In this follow-up study, we aimed to assess the effectiveness of the “I do not smoke, I exercise” anti-smoking preventive health education program. The program was based on the theory of planned behavior supplemented with life skills teaching and targeted at high school students. The intervention comprised ten one-hour online sessions, administered by physical education instructors. The study cohort comprised 222 students (109 boys, 113 girls) from 11 secondary schools, with an average age of 16.42 ± 1.36 years. Data collection involved pre- and post-intervention self-assessment questionnaires. The examined variables included attitudes towards smoking, intention to smoke, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control (PBC), knowledge about smoking, smoking behavior, exercise behavior, attitudes toward the program’s implementation, and satisfaction with the program. A separate paired samples t-test revealed a significant improvement in students’ knowledge about smoking (t₂₁₇ = −5.605, p < 0.001, d = 0.38) and perceived behavioral control (t₂₂₀ = −2.166, p < 0.05, d = 0.15) following the intervention. However, no significant changes were observed in the remaining variables. In addition, students’ overall satisfaction with the implementation of the present health education program was high (M = 5.72 ± 1.39). These findings suggest that the health education smoking prevention intervention incorporates techniques and strategies that influence the perceived behavioral control variable, emphasizing students’ strong interest in educationally theorized programs integrating technology into their design. Future studies should consider further examination of tobacco control strategies within the high school context.

The present study examined the effectiveness of a school-based health education program promoting healthy diet and exercise, named DIEX, implemented on adolescents. The program is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and is supported by life skills training. The recipients of the program were high school students (n = 367; 168 boys and 199 girls) from 14 schools in Greece who attended 10 1 h sessions implemented by their schoolteachers. Data were collected before and after the program implementation through online questionnaires for: a. attitude, intention, subjective norms, and PBC toward healthy eating; b. knowledge about healthy eating; c. exercise behavior and attitude toward the DIEX program; and d. satisfaction with the DIEX program (only post-program). The results showed that there were significant differences among the pre- and post-measures of students’ knowledge and behavior about healthy diet, as well as attitudes and satisfaction toward the program’s application. The results show that the DIEX program may have improved nutrition behavior variables. Conclusively, a theory-based behavioral intervention with skills training may result in positive behavioral changes for young students during health education in school settings with the assistance of new technologies.

Good health and the promotion of well-being for all is the third of the 17 Global Goals included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Contributing to this goal, the current study aimed to examine the relationships between one kind of athlete well-being, namely state organic self-talk, and personality traits and the basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration within their sport. Athletes (n = 691; mean age 21.65) from a variety of individual (n = 270) and team sports (n = 421) completed a multi-section questionnaire capturing the targeted variables. Three-step hierarchical regression analyses revealed the following: In step 1, all personality traits were to some extent a significant predictor of athletes’ organic, spontaneous self-talk dimensions and goal-directed self-talk functions. In step 2, need satisfaction significantly contributed to all spontaneous self-talk dimensions and goal-directed self-talk functions (except for creating functional deactivated states) over and above personality. Finally, in step 3, need frustration significantly contributed to negative spontaneous self-talk dimensions and to all goal-directed self-talk functions (except for instruction) over and above personality and need satisfaction. Overall, our results indicate the importance of personality traits as personal antecedents, and perceptions of basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration as social–environmental antecedents in shaping athletes’ state organic self-talk.

Physical activity levels are alarmingly low and new strategies must be adopted to prevent this trend. This study focuses on examining the impact of an outdoor adventure education programme on adolescents. The participants were 75 adolescent students aged 12–14. The programme lasted two school years. Students participated in extracurricular schoolyard outdoor activities and outdoor adventure activities conducted during the two one-day and one four-day trips in both school years. A qualitative methodology was used with data collected using semi-structured interviews. At the end of each school year, 12 students were interviewed. Data analysis revealed that the programme promoted basic psychological needs. More specifically, adolescents reported that schoolyard activities and outdoor adventure activities promoted their satisfaction with autonomy, competence and relatedness. Interestingly, the programme gave girls the autonomy to choose activities that promoted their competence and interaction with peers in a better way than a typical PE lesson. Modifying existing curricula with innovative practices or planning new ones could improve the general quality of life.