Do you have any information on youth (14-18) gender imbalance in recreational participation? I am looking for programs that have been designed to increase female participation in recreational activities. One thing that I have noticeed through my research is that the youth female smoking has gone up considerably and I was also wondering if that has anything to do with a lack of female sports participation today.

Have you tried the Wellesley Center for Research on Women--which is housed at Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts? They do tons of reports and studies relating to women and girls, and I seem to remember topics similiar to yours. Also try the Women's Sports Foundation, which is based on Long Island, New York; they will certainly have information on promoting women's participation in sports, which comes in direct response to women not being targeted for this type of recreation in the same way they have been targeted by such things at tobacco companies. You can also check out some books, most of which address women's responses to sports participation - why they chose it and what happens to them in it:

• All the Pretty Little Girls in Pretty Little Boxes
• The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football
• Whatever It Takes: Women on Women's Sports - an anthology.

For information specific to youth and tobacco, you should contact the World Health Organization. Last November they had a conference in Kobe, Japan on women and smoking and one of the biggest areas of focus was youth.

—Amy