This document is one of a series of guides to self-evaluation that builds on the advice given in the publications "How good is our school?" and "The Child at the Centre." It also shows how the relevant "National Care Standards" can be applied when evaluating the effectiveness of your establishment as a health…

This article presents statistics on school health education, looking at selected federal support and related research and focusing on the School Health Policies and Programs Study, which used questionnaires to provide data on the status of health education at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. (SM)

The School Health Policies and Programs Study assessed state, district, and school health policies prohibiting tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use (AOD), and violence. Most states required AOD use policies, but few required violence or tobacco use policies. Most districts and schools had written policies prohibiting all such behavior. (SM)

Describes an approach to help school districts conduct needs assessment of school health programs, emphasizing injury, violence, smoking, substance use, sexual behavior, nutrition, and physical activity. Researchers surveyed students and district personnel, observed physical education classes, interviewed faculty, and analyzed school lunch menus.…

As school health services are broadening, the role and scope of school nursing is changing. The paper describes challenges facing today's school nurses and nurses' roles in new health service delivery models, offering recommendations for improving and expanding school nursing services. Descriptions of several cases and model programs are included.…

Focus groups at four middle schools examined the health topic areas of most concern to young adolescents, noted interrelationships among health issues, and gathered opinions on how to improve classroom health instruction. Sex, drugs, and violence were students' main health concerns. Students had numerous suggestions for improving classroom…

Evaluated the effectiveness of the first year of "Safer Choices," a two-year, multicomponent HIV, STD, and pregnancy-prevention program for high school students based on social theory. Student self-report surveys indicated that "Safer Choices" succeeded in reducing selected risk behaviors and in enhancing selected protective…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of V.I.K. (Very Important Kids), a school-based, multi-component intervention designed to prevent teasing and unhealthy weight-control behaviors among fourth through sixth grade students. The effectiveness of the V.I.K. intervention was evaluated using a pre-post…

Children from low-income families are more likely to have dental disease and less likely to have regular dental care. Children's dental-related illnesses are responsible for more than 880,000 lost school days each year. The lack of reliable state-level data often makes monitoring the oral health of children a challenge. By conducting oral health…

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a serious and widespread problem in this country. Positioned within the community with links to children, families, and healthcare systems, school nurses are a critical element in the prevention and treatment of those affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Although most school nurses are familiar…

This article describes the challenges and strengths of asthma management in 14 low-income, predominantly African American urban elementary schools serving more than 5,000 students. Asthma prevalence was 24.5%. Teachers, school principals, parents, and children described how asthma was managed at school. Data from classmates of students with asthma…

Purpose: The purpose of the Nutrition Education Students and Teachers (NEST) project was to develop a model of collaboration between University of Delaware dietetics students and elementary teachers to promote nutrition education in the classroom. Design/methodology/approach: Junior and senior level students in a nutrition education course…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review current programmes and major issues surrounding preventive interventions for body image and obesity in schools. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review was carried out by analysing papers cited in major literature databases from the last 50 years. This review describes and summarises…

College students who are no longer fully adolescent and not yet fully adult are frequently at risk for developing habits of excessive alcohol use, with consequent poor study habits and aberrant socialization patterns. "Weeding out" such trends is the work of prevention programs on campus. "Seeding" with other pro-social norms becomes the second…

Community Health Aides and Community Health Practitioners (CHA/Ps), the primary providers of healthcare in rural Alaska, share the importance of story as a culturally respectful way for creating meaning and broadening understanding. Story is woven into the fabric of cancer education courses for CHA/Ps. Between May 2004 and April 2007, 13 week-long…