Extant studies indicate persons with autism have difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behaviors, and poor ability to generalize learned skills. Obesity has also been identified as significantly affecting children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Negative experience in physical education (PE) may…

School districts are required to comply with a 2004 federal mandate to guide nutrition and physical activity environments of schools by developing and implementing wellness policies. The purposes of this article are to (a) discuss the implications of the federal mandate and (b) analyze policies from nine school districts in one large suburban…

This integrative literature review examines research studies that describe the care of the student with type 1 diabetes at school and interventions to improve care. Participants of the studies include school nurses, counselors, staff, administrators, parents, and students with diabetes. The studies reviewed use a descriptive approach in examining…

Teenage pregnancy and the subsequent social morbidities associated with unintended pregnancies are complex issues facing school nurses in their daily work. In contemporary practice, school nurses are being held to higher standards of accountability and being asked to demonstrate the effective outcomes of their interventions. The purpose of this…

The purpose of this handbook, a revision of Texas Education Agency Bulletin 752 (1975), is to assist administrators and school nurses in planning and implementing the school health program. The guide contains eight sections. Following the history of the school health program in the first section, the second and third provide guidelines for the…

These guidelines help school nurses understand their role in preparing for disasters and major emergencies. The guidelines are suitable for planning for a variety of emergency and disaster situations. Disaster Preparedness Guidelines for School Nurses is based on the four phases of disaster management as defined by the Federal Emergency Management…

To help educators raise sun safety awareness, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed the SunWise School Program, a national education program for children in grades K through 8. SunWise Partner Schools sponsor classroom and schoolwide activities that raise children's awareness of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation,…

Eighty-four percent of children with food allergies have a reaction in school, and 25% of first food reactions occur in schools. An evaluation was conducted comparing food allergy emergency plans to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network's (FAAN) Food Allergy Action Plan. Of the 94 respondents, 60 provided food allergy emergency plans for…

School nurses, in collaboration with primary care providers (PCPs), can work to better manage asthma by using the Asthma Action Plan (AAP) with peak flow monitoring. The aim of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of an intervention to increase the number of AAPs in schools for students with asthma by having school nurses provide…

Obesity is a major pediatric public health problem. Adolescents are a priority population for intervention strategies. School nurses are in key positions to design intervention strategies to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent adolescent obesity in the students they serve. To design effective programs, school nurses need to know what components…

It has been estimated that at least one half of the population will experience some type of bite in their lifetime. Human bites are the third leading cause of all bites seen in hospital emergency departments after dog and cat bites. Human bites can be the source of exposure to body fluids, transmission of communicable diseases, infections ranging…

At least 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year in the United States, accounting for at least 4,000 deaths. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women. The human papilloma virus (HPV) has been linked to at least 70% of all cervical cancer. HPV can be divided into 2 categories: (a) low risk,…

Emotion recognition is a critical life skill children need for mental health promotion to meet the complexities and challenges of growing up in the world today. Five nursing students and their instructor designed "Emotion Locomotion," a program for children ages 6-8 during a public health nursing practicum for an inner-city parochial school.…

Effective seizure management in the school setting is a critical issue for students with seizures, as well as their parents, classmates, and school personnel. The unpredictable nature of seizures and the potential outcomes of experiencing a seizure in school are sources of anxiety for students with seizures. The ability to respond appropriately to…

The purpose of this study was to examine coping strategies used by teens as they attempted to quit smoking. The teens were attending a school-based cessation program titled "Quit 2 Win" that was offered in four high schools. This study examined situations in which teens were tempted to smoke. The study compares coping strategies teens reported in…