This document summarizes some of the major developments now underway in health promotion and disease prevention and reviews the federal contribution to achievement of prevention objectives. The first chapter focuses on opportunities in health promotion which offer the key to many potential improvements in the national health status profile and…

This paper presents an overview of the evolution of the Yale University Child Study Center's School Development Program (SDP) since its implementation in New Haven, Connecticut in 1968. The needs of inner city school children are discussed, and results of parent and staff surveys are presented. A critique of alternative school improvement…

This paper describes the program and research related to the "Making It" series of 18 multi-media divorce workshops co-sponsored by a community mental health center (CMHC) and a chapter of Parents without Partners (PWP). An introductory section discusses the rationale for larger scale community intervention and epidemiological research. The…

This paper reports the progress of an ongoing clinical research project on prevention services for at risk infants of mentally ill mothers. This project extends the prevention focus of early education programs into the mental health field. Previous research findings indicate that maximum preventive effects are achieved when programs (a) begin…

A program aimed at promoting mental health in elementary school-age children is described in this report. The project's short-term goal is to help children successfully cope with social and emotional problems. One long-term goal is to prevent mental health problems which require long and costly remediation; another is to enhance the lives of…

The development of community mental health center (CMHC) school consultation programs is analyzed within an interorganizational framework. From the perspective of the CMHC, the school system can provide access to a large target population and bestow legitimacy to the CMHC's overall consultation program. From the school system's point of view, the…

This is a description of a mental health project in which the goal of assisting the general public in managing stability-threatening situations is pursued by starting outside the community mental health center, in a rural high school. Included are: (1) a description of students; (2) a statement of goals that directed the teaching effort; (3) the…

The purpose of this booklet is to provide answers to basic questions about the Medicaid Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program. The first section argues that the need for EPSDT is evidenced in statistics on the health status of needy children. Provision of health care for many needy children depends on their…

Given the documented link between smoking and later debilitating health conditions, a need exists to investigate educational programs aimed at reducing rates of smoking among school-age children. An entire class of ninth graders was involved in a treatment condition featuring either role-playing and discussion or discussion only. While both…

Reviews literature on adjustment problems experienced by immigrant children and the effectiveness of intervention program developed to aid them. Considers a new conceptualization of the immigration process among children, their particular needs, and how these might best be met by preventive mental health interventions. (KH)

"Data Trends" reports present summaries of research on mental health services for children and adolescents and their families. The article summarized in this "Data Trends" reviews theory and research on stigma and mental health with a focus on the stigmatization of mental illness in the family when either a child or a parent has a mental illness.…

This article urges a reexamination of the concept of dissemination of health-related prevention programs. The article discusses factors that serve as sustaining conditions for dissemination of prevention programs including: (1) the nature of preventive intervention and parameters of effective community-based prevention praxis; (2) aspects of the…

Describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a training program in the primary prevention of childhood mental disorders for caregivers, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Cites the program's positive impact, as measured by increases in participants' knowledge and skills. (Author/MJL)

Humanistic gerontology is based on the belief that aging can be a rewarding growth and maturation process. This "humanistic" approach to health care emphasizes preventive education and self-responsibility. Helping professions must respond to the unique needs and potentials of the continually expanding elder population. (Author)

Statistical approaches to assess how prevention and intervention programs achieve their effects are described and illustrated through the evaluation of a health promotion program to reduce dietary cholesterol and a school-based drug prevention program. Analyses require the measurement of intervening or mediating variables to represent the…