Objective: Eating disorders, including obesity, are a major public health problem today. Throughout history, body image has been determined by various factors, including politics and media. Exposure to mass media (television, movies, magazines, Internet) is correlated with obesity and negative body image, which may lead to disordered eating. The…

Understanding teens' perceptions of the sources of stress and the ways teens cope with the stress in their lives can lead to more appropriate and effective interventions. Shifting the Lens is a multi-phase project that involved the study of stress from the youth perspective and the application of findings in the form of several tools for use by…

Participation in a health promotion program for 192 overweight and obese adults with mental retardation was associated with behavior change resulting in reduction of body mass index--BMI (weight in kg, divided by height in meters, squared) by the end of the program. We analyzed the mediating and intermediate factors contributing to weight…

More than 10 million children from birth through age six in the US live in low-income families. Although large investments in early childhood intervention programs are evident, is the field fully exploiting its potential to address the diverse needs of children and families? One means of addressing this question is to focus on the efficacy of…

A comprehensive evidence-based treatment for substance abuse and other associated problems (Family Behavior Therapy) is described, including its application to both adolescents and adults across a wide range of clinical contexts (i.e., criminal justice, child welfare). Relevant to practitioners and applied clinical researchers, topic areas include…

The AIDS epidemic presents a complex of issues that require global answers, involving entire societies. The only sustainable solution is to include all sectors of society in a multidisciplinary collaboration, within which the formal education system plays a key role in delivering a comprehensive response to the disease at the national level.…

Noting that health-risk behaviors among youth may result in immediate health problems or extend into adulthood and increase risk for chronic diseases, this report examines the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among a nationally representative sample of persons aged 12 to 21 years and presents age group comparisons of the most important…

This paper describes a method for designing, implementing, and evaluating a work-site physical activity campaign aimed at employees who are currently sedentary in their leisure time. Inactivity is a major but modifiable risk factor for coronary heart disease. Increasing the activity levels of underactive adults would have a positive impact on…

In the context of the growing movement towards outcome based education, this paper provides a basic overview of this movement and its implications for the professional preparation of health educators, particularly as implemented in Pennsylvania. After listing the three basic principles and four concepts of outcome based education, the paper…

This study examined condom use by college students and factors associated with consistent condom use. It is based on a survey of 212 sexually active residential students at a major eastern doctoral granting institution conducted in the spring of 1994. The survey found that a substantial number of sexually active students were engaging in behaviors…

This paper explores whether taking a course in health has an effect on college students' lives. Gettysburg College (Pennsylvania) redesigned a health class and taught it to all incoming freshmen during their first semester. Student journal entries, written at the end of each class, provided feedback to instructors; instructors read and responded…

This collection contains materials from various sources on the status of children's health, successful children's health programs, and advocacy for children's health. Section 1 contains: (1) the statement by the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) on maternal and child health needs under national health reform; (2) information on uninsured children,…

This document reports on the threat of HIV/AIDS to young people in the United States and proposes ways in which the Federal government could further address the needs of adolescents. Analysis of data gathered from young people affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and from professionals engaged in HIV research, prevention, and care revealed several…

Over the past several years, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases have drawn greater attention to the problem of low immunization rates in the U.S. In response to this problem, the federal government created the Vaccines for Children program as a foundation for a new national immunization policy to ensure proper and timely immunizations for…

This book describes the background, discussions, proceedings, and prospects of three consultations held by the Statistics Netherlands office under the aegis of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. The overall goal of the consultations is to facilitate the development of common methods and instruments for health interview…