In 1996, UNICEF's 50th anniversary year, the organization celebrated its achievements in saving and improving the lives of millions of children and women. At the same time, it took stock of the many lessons learned from a half century at the forefront of development. As a result of this assessment, UNICEF took several important measures to…

Prior to the enactment of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), policymakers examined the need to safeguard the private insurance market from "crowd out," the substitution of public health insurance coverage for private health insurance coverage. This qualitative study examined how 18 states are addressing crowd out, the…

This publication presents information on wheat. Wheat was originally a wild grass and not native to the United States. Wheat was not planted there until 1777 (and then only as a hobby crop). Wheat is grown on more acres than any other grain in this country. Soft wheats are grown east of the Mississippi River, and hard wheats are grown west of the…

This paper describes the State Children's Health Insurance Program's (SCHIP's) financing system, examining two alternatives under consideration for changing the system of redistributing unspent SCHIP funds. Section 1 presents background on SCHIP's financing structure (it is a block grant program, each state's share of federal SCHIP funds is…

Using the example of a Texas elementary school, describes how to eliminate mold and mildew from school facilities, including discovering the problem, responding quickly, reconstructing the area, and crisis planning and prevention. (EV)

Assesses the current sexual health status of Canadian youth in relation to sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy rates, and sexual practices, discussing the social and historical context of adolescence and adolescent sexuality in Canada. The paper draws insights from international comparisons of adolescent sexual health indicators and discusses…

Investigated the effects of exercise programs on changes in body mass, fat-free mass, and body fat in obese children and adolescents. Research review indicated that exercise effectively helped reduce children's and adolescents' body composition variables. The most favorable body alterations occurred with low- intensity, long-duration exercise;…

According to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, three essential elements of a quality physical-education program are opportunity to learn, meaningful content, and appropriate instruction. Describes how these elements combine to directly enhance child health and indirectly improve academic achievement. (PKP)

Describes easy-to-implement strategies parents can use to ensure their children's safety in the sun and avoid skin cancer, which is the most prevalent form of cancer in United States. Suggestions include: limit the amount of time spent in the sun, wear protective clothing, use sunscreening agents, and have knowledge of skin cancer and its…

Criticizes new classroom sound standard proposed by the American National Standards Institute that sets maximum background sound level at 35 decibels (described as "a whisper at 2 meters"). Argues that new standard is too costly for schools to implement, is not recommended by the medical community, and cannot be achieved by construction…

Discusses the relation of fiber to children's diet and health. The need for fiber in children's diet is addressed and a listing of foods with fiber content is given. (DG)

Because radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in this country, the article presents a question and answer sheet on where radon comes from, which buildings are most likely to have radon, how to tell whether there is a problem, and expenses involved in testing and fixing problems. (SM)

Assessed parents' information needs regarding childhood immunizations and their satisfaction with the Vaccination Information Pamphlets (VIPS). Found that parents wanted information about many aspects of immunizations, and those familiar with the VIPs reported high levels of satisfaction. Some, however, reported that the pamphlets were too long.…

Describes the importance of early childhood education as a source of information about health and safety of young children. Discusses the significance of early childhood programs adopting an epidemiological approach to document this information. Outlines a five-step plan to conduct an epidemiological study, using examples from epidemiological…

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons launched a national public education campaign focusing on the problem of injuries related to playground equipment. The article presents several of its recommendations for playground safety and provides instructions for obtaining a free brochure. (SM)