CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Laura J. Caccavale, BA, Prevention Research Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, Washington, DC, 20008; caccavalel@mail.nih.gov Few prospective studies about antibiotic use for mild acute respiratory infections (ARIs) have been conducted in community settings. This paper aims to assess knowledge of child-caregivers and actual antibiotic use for children under five, and to identify associated factors with antibiotic treatment for mild ARIs. Caregivers in 828 households in Bavi, Vietnam were interviewed using a structured questionnaire regarding the case management of childhood ARI and the selected children's most recent illness assessing both knowledge and practice. Then 823 children were followed for 28 days to collect information regarding symptoms and drug use. For management of non-febrile common colds, 85% of caregivers stated correctly that antibiotics are not required. For febrile colds and pneumonia, 45% and 47% of cases respectively would require antibiotics. Only 13% demonstrated correct, in accordance with standard guidelines, overall knowledge for all three situations. The symptoms of the most recent illness were consistent with mild ARI in 79% of the cases, and antibiotics were used in 71% of these. During the 28-day period, 62% of children had been given antibiotics. Out of all antibiotic courses recorded, 63% were used for mild ARIs. Half of the mild ARI episodes (528/1048) and 63% of the children with mild ARIs (392/623) were treated with antibiotics. Most of the unnecessary antibiotic treatment was recommended by healthcare providers (82%). Most of the children had been administered antibiotics for common colds although most caregivers believed that antibiotics were not required. Antibiotics were unnecessarily recommended at health facilities in the area. BACKGROUND: The benefits of physical activity (PA) for children and adolescents are numerous and include reduced risk for coronary heart disease, and improved mental health. Physical activity habits that are established during adolescence are likely to be sustained into adulthood. However, the prevalence of PA among adolescents is low, and even lower among overweight/obese (OT) adolescents, who are most in need of the benefits conferred by PA. Body image may mediate this relationship; overweight/obese adolescents are more likely to suffer from poor body image, which could be linked to less engagement in PA. PURPOSE: To examine the hypothesis that poor body image mediates the relationship between overweight/obesity and PA among adolescents. METHODS: Data are from the 2006 Health Behaviors in School-Age Children survey, a nationally representative sample of students in grades 6-10 during the 2006 school-year. Physical activity was measured by a question asking about the number of days respondents engaged in at least 60 minutes of PA over the last week. Body image was assessed with 5 items (α=.87) asking for agreement/disagreement with statements about one's body. Weight status, determined from body mass index, was computed from self-reported height and weight and categorized using CDC 2000 growth charts. Mediation analysis, stratified on gender and controlling for age, race/ethnicity and SES, was performed to determine whether body image mediated the relationship between weight status and PA. RESULTS: Overweight was negatively associated with physical activity only among boys whereas obesity was negatively associated with physical activity among boys and girls. Body image was a complete mediator of the association between weight status and PA among girls, and a partial mediator of the association of weight status with PA among boys. CONCLUSIONS: Mediation analyses demonstrate that body image is a significant mediator of the relationship between overweight/obesity and PA among boys and girls. Encouraging overweight and obese adolescents to develop positive body images may result in greater engagement in PA.