Young Epidemiology Scholars Competition

$50,000 scholarships awarded to two first-place winners

April 11, 2005, WASHINGTON, D.C. — A study comparing condom education approaches in a Long Island high school showed they increased students' perceptions of condom effectiveness and their ability to use condoms, but did not increase their acceptance of sex among teenagers, according to a student who took first prize today in one of the nation's most prestigious high school science competitions.

Jessica Cohen, a 17-year-old senior from Roslyn, New York, was awarded a $50,000 scholarship in the Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition held in Washington. The YES Competition, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and administered by the College Board, is designed to spur students' interest in epidemiology-the science of studying the causes, distribution, and control of disease among populations.

Andreea Seicean, 18, of Bay Village, Ohio, was a first-place co-winner in the competition. She also received a $50,000 scholarship for a study showing a link between sleep deprivation among high school students and an increased likelihood of obesity or overweight.

Cohen examined 87 high school sophomores who were enrolled in a mandatory health education course. The students were randomly assigned to receive one of three types of condom education lessons: a verbal explanation by the teacher, a verbal explanation during which a teacher put a condom over a finger, or verbal explanation during which students put condoms over one of their own fingers.

Before and after the lessons, Cohen surveyed the students' perceptions of condom effectiveness and their ability to use them, as well as their intent to use condoms and the acceptability of engaging in sex while in high school.

"My results show that these lessons increased students' perceptions of the effectiveness of condoms and their ability use condoms correctly, and did not lead to an increase in students' acceptance of sexual activity in high school," Cohen said.

Seicean, a senior at Bay Village High School, conducted a survey of 529 students in her high school that found an association between the amount of sleep they get and being overweight or obese. She found that students sleeping eight hours or more had the lowest risk of obesity/overweight, while those who slept under five hours a night had the highest risk.

Compared to students that sleep over 8 hours, those that sleep less than 5 hours were about 5 times more likely to be obese or overweight and students that sleep 5-6 hours were about 2 times more likely to be obese or overweight.

Two second-place winners each received a $35,000 scholarship:

• Gregory Bruich of La Jolla, California, for a study found that the days immediately following the one-hour adjustment for Daylight Savings Time is accompanied by a substantial increase in fatal motor vehicle accidents.
• Joshua Pepper of Fresno, California, for a study that found an anomaly in asthma rates in the Fresno area in which children from higher-income areas have higher rates of asthma than those in lower-income areas-a trend that runs counter to studies done anywhere else in the world.

Two third-place winners each received a $20,000 scholarship:

• Jamie Bell of Durham, North Carolina, for a study on nutrition and exercise in high school freshmen that showed body fat percentage may be a better predictor of fitness than Body Mass Index (BMI).
• Casidhe Horan of Richmond, Virginia, who mapped "hot spots" of teen pregnancy in Virginia to help better target prevention efforts.

Six national finalists each were awarded a $15,000 scholarship:

• Shubha Lakshmi Bhat of West Chester, Pennsylvania, who developed a "sun safety" education campaign at her school that reduced harmful tanning behavior among her peers.
• Molly P. Burges of Gainesville, Florida, for a study that found a coal-fired power plant in her area produced levels of nitrogen oxide that could be connected to higher asthma rates in elementary schools.
• David Gershel of Bedford, New York, for a study that found high school athletes knew little about heat illnesses such as heat exhaustion and dehydration.
• Andrew Iliff of Stillwell, Kansas, whose study revealed high levels of performance enhancement supplement use among both high-school athletes and non-athletes.
• Peter J. Rossi of New Port Richey, Florida, who studied heart disease patients to explore ways to better predict those at highest risk for rapid worsening of blockages in heart vessels.
• Allison Roggenburg of Ankeny, Iowa, whose study found hand soap more effective than commercial acne products at inhibiting growth of acne bacteria.

The national winners were chosen by a panel of eight judges that included some of the nation's top epidemiologists, as well as high school teachers and curriculum developers.

"These students can be proud of the high quality of their projects," says Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and chief executive officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "The YES Competition challenges them to tackle important health questions by employing the same skills used by professional epidemiologists to identify problems, gather evidence and reach conclusions based on the evidence. They clearly met the challenge. We can't wait to see the places they will go and the things they will do to make a difference in this world."

While the highly competitive scholarship contest focuses on epidemiology, application of the research skills used in the YES Competition extends far beyond that field.

"These students engaged in scientific research that required problem-solving and critical thinking skills that will serve them well not only in college but throughout their lives," said Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. Helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need-the Foundation expects to make a difference in our lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 4,700 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves over three and a half million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. For more information on the College Board, visit www.collegeboard.org.