaborative efforts have changed over time. Using an interorganizational network survey and a relationship scale administered to organizations within the BVHP in 2004 and 2006, CCHD was able to analyze changes in characteristics of various networks, including resource and information sharing, joint planning, and formal relationships among partners. Results: Network analysis revealed changes in various network characteristics, including an overall increase in network ties and increased network density among BVHP members. Discussion: By evaluating changes in interorganizational relationships, CCHD was able to measure the evolution of relationships among member organizations as they worked to address health disparities within the region. Community-oriented researchers, particularly those engaged in community-based participatory research, will find the measurement of interorganizational relationships useful as both process and outcome measures of their efforts.
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Papers by Kenneth McLeroy