Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of a school health promotion (SHP) advisor in the implementation of the six steps of the Dutch "Schoolbeat" approach, aimed at establishing health promotion policies and activities in secondary schools. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 80 school board members, and 18…

Purpose: This paper aims to review the effectiveness of a Smoke-free Homes Project in a deprived area, Salford, in the UK. The project aimed to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke within the home, chiefly amongst households with resident smokers. Design/methodology/approach: Local people from ten deprived communities were recruited as Smoke-free…

Registration or recognition systems for best-practice health promotion interventions may contribute to better quality assurance and control in health promotion practice. In the Netherlands, such a system has been developed and is being implemented aiming to provide policy makers and professionals with more information on the quality and…

This article reviews the challenges encountered in the recruitment of urban older African-Americans in a study to explore the effects of interactive educational intervention on functional health literacy and diabetes knowledge. Our methods included identification of challenges related to the individual characteristics of seniors' centers that…

The aims of this study were to (1) determine the energy expenditure of adults with and without intellectual disabilities during common activities of daily living (ADL), (2) use these values to evaluate the accuracy of equivalent activity values reported in the Compendium of Physical Activities (CPA), and (3) identify ADL that may confer a health…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the level of smoke-free policies in general hospitals and the barriers faced in implementing restrictive policies banning smoking inside buildings and on surrounding grounds. Design/methodology/approach; A survey was developed to gather data on hospitals' current smoke-free policies, including the challenges…

Serving meals and snacks at school is fraught with politics and pitfalls. While the battle rages in school cafeterias over menu choices, beverage sales, vending foods, and outright bans on what students can buy or even bring to school, there is some good news. More school districts are reducing the number of fried foods, increasing the levels of…

School health and nutrition programs can contribute to achieving the goals of the Education for All initiative (EFA) by helping children enroll on time, complete their education, and realize their cognitive potential. Achieving these goals depends on reaching the children most in need. One strong feature of school health and nutrition programs is…

The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study is to examine the effectiveness of the "Healthy Kids, Smart Kids" intervention program on academics. Extant data will be used to determine if a statistically significant difference in academics exist between experimental schools implementing the "Healthy Kids, Smart…

Child-care settings provide numerous opportunities to promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among preschool children. The majority of U.S. children are placed in some form of non-parental care during their preschool years. While approximately 15 percent of preschool children are primarily cared for by their relatives, most…

When it comes to using social media technology for alcohol, drug abuse, and violence prevention, Thomas Workman, at Baylor College of Medicine's John M. Eisenberg Center for Clinical Decisions and Communications Science, points out that social media is interactive. This means that a person is entering a conversation rather than a declaration, and…

The obesity level and related health problems in American children have risen to the point where the Centers for Disease Control predicts the current generation may be the first to die at younger ages than their parents. Ann Cooper, a chef and long-time advocate for healthier food choices and health education for children, argues that child…

A little-known health care safety net plays a big role for young people across the U.S. More than 1,900 school-based health centers (SBHCs) provide access to care--primary health, mental health and counseling, family outreach, and chronic illness management--to nearly 1.7 million children and adolescents. SBHCs are partnerships between schools and…

This study explored the process of how women maintained their healthy behaviors after a weight management program using a grounded theory approach. We conducted 2 focus groups and 23 interviews with a purposeful sample of African American and Caucasian women aged 30 and older who lost greater than 5% of their body weight during a weight management…

The general health of school-age children is in the national spotlight, and school lunches are falling under scrutiny. Many of the food options that schools offer seem to be contributing to the obesity problem. Schools can play a critical role in promoting healthier eating habits through their wellness policies and participation in the National…