In the last decade, there has been increased attention paid to the scope of mental and physical health problems that affect individuals at different points over the entire life span. This volume presents many problem areas and the range of their impact on individuals, families, and society at large. The impact of intervention programs is described…

The Healthy for Life (HFL) program was an efficacy test of an adolescent health promotion program designed specifically for use with middle school students. Four conceptually distinct, but inter-related, components were designed to influence young adolescents in school, with their peers, in their families, and in the communities. HFL was unique in…

This book examines the impact of HIV/AIDS on education in sub-Saharan African countries. It looks at the situation at both macro and micro levels and emphasizes the need to react quickly and to institutionalize the response of education systems to the negative consequences of the pandemic. Drawing on studies of a few countries in sub-Saharan…

Offers two strategies for addressing student fitness needs, focusing on students' outside-of-class participation in physical activities. The first strategy is an approach to identifying community resources; the second involves a set of terms and a student log for meeting a contracted commitment to being active outside of class. (SM)

A statewide survey examined health status, behaviors, and concerns of 446 randomly selected early childhood professionals--directors, teachers, and family day care providers. Found dramatic changes in perceived frequency of various symptoms and becoming ill since working with children. Found significant differences between groups for number of…

The effectiveness of an intervention based upon the theories of Ajzen and Triandis was evaluated among 698 junior and 306 senior high school students. The intervention to juniors was offered by senior students who were trained during a course integrated into the school curriculum. Respondents in the control and experimental groups completed a…

Adolescents are at risk for poor dietary intake and unhealthy weight control behaviors. Family meals appear to play an important role in helping adolescents make healthier food choices and avoid engaging in unhealthy weight control and binge eating behaviors. (Contains 2 figures.)

Supportive and caring relations within families promote academic achievement and protect against involvement in health-risk behaviors by adolescents. Similarly, supportive and caring relationships within schools (henceforth, school connectedness) promote academic motivation among adolescents. Much less is known, however, about the influence of…

Physical activity levels begin to decline in childhood and continue falling throughout adolescence, with girls being at greatest risk for inactivity. Schools are ideal settings for helping girls develop and maintain a physically active lifestyle. This paper describes the design and implementation of "Lifestyle Education for Activity Program", or…

The HIV epidemic is rising in Asian and Pacific Islander men who have sex with men (API MSM), who are often first diagnosed with HIV at a late stage of disease. We investigated the HIV testing patterns, correlates of prior testing, and awareness of HIV infection of 495 API MSM aged 18-29 years recruited from venues in San Francisco, using…

This study investigates cognitive, cultural, and contextual factors that influence HIV-related risk behaviors among Asian women who engage in sex work at massage parlors in San Francisco. Focus groups and qualitative interviews were conducted for Vietnamese and Thai masseuses and massage parlor owners/managers. Economic pressure as well as…

This study examined the predictive power of knowledge, attitudes, support for AIDS education, teaching comfort, perceived behavioral control, religious (Vodoun and Christian) beliefs, and subjective norms on Haitian educators' teaching of HIV/AIDS to their students. Two hundred and fourteen teachers from Jeremie and surrounding areas in Haiti…

A national-level needs assessment of high school psychologists, social workers, counselors, and nurses was conducted to identify training and educational resource material needs of these staff relevant to providing health and mental health services to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and questioning (GLBQ) youth. Systematic sampling procedures were…

National health statistics highlight a serious problem in adolescent girls and boys. Too many teenagers are sedentary, unfit, overweight, and prone to related health consequences (Fagot-Campagna, Pettit, Engelgau, Burrows, & Geiss, 2000; Flegal, 1999; Ogden, Flegal, Carroll, & Johnson, 2002; Troiano & Flegal, 1998). Ethnic teens have been less…

The increase in childhood obesity over the past several decades, together with the associated health problems and costs, is raising grave concern among health care professionals, policy experts, children's advocates, and parents. Patricia Anderson and Kristin Butcher document trends in children's obesity and examine the possible underlying causes…