Breastfeeding is a key public health measure to protect and promote the health of one of the most vulnerable groups of the population--infants and children. Northern Ireland, however, has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world. This paper reports the results of a questionnaire survey of 120 mothers attending mother and toddler groups…

Although schools are not traditionally designed to provide intensive mental health services to children, they are in a position to create systems that foster mental health. By creating school-wide systems in which students are academically, behaviorally and socially successful, schools can integrate those essential protective factors shown to…

Context: Decades of behavioral research suggest that awareness of health threats is a necessary precursor to engage in health promotion and disease prevention, findings that can be extended to the community level. Purpose: We sought to better understand local perspectives on the main health concerns of rural Appalachian communities in order to…

In the past three decades, program evaluation has sought to more fully engage stakeholders in the evaluative process. But little information has been gathered from stakeholders about how they share in evaluation tasks and whether role sharing leads to confusion or tensions between the evaluator and the stakeholders. This article reports findings…

An ideal time to start health promotion education is during the elementary years. However, over the last several years, many elementary schools have eliminated formal health education from their curriculum, subsequently integrating health education components into existing classroom content. The "I Feel Good!" radio broadcast is an…

The Institute of Medicine recommends school-based body mass index (BMI) screening as an obesity prevention strategy. While school nurses have provided height/weight screening for years, little has been published describing measurement reliability or process. This study evaluated the reliability of height/weight measures collected by school nurses…

Objective: The authors' aim in this study was to determine, after adjustment for the effects of body mass index and socio-demographic measures, whether sex-specific weight control norms would have significant independent relationships with the weight control behavior of college women and men. Participants: The authors used an anonymous…

This article explores how and why parents in rural Nigeria discuss sexuality-related matters with their adolescent children. The data presented here demonstrate that parents relegate sexuality to the domain of the dangerous, unpleasant, and unsavory while speaking to their children about it. Family sexuality communications offer parents a…

Objective: To test the feasibility of a dissemination strategy to increase faith communities' (FCs) adoption and implementation of a tested dietary intervention. Design: The study was a randomized, controlled trial that took place over a 9-month period. Setting: Seattle, Washington, metropolitan area. Participants: Seven FCs assigned to an…

This publication describes common characteristics that underlie effective curriculum and instruction strategies to prevent youth risk behavior and promote health and safety. In 1998, more than 50 teachers, staff developers, and prevention specialists from across Wisconsin came together to discuss what research and experience say about the content…

Data from 523 survey respondents at the University of Oregon were analyzed to determine whether employees differed on health-related characteristics and their interest in attending a worksite health promotion program. Implications for health risk reduction program planning in the worksite are discussed. (Author/JOW)

This guide discusses the importance of having school health and safety committees, describes New York law creating these committees, explores their responsibilities and recommended actions, and examines what committees can do to efficiently meet their goals. The guide details school walk-throughs as the best way to learn about a school, including…

This brochure, one of a series of publications on recommended feeding and dietary practices to improve nutritional status at various points in the life cycle, focuses on childbirth, the initiation of breastfeeding, and breastfeeding concerns during the first week after birth. Addressed to health care providers working with mothers and newborns,…

This is the second report of the Surgeon General devoted to women and smoking. First signs of an epidemic of tobacco related diseases among women are no longer being seen, as they were first reported in 1980. Lung cancer is now the leading cause of female cancer deaths, but cancer is just one of the serious risks faced by women who smoke. Female…

This textbook is designed as a first book in the study of such laws of practical hygiene as pupils of primary grades can comprehend, and as will lead to the formation of habits essential to a healthy, happy, and useful life.