Health educators are described as having the primary teaching objectives of (1) reduction of premature death rates; (2) reduction of incidences of serious disabling diseases; and (3) promotion of intelligent, self-directed health behavior. Stress is examined as a major factor in ill-health among today's youth, and a rationale is presented for…

A summative research program sought to determine the impact, benefits, and consequences of "Feeling Good"--a series of hour and half-hour broadcasts oriented toward health, produced by Children's Television Workshop for airing on public television, and targeted toward the adult viewing population. The research procedure was a variant of…

This document presents papers, critiques, and comments from a symposium which assessed the current status of preventive dental behavior. The field was divided into the following three major areas: (a) mass media programs, (b) school health programs, and (c) effect of the private practitioner. Each author was asked to review the literature, provide…

The author (1) presents data drawn from a fourteen-week program on oral health care involving second-grade students; (2) concludes that such a program is successful in promoting short-term behavioral change; and (3) stresses the need for periodic reinforcement and repetition to assure behavior maintenance over time. (MB)

This paper describes a two-year project designed to test the effectiveness of a family-based health behavior change intervention in 206 Anglo or Mexican-American families. Methodology and results to date are presented. (MT)

Storytelling can be used to motivate people toward good health behaviors. When Seminole Indians were told health-related folktales, they became more aware of obesity and diabetes problems. Suggestions for developing stories and questions are listed along with recommendations and conclusions. (DF)

Overall, Latino immigrants may be at greater risk for HIV due to lack of information, health services, and culturally relevant resources. Unfortunately, low levels of acculturation and traditional values combined with high levels of poverty and unemployment can negatively influence the risk for HIV. Non-US-born adolescents and those born to…

Adolescence represents a unique period in the life cycle. No longer children and not yet adults, adolescents make significant choices about their health and develop attitudes and health practices that impact their current safety and well-being. Those choices also often influence their risk for future serious chronic disease. Adolescence also…

Teenage sexual activity is a major problem confronting the nation and has led to a rising incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, emotional and psychological injuries, and out-of-wedlock childbearing. Abstinence education programs for youth have proven effective in reducing early sexual activity. They can also provide the foundation for…

Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs are in the nation's schools, sidetracking kids from getting a good education and from building a solid foundation for a productive, healthy life. The good news is that a large-scale evaluation of Project ALERT, the widely used middle-school drug prevention program developed by the RAND Corporation, shows that it…

Using nationally representative data from students in grades 9 to 12 from the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) of 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1997, this study examined changes in high school students' participation in health risk behaviors. Ten specific health risk behaviors were identified, each of which poses potential immediate and…

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation began surveying Kansas City area teens during the 1984-85 school year. The Kauffman Teen Survey now addresses two sets of issues for teens. Teen Health Behaviors, addressed in this report, have been a focus of the survey since its inception. The report focuses on teen use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in…

Pretest comparisons on Health Behavior Inventory do not support hypothesis that low class students have less desirable health habits than do middle class ones. Differences occur on five specific items pertaining to weight control, social behavior, dental health, infection prevention, and responsibility for community health. (Author/CJ)

Health contracting is a useful structure to guide and facilitate lifestyle and behavior changes and to promote self-control and responsibility. An investigation of college students' attempts to change health behaviors through contracting is reported. Health instruction and contracts appear to affect, and to have some lasting effects on, students'…

If health education is to develop into a discipline that increases the competencies of people to implement decisions about health behaviors, the development of a paradigm that can be used as an alternative to the behavior change paradigm is required. Several models of behavior change are presented. (JN)