Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training
Published on: July 27, 2022
Preventing youth problem behaviors and enhancing physical health by promoting core competencies
Tia E Kim1, Nancy G Guerra, Kirk R Williams
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA. tia.kim@ucr.edu
Objectives:
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the longitudinal relations between specific core competencies, problem behaviors, and physical health among adolescents.
Methods:
The study used two waves of data collected 1 year apart from the Add Health data set. The Add Health data set is a nationally representative sample of adolescents in grades 7 to 12. A total of 14,010 respondents were included in this study. There were two outcomes that were examined in this study: problem behavior (as observed by seven different behaviors), and health (general health and physical problems).
Results:
We found that problem behavior and health outcomes were two distinct behavioral patterns that were related to one another. The two outcomes also shared common developmental predictors.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that a focus on core competencies is an important target for preventive interventions; among the competencies measured low self-control was the strongest single predictor of problem behaviors and adverse health outcomes.
Related Concept Videos
Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results from...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...
Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
Preventive Healthcare Services
Dimensions of Health and Illness