Effective January 1, 2001, New York State enacted the Expanded Syringe Access Demonstration Program (ESAP), allowing syringes to be sold in pharmacies without a prescription or dispensed through doctors, hospitals, and clinics to adults. A concern in the assessment of ESAP is its effects on syringe disposal practices. Syringe use data regarding…

Restriction of means for suicide is an important part of suicide preventive strategies in different countries. The effect on method-specific suicide rate and overall suicide rate of restrictions on availability of carbon monoxide, barbiturates, and dextropropoxyphene was examined. From 1970 to 2000, overall suicide mortality and method-specific…

Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of falls-prevention programs designed for community-dwelling seniors using randomized designs. However, little is known about the feasibility of implementing these programs under natural conditions and about the success of these programs when delivered under such conditions. The objectives of this…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of program interventions in a school-based teen pregnancy program on hypothesized constructs underlying teens' attitudes toward sexuality. An important task related to this purpose was the validation of the constructs and their stability from pre- to postintervention measures. Data from 1,136…

Background: Although it is common for people with intellectual disability (ID) to fall, the reasons for this have not yet been identified. This pilot study aimed to explore the balance capabilities of a sample of adults with profound ID who had experienced a fall, in order to identify possible reasons for falling and to identify potential tests…

Rigorously evaluated prenatal and infancy home visitation programs for families at risk have proven to effectively prevent the development of early onset and later conduct problems. the German pilot project "Pro Kind" is an adaptation of the US evidence-based Nurse-Family Partnership program. It has been evaluated in a longitudinal…

U.S. teen pregnancy and birth rates remain among the highest in the western world. And although Latina teens were the only group to experience a decline in birth rate between 2006 and 2007, they continue to experience the highest rates in most states and across the nation. About half of all Latina teens experience pregnancy before they reach their…

The purpose of this study was to determine if differences in the frequency of school resource officer behaviors exist and if any differences in behaviors were related to differences in the frequency of incidents of school violence. This study collected information about tasks that SROs complete and compared that information to the frequency of…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Two Omnibus Bills and a Partridge in a Pear Tree?: Final Vote on Education Appropriations Bill Could Come Before…

In an effort to better understand the various economic benefits that a particular urban area could expect were it to reduce its number of high school dropouts, the Alliance for Excellent Education, has developed, with the generous support of State Farm[R], a sophisticated economic model in partnership with Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. The…

Student "affiliation," also referred to as "engagement," "involvement," "identification," "connectedness," participation," and "bonding" with the school is linked to student success,and a lack of affiliation is directly connected to students' reasons for dropping out of school. Educational reformers and school leaders are beginning to turn their…

Runaway behavior is a national epidemic that affects many school-aged youths. Although there are no definitive numbers, it has been estimated that between 1.3 and 2.8 million youths run away each year, and youths with disabilities are more at risk for engaging in runaway behavior than their nondisabled peers. Considering the high number of youths…

This article reports on mother-child conflict as an outcome and moderator of Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), a preventive intervention for depression. Forty-one adolescents (average age = 13.37, SD = 1.19) with elevated depression symptoms were randomized to receive IPT-AST or school counseling (SC). Adolescents…

In recent years, bullying seems to have become more serious and more pervasive. Research indicates that 15% to 20% of all students are victimized by bullies at some point in their school careers. Clearly, bullying is a problem that schools must recognize and address. Bullying has three distinguishing characteristics: (1) it is intentional; (2) it…

Meta-analysis was applied to study the empirical research from 1990-2007 regarding the effectiveness of the dating violence prevention programs in middle and high schools on students' knowledge and attitudes. The results show that overall the program participants improved their knowledge and attitudes towards dating violence. Implications for…