Academic achievement and high test scores are not the only indicators of a successful school. A good school is also a safe school. Unfortunately, every year in the United States, approximately 3.7 million students suffer an injury at school severe enough to require medical attention or to limit activity. Most of the injuries are preventable. Data…

Johnson C. Smith University, one of the nation's oldest historically Black colleges and universities, has a peer education program known as Students with a Realistic Mission (SWARM). SWARM's primary focus is on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted disease prevention, alcohol education, and other drug awareness. During the spring 2000 semester, we…

Objective: To test the feasibility and effectiveness of dietary change interventions in UK school-based settings. This overview draws out the main lessons that were learnt from these studies, for both practitioners and researchers. Design: A review and analysis of the final reports from five studies commissioned by the Food Standards Agency.…

This study examined attitudes of high school students toward fitness and sports activities taught in physical education, and the perceived effectiveness of their physical education curriculum for improving their fitness and skill levels. Students from six high schools and 17 intact physical education classes agreed to participate. Data were…

Reforms that have been undertaken in the mental health system have significant implications for psychologists working in and with schools. This article introduces the special series in "School Psychology Review" on "Emerging models for promoting children's mental health: Linking systems for prevention and intervention." This article describes…

Objectives: To provide recommendations that will build a better foundation for research on youth smoking cessation. Methods: The Youth Tobacco Collaborative Cessation panel evaluated youth tobacco cessation literature and convened meetings to reach consensus. Results: Methodological issues include design, recruitment and retention, follow-up,…

This paper addresses the concept of student participation in learning processes within the health promoting schools approach. A model is used as a broad analytical framework to discuss selected aspects of the evaluation data on the Internet-based collaborative project titled "Virtual Classroom--ICT, Learning and Changes", recently…

HIV-related stigma and discrimination are major barriers to the successful control of HIV. Stigma is associated with the disease as well as the behaviors that lead to infection. A qualitative study was conducted to identify the reasons, sources, and types of HIV-related stigma prevalent in rural China. Eighty in-depth interviews were conducted…

As more opportunities for enrolling in online courses and programs become available, ensuring the quality of such educational experiences will continue to increase in importance. One factor determining quality concerns the student support services available to distance learners. Unfortunately, these services are often underdeveloped or overlooked,…

Smoking in pregnancy is a serious health risk to mother and baby that is associated with premature birth, low birth weight and respiratory disorders. Recently it has become apparent that smoking in pregnancy can have long-term consequences for the child, including learning difficulties, elevated risk of diabetes, obesity and asthma. Over the past…

Background: Although physicians are in a unique position to prevent life-threatening outcomes by counseling patients to stop smoking, many of them miss the opportunity to intervene in their patients' use of tobacco. Nicotine Dependence Across the Lifespan was developed as a continuing medical education (CME) program to teach and encourage…

This study is a systematic review of the Alameda County study findings and their importance in establishing a link between lifestyle and health outcomes. A systematic review of literature was performed and data indicating important links between lifestyle and health were synthesized. Although initial studies focused on the associations between…

The increased rates of deviations in sexual behavior among young people and the number of divorces among young married families provide evidence of the urgent relevance of valeological/health-promoting sex education for the young people of Russia. This article discusses scientific and practical experience from the implementation of program…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to measure the impact of professionally conducted community-based cultural programs on the physical health, mental health, and social activities of individuals aged 65 and older. Design and Methods: Participants in the study were 166 healthy, ambulatory older adults from the Washington, DC, area. We assigned them…

This study describes perspectives of participants in a substance abuse and HIV prevention (HIVP) program targeted to middle school students and families in an urban Phoenix, Arizona, school district. Data collection and analyses complement past quasi-experimental, pre/post designs which found the program to be successful in terms of increasing…