This study sought to determine the effects of a high blood pressure education program for sixth graders on the preventive hypertension health attitudes and behaviors of their parents. Attention was focused on the role of students ("significant others") in affecting parental attitude and behavior changes relating to the three risk factors of smoking, dietary salt, and high blood pressure. Parents of children exposed to a high blood pressure education program served as the experimental treatment group, and parents of sixth graders not participating in the program served as the control group. A relationship was found between the health locus of control attitudes of parents and their perception of the role of "significant others" in fostering preventive health behaviors. A review of the comparisons between the treatment groups indicated that the preventive health actions of parents in the experimental group were different for the three risk factors. Parents in the control group reported significantly less preventive health actions than the treatment group. Demographic factors of age, race, and education of the parents were not found to be significant. (JD)