Purpose--The purpose of this paper is to explore the efficacy of a community-based outreach initiative, piloted in Worcester, Massachusetts, to reduce children's exposure to toxic chemicals in common household products by changing parental behavior regarding product purchase and use. Design/methodology/approach--The program model was based on the…

Participation in a health promotion program for 192 overweight and obese adults with mental retardation was associated with behavior change resulting in reduction of body mass index--BMI (weight in kg, divided by height in meters, squared) by the end of the program. We analyzed the mediating and intermediate factors contributing to weight…

In 1994, 10 nonprofit institutions in Providence, Rhode Island, joined forces to form Health and Education Leadership for Providence (HELP), as a way to improve the health and education of the city's students. This document presents an interview with Neil A. Corkery, executive director of HELP, in which he described the process of developing…

Increasingly, health care providers, educators, social service personnel, mental health and juvenile justice professionals, and others recognize that the discrete services they provide cannot meet the complex needs of today's youth and families. This paper presents findings of a descriptive case study that explored the interorganizational problems…

An important goal of health education is to change behavior by increasing knowledge, but current theory has not been able to account for the actual health behavior of adolescents. Theoretical and empirical work has been focused on explaining individual health behaviors: for example, risky adolescent behaviors such as drinking, smoking, drug use,…

This document describes an agenda for the first 5 years of a comprehensive effort to eliminate childhood lead poisoning. In 1984, between 3 and 4 million children were estimated to have blood lead levels high enough to adversely affect intelligence and behavior. Lead in the home environment, especially lead-based paint, is the major source of lead…

Since 1991, 23 school health centers have been established to serve children and families through locally sponsored health and education partnerships to improve the health and learning potential of Louisiana's public school students. This report presents information on the program operation in 1996-97. Section 1 of the report describes the growth…

Louisiana's School-Based Health Center (SBHC) Program, the Adolescent School Health Initiative, has reached its fifth year of full program implementation. This report aims to educate community leaders, service providers, and the general public on the variety of roles SBHCs perform and the contribution they make to the health and well-being of the…

The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) scales have been used both to evaluate program effects and to assign subjects to treatment modalities. This study explored the construct validity of scores from the MHLC scales when the measure is used with adults who solicit intervention to promote their own health. The MHLC measures health…

This paper contains preliminary findings from a 1989 survey of over 400 rural health programs serving chronically ill, handicapped, or high-risk children. Respondents identified major problems affecting service delivery. Follow-up research is continuing, but present data indicate that transportation problems, for both clients and staff, will…

The ideal school cafeteria includes a salad bar and serving tables with healthy food items. Certain cafeteria pitfalls, such as a noisy or stuffy atmosphere, can be avoided by good administration. Specific guidelines on campaigning for better school food consist of building a community coalition that holds public meetings, learning about the…

The University Health Services (UHS) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, has been conducting contraception education sessions since 1970. The Contraception Education Session lasts about one and one-half hours and consists of three sections: a slide/tape production overview of all prescription and nonprescription methods available, a…

This guide is designed to help Hispanic community-based organizations (CBOs) begin Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) education and prevention activities. The following barriers to AIDS education in the Hispanic community are outlined: (1) the perception that AIDS is a gay, white, male disease; (2) the social stigma associated with…

Extensive guidelines for the development of a comprehensive school-based health clinic at the middle, junior, or senior high school levels are presented. School-based clinics usually provide the primary health care services needed by adolescents: health maintenance examinations and assessments; diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic…

This paper provides background information on existing refugee health policy as spelled out in the Refugee Act of 1980, consideration that issues in health and health care have received, and significant program development that has occurred in addressing health care problems. Following the introduction, Section II describes the following: (1)…