Findings are reported from a study conducted to design, implement, and evaluate the effects of a cardiovascular screening and educational training program aimed at reducing heart disease risk factors of corrections personnel. Inclusion of peer educator/advocate intervention significantly affected the incidence of certain risk factors. (IAH)

Assessed an interactive, computer-mediated intervention to help smokeless tobacco users quit by providing a user-friendly, personalized approach that engaged clients in the quitting process. Participant evaluation indicated that at 6-week follow-up, most had made an attempt to quit, and 58 percent were able to quit for at least 24 hours. Responses…

Restorative care attempts to break the cycle of dependency and functional decline in nursing homes by addressing individual resident needs. The Restorative Care Education and Training (RCET) Program consists of a five-week workshop and resource manual for both supervisory and direct care staff. This paper describes the RCET approach and presents…

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama", as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about…

The third annual conference of the National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL) was held at Trinity College Dublin on 11-12 November 2009, and was attended by over 300 delegates. The theme--"Research-Teaching Linkages: Practice and Policy"--was timely and generated some fascinating papers, workshops and…

Underserved youths are affected by a variety of circumstances such as poverty, poor nutrition, and low physical activity levels. While many extended-day physical activity programs exist, few focus on the importance of health and wellness. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of an extended-day program for underserved youths…

Physical education and sport are often critically evaluated for the potential impact they can have on the development of children, both from the perspective of health and the development of sporting talent. Reflecting these two important goals, this paper presents an evaluation of the efficacy of an evidence-based, educational and inclusive…

As knowledge of effective treatments for mental disorders has grown, so too has the field of mental health promotion and positive development. Studies completed during the last two decades have synthesized the state of mental health promotion and documented that universal mental health supports positively affect child and adolescent developmental…

We conducted a systematic review of controlled studies of parenting programmes to prevent tobacco, alcohol or drug abuse in children less than 18. We searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, specialized Register of Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group, Pub Med, psych INFO, CINALH and SIGLE. Two reviewers independently screened studies,…

This study examined the association between ecological context (extrafamilial, familial, child factors) at baseline and longitudinal retention of families in the 36-month assessment of an adolescent alcohol and tobacco use prevention program that was conducted within a pediatric primary care setting. A total of 1,780 families were enrolled at…

When administration and staff jointly focus on centralized goals, they unite to form a powerful base from which a successful substance abuse program can evolve. Planning activities that include all staff members who have feelings of self-efficacy result in a comprehensive, integrated curriculum and program that is effective for local needs.…

A research review identified four factors other than knowledge that influence decisions regarding healthful behaviors: perceptions of risks, perceptions of self, physical and social environment, and perceptions of costs and benefits of recommended behavior. Findings were used to develop guidelines for messages and programs designed to encourage…

Responses from 322 (71%) health promotion program administrators tested a level of institutionalization scale. Results support four factors for routinization of program in each subsystem (production, maintenance, support, management) and four on degree of program saturation in subsystems. Routinization correlated more highly with program…

The effectiveness of a sexual-education and health-promotion program for 252 women with mental retardation was analyzed using an evaluation model. Three factors (hygiene, social interaction, and sexual experience) affected sexual knowledge directly. An increase in sexual knowledge was associated with a greater number of instructional contacts.…

Professional literature indicates that peer programs in the 1990s were widely used to address a variety of health education content. The literature shows a paucity of peer program evaluations. The increased focus of peer education programs illustrates the importance of conducting evaluations to establish whether these programs are cost effective,…