Research

"Coaching Boys Into Men" influences behavior quickly and longer-term.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) funded a three-year evaluation. It was conducted by Elizabeth Miller MD, PhD, now of the University of Pittsburgh where she is Director of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. Dr. Miller's research focuses on reducing gender-based violence to improve adolescent health with funding from the National Institutes of Health and the CDC.

Sixteen high schools and more than 2,000 young athletes participated in the randomized-controlled trial. Athletic coaches from eight of the sixteen schools received training and implemented the program. The remaining eight schools were “control” schools, meaning that they did not participate in Coaching Boys Into Men.

Coaches completed a 60-minute training session to prepare them for the program. Coaches and athletes were surveyed before the season began, three months after the program ended, and a year later.

Results at three-month follow-up showed behavior change:

Athletes who participated in the program were significantly more likely to report intentions to intervene (e.g., telling an adult, talking to the people involved)
When witnessing abusive or disrespectful behaviors among peers, they were more likely to intervene than those not in the program

Results at one-year follow-up showed lasting impact:

Athletes who participated were still more likely to report abuse and negative bystander behavior (e.g. walking away, laughing) when witnessing abusive or disrespectful behavior among peers.
They were still more likely to intervene than those who hadn't been in the program.

A study spanning 80 years reveals the key to a longer, healthier, happier life is the quality of our relationships.

When scientists began tracking the health of 268 Harvard sophomores in 1938 during the Great Depression, they hoped the longitudinal study would reveal clues to what produces healthy and happy lives.

Wives were added to the study (Harvard was once all-male) and eventually female Harvard students were. In time, scientists expanded their research to include offspring. In the 1970s, 456 Boston inner-city residents were added. Researchers studied health trajectories and the participants' broader lives, including triumphs and failures in careers and marriage. They had access to vast medical records, in-person interviews, and questionnaires.

The results were startling, and proved relationships are determinative:

Genetics and long-lived ancestors proved less important to longevity than the level of satisfaction with relationships at midlife.
The level of satisfaction with relationships at age 50 was a better predictor of physical health than their cholesterol levels were.
There is a strong correlation between men’s flourishing and their relationships at home an in the community.
Women who felt securely attached to their partners were less depressed and had better memory functions.

The study was funded largely by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Research

"Eye opening"