This article discusses the role of health educators and the principles which should guide their practice. Health educators are advised to remain vigilant in not misinterpreting research data. (IAH)

Recounts the discovery of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Suggests prospects for vaccine, therapy, and the epidemic. Includes pictures of the virion structure and data from sources of epidemiology, analysis of blood-serum samples, and cell biology that support the stated causes of the disease. (RT)

Examines exposure to chemicals within the home and three important ways in which hazardous substances can be identified and evaluated. Suggests a rational picture of human health risks and contains an introductory discussion of reasons for exposure, epidemiology, cancer causes and patterns, animal testing, toxins, and risk. (LZ)

National survey data show that prevalences of drug use and drinking in metropolitan areas along the Mexican border were similar to those of the rest of the United States. Hispanics residing near the border had lower prevalence rates for most drugs than did other U.S. Hispanics, although Hispanic border youth had rates similar to other U.S. youth.…

Health survey research assesses health of individuals in population. Measures include prevalence/incidence of diseases, signs/symptoms, functional states, and health services utilization. Although assessing individual biologic robustness can be problematic, testable approaches do exist. Characteristics of health of populations/communities, not…

This study found no significant difference in the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigens or antibodies between 180 noninstitutionalized subjects (ages 1-29) with Down's syndrome and 155 subjects without Down's syndrome. This finding contrasts with previous findings with institutionalized Down's syndrome subjects. (Author/DB)

A random review of medical and mental health charts at Indian Health Service (IHS) units serving New Mexico and southern Colorado revealed that 21 percent of individuals using IHS services during a 10-year period came at least once for alcohol or mental health problems. Contains 37 references. (SV)

Objective: To examine the association of psychiatric symptoms with migraine and tension-type headache in children. Method: A questionnaire completed by 1,135 Finnish children in the sixth grade identified 154 children with migraine, 138 with tension-type headache, and 407 children who were headache-free. Seventy children were randomly selected…

Objective: To describe the prevalence of DSM-IV disorders and the pattern of comorbidity in a population-based sample of 7- to 14-year-old Brazilian schoolchildren. Method: Random sampling of schools (stratified into private, public rural, and public urban) was followed by random sampling of pupils from school lists. In 2000-2001, a total of 1,251…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur in the U.S. each year; 5,000 are fatal. Most of these illnesses are caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites and the remaining are poisonings triggered by harmful toxins or chemicals. To Jack Guzewich, a foodborne disease…

Background: Because the epidemiologic data available for adolescents from the developing world is scarce, the objective is to estimate the prevalence and severity of psychiatric disorders among Mexico City adolescents, the socio-demographic correlates associated with these disorders and service utilization patterns. Methods: This is a multistage…

Purpose: This study used epidemiological data of older African Americans and Caucasians living in an urban community to compare those factors associated with active or passive suicidal ideation in each racial group. Design and Methods: Using 1990 census data for Brooklyn, New York, we attempted to interview all cognitively intact adults aged 55 or…

Research has identified risk and protective factors related to adolescent substance use using individual-level data, but it is uncertain whether or not these relationships exist when data are aggregated to a community level. Using data from adolescents in 41 communities, this article found that most community and family risk and protective…

The purpose of this paper is to provide background information about the spread of viruses in a population, to introduce an adaptable procedure to further the understanding of epidemiology in the high school setting, and to show how hypothesis testing and statistics can be incorporated into a high school lab exercise. It describes a project which…

This study investigated students' understanding of a virtual infectious disease in relation to their understanding of natural infectious diseases. Two sixth-grade classrooms of students between the ages of 10 and 12 (46 students) took part in a participatory simulation of a virtual infectious disease, which was integrated into their science…