The primary purpose of the study was to determine whether girls in one school receiving nurse counseling plus an after-school physical activity club showed greater improvement in physical activity, cardiovascular fitness, and body composition than girls assigned to an attention control condition in another school (N = 69). Linear regressions…

The significant cost of hosting the London 2012 Olympics is justified, in part, by claims that the games will inspire greater social cohesion, promote peace and encourage the public adoption of active healthy lifestyles. This critical review paper examines these justifications and finds them wanting. The first section provides a socio-historic…

Purpose: With the aim of contributing to the evidence base on school-based health promotion, the authors discuss the outcomes and processes of a European intervention project aiming to prevent obesity among children (4-16 years) and promote their health and well-being, titled "Shape Up: a school-community approach to influencing determinants…

How well does your school support the health and well-being of students and staff members? Explore the answer with this ASCD Action Tool and accompanying online scoring and analysis tool. Updated to reflect current research, new standards, and best practices, the Canadian second edition of the action tool guides you through the four steps of the…

Objective: To evaluate 3-month tobacco quit rates of young adult tobacco users randomized to 2 intervention conditions. Methods: Overall 192 non-treatment-seeking 18-to-24-year-old tobacco users received educational information and advice to quit smoking. Participants were then block randomized to 2 brief intervention conditions: (1) a telephone…

Objectives: To determine effects of the "5-4-3-2-1 Go" community social marketing campaign on obesity risk factors. Methods: We randomly assigned 524 parents of 3- to 7-year-old children to receive "5-4-3-2-1 Go" counseling or not. We surveyed parents about "5-4-3-2-1 Go!" behaviors and perceptions of children's behaviors at baseline and one year…

The purpose of this study was to assess the health status and physical health of international students at five American universities. International students in the United States were asked to compare the status of their health before and after coming to the United States. Findings suggested that health status of international students declined…

As a result of mental health disparities between White and racial/ethnic minority clients, researchers have argued that some therapists may be generally competent to provide effective services but lack cultural competence. This distinction assumes that client racial/ethnic background is a source of variability in therapist effectiveness. However,…

For many children, trauma exposure is a common and chronic experience. Chronic trauma exposure during childhood significantly increases the risk for emotional/behavioral disorders and academic failure. There is a critical need for school psychologists, and the schools in which they work, to understand the unique needs of students with or at risk…

Background: The "Stay Well and Healthy!" Health Risk Appraisal (SWH-HRA) tool was developed and piloted in an in-home preventive healthcare program for persons ageing with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Aronow & Hahn 2005; Hahn & Aronow 2005). This paper presents the results of reliability and validity assessment of the SWH-HRA tool…

School-based vegetable and fruit programs can increase student consumption of vegetables and fruit and have been recommended for adoption by Australian schools since 2005. An understanding of the prevalence and predictors of and the barriers to the adoption of school-based vegetable and fruit programs is necessary to maximize their adoption by…

The promotion of regular physical activity for people with type 2 diabetes poses a challenge for public health authorities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of a computer-tailoring print-based intervention to promote the adoption of regular physical activity among people with type 2 diabetes. An experimental design was…

Objective: To evaluate the partnership structure of the "Network for a Healthy California" ("Network"), a social marketing program, from 2001-2007, to determine if California's program was able to establish and maintain partnerships that (1) provided access to a local audience, (2) facilitated regional collaboration, (3)…

Almost from the beginning of formal college health programs in the second half of the 19th century, college health nurses were there to care for students in college and university settings. By the end of the 20th century, the role of college health nurses had evolved with the nursing field in general, but with enough unique features for the…

Objective: To investigate the knowledge of university students regarding pandemic and seasonal influenza. Design: Online questionnaire-based survey of undergraduate and postgraduate students, including those on nursing, medical, other health and non-health related courses. Method: The sample was recruited using the university email system, and the…