This booklet reports on the results of the 1998 Texas School Survey of Substance Use among Students: Grades 4-6. The statewide school survey monitors trends in substance use among public school students, identifies emerging problem areas, and serves as a basis of comparison for local school surveys which are conducted annually by various school…

Following pilot implementation in 2003-2004, a cohort of 16 AISD schools received district support for the implementation of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) on their campuses in 2004-2005. The results of the evaluation suggest that by spring 2005, most schools had created representative PBS teams, established clearly defined behavioral…

Certain risk factors for cardiovascular disease may be modified in childhood. The paper discusses high blood cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, and high blood pressure, noting that risk factor education and modification can occur at home, school, or the doctor's office. (Author/SM)

Presents findings from the Bogalusa Heart Study that describe the early natural history of coronary artery disease and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, noting the benefits of early, regular, comprehensive school health education. A discussion of cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking, oral contraception, drinking, and diet…

Substantial research and theory suggests that smoking initiation is socially mediated, with both peers and parents playing important roles. To learn more about how parenting behaviors influence smoking initiation, students (n = 1002) from four middle schools were surveyed at the beginning of the sixth grade (T1), and the end of the sixth (T2) and…

This analysis determined the association between 13 selected health risk and protective factors and reporting two or more lifetime sexual intercourse partners and non-condom use for last coitus among sexually experienced U.S. rural high school students. The sample was 569 sexually experienced adolescent females and 561 sexually experienced…

Understanding and preventing high school failure is a national priority. Structural strain and general deviance theories attempt to explain late high school failure. The authors tested the hypotheses that general (vs. specific) deviance and academic competence mediate the relationships between structural strain factors (gender, ethnicity, and…

Since 1996, our research team has conducted 15 focus groups with 169 middle-school youth in small communities as formative research for campaigns against alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and violence. Some key findings of a synthesis of focus-group results are that girls and boys perceive different risks to alcohol and tobacco use; peer relationships are…

This KIDS COUNT report examines trends in the status of South Carolina children on a state-wide and county basis. The statistical portrait is based on 32 indicators of well-being, grouped into 6 categories: (1) family (family characteristics, child neglect/abuse); (2) economic status (poverty, mean family income); (3) health (prenatal care,…

This paper discusses a study that examines the relationship between participation in religious youth groups, smoking behavior and subsequent use of cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol. The document briefly surveys earlier research on smoking and drug abuse. The study surveyed students, schools, parents, teachers, and student academic achievement data.…

This document contains a compilation of articles that have been assembled because of their potential for enhancing understanding of rural health care issues and for their unwavering high standards. The articles promote high quality research in an area which is rapidly becoming a legitimate and recognized field of inquiry among scholars. Besides…

Children from low-income families are more likely than other children to have serious health problems. And, as Anne Case and Christina Paxson show, childhood health problems can prevent poor children from achieving economic success as adults. Income-related disparities in childhood health are evident at birth or even before, and the disparities…

This book examines comprehensively all the major health topics covered in an introductory health course and may be used in courses with a science orientation as well as in those oriented toward behavioral and social issues. The book is designed so that each chapter is a complete, independent unit. Relevant physiological facts are presented in the…

In 1995, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with state and local education and health agencies, developed the School Health Profiles (Profiles) to measure health education practices and some school health policies. Using input from education and health agencies, Profiles evolved to provide a more comprehensive…

This volume--the second in a two-volume set from the Monitoring the Future study--provides findings on the substance use and related behaviors of several segments of the adult population. It also contains findings on attitudes and beliefs about drugs, as well as on several particularly salient dimensions of their social environments. Volume I…