This report details the impact of the changing health environment on children's health and access to health care in New York state. The report links key measures of child health with recent policy changes, such as expansions in health insurance coverage, Medicaid managed care, and welfare reform. Data from 1997 are used as a baseline measure for…

Determinants of alcohol, cigarette, marijuana, and/or crack use were assessed in 2,078 fourth graders and 1,082 fifth graders (predominantly African-American urban). Patterns suggest that peer behaviors and attitudes are more influential for socially censored behaviors than for more socially approved behaviors. Perception of friends' behaviors is…

Reviews peer-led substance-abuse prevention programs for middle school youth to determine whether they are efficacious in minimizing substance use. A meta-analysis of 120 studies examined program features and effectiveness. Results indicated that interactive peer interventions for middle school students were statistically superior to…

The aim of this study was to explain the effects of anti-smoking parenting practices on adolescent smoking cognitions and behavior by showing the mediating effects of cognitions. Data were gathered among Dutch high school students in the control condition of the European Smoking prevention Framework Approach (ESFA). Anti-smoking parenting…

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of the Going Places Program and mediation of treatment effects. Seven middle schools were randomized to intervention or comparison conditions and students (n = 1,320) in two successive cohorts provided five waves of data from sixth through eighth grade. The Going Places Program included classroom…

Purpose: To examine a tobacco prevention elementary school project completed in 2000 in one rural state in the southeastern USA. Design/methodology/approach: Initially, 721 public school fourth through sixth grade teachers across Mississippi attended (for reimbursement) a tobacco prevention workshop that included curriculum-integrated material;…

This study examined the priority health behaviors among Chinese youth by administering a questionnaire to 1,917 undergraduates enrolled in three universities in China. The response rate was 89.7%. This survey found that 75.2% of the participants tried cigarettes at least once during their lifetime, over half had their first cigarette and alcoholic…

When employees develop cancer, businesses bear not only the direct medical costs of the disease, but also the indirect costs associated with lost work time, disability payments, loss of a trained employee, and retraining. Research has confirmed that aggressive prevention and screening programs can be, and indeed are, effective in limiting the…

The effects of the fifth grade unit of the School Health Curriculum Project (SHCP) were investigated in a multicultural setting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One of the purposes of the study was to design and test portions of an evaluation model that could be expanded and used by other school districts which are involved with SHCP. The second paper…

These bilingual English/Spanish Adult Proficiency Materials comprise three adult education courses in these areas: consumer education, health, and nutrition. Part 1, Consumer Education, covers these topics: money management, credit, frauds, consumer complaints, housing, utility bills, saving energy, banking, insurance (car, health, life), buying a…

This document describes two models for an early school health curriculum project. These two projects were initiated with the aim of increasing effective cooperation of public health personnel work with public schools in teaching health maintenance and prevention of disease. The Berkeley Project worked with students of grade three through grade…

Health problems are the focus of this text for junior and senior high school students. Information about anatomy and physiology is provided only to the extent that it will enhance understandings of or solutions to health problems; however, a series of anatomical drawings is included near the center of the book for easy reference. Each chapter is…

Describes a study that tested a model that included individual and environmental indicators of bonding to predict smoking, substance use, and sexual activity among secondary students. Individuals reporting high levels of bonding were less likely to exhibit high-risk behavior, regardless of gender. School environment directly influenced ninth…

Objective: The overall aim of the research was to investigate the approaches taken to tobacco education by primary school teachers. Setting: Research was conducted in four diverse areas of Scotland. Methods: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with primary 6 and primary 7 teachers. Questions explored the classroom issues…

In 2004, the Women's Sports Foundation published the first edition of "Her Life Depends On It" (Don Sabo, Kathleen E. Miller, Merrill J. Melnick, and Leslie Heywood). At that time, it was clear that evidence-based research confirmed that regular physical activity and sport provides the critical foundation, in no small part, that allows girls and…