Over its 12-year history, an arthritis patient education program evolved from a basis not grounded in theory to one tightly linked to it. As cycles of research, intervention, and evaluation produced new results, the self-management program was revised and improved. (SK)

Current educational programs for cardiac patients are ineffective because they are teacher focused, assume that increased knowledge produces long-term changes, and neglect patient needs and anxiety. A more effective approach should be based on adult learning principles and identify and use learning needs to personalize educational programs. (SK)

Snuff consumption is the only tobacco consumption on the rise in the United States. Doctors are most concerned about adolescent use. They recommend educational efforts begin with boys 8-10 years old. The article discusses a nationwide campaign, "Through with Chew Week," which urges young people to avoid all smokeless tobacco. (SM)

A control group of 86 frail elderly received standard personal care at home; a group of 81 received care and developed personal health plans with a nurse. After three years, the success rate (alive and still cared for at home) was 75 percent for the treatment group and 59 percent for the control group. (SK)

Patients must be able to understand oral and written instructions and health care materials. Patients with low literacy levels need educational programs and materials designed to teach them how to manage their health needs. (SK)

Briefly described is a sample 10-week program combining a supportive environment for the exchange of ideas, a support group, and a learning opportunity for individuals with both diabetes and visual impairment. (DB)

Briefly described is a support network created by the National Federation of the Blind, which publishes an outreach publication, has formed specialized committees to serve members with specific ramifications of diabetes, and maintains a list of aids and devices to allow blind people with diabetes to manage their disease by themselves. (DB)

Presents a model linking health promotion, health education, and patient education. The bases for distinctions between health education, patient education, and clinical health promotion are examined. The linking elements of the model are patient role, relationships adopted, and focus of the encounter; i.e., disease process vs. disease management.…

Explored factors influencing patient satisfaction with and utilization of information booklets. Patients (N=36) rated five booklets, and strongly preferred one with a grade-eight reading level. The relationship of preference and recall was investigated. No difference between those who seek or avoid information was found. Additional findings are…

Most children and parents use strategies that protect them from psychopathology in coping with cancer. Studies involving children with cancer, their parents, their perceptions, emotions, and coping strategies are reviewed. A psychosocial support model is proposed which may be helpful when support is needed with problems of adjustment. (Author/EMK)

Presents a flexible prevention program model that operationalizes contemporary theories of female development. Beginning with preadolescents, it teaches girls to recognize when they feel fat and to tell the stories that lie underneath. The program validates feelings, reframes experiences, and provides understanding of societal pressures.…

A method for balanced appraisal of the effectiveness of health education and promotion interventions has been needed. A review instrument, which makes possible a standardized analysis of effect studies, is presented. Insights into methodological qualities, specific effects and the process by which the effect was achieved are provided. (EMK)

Reports on a project that tested the feasibility of recruiting and training volunteers as lay health educators who could coordinate and reinforce the educational efforts of health care providers. The program proved successful in identifying, recruiting, and training volunteers from racially and religiously diverse institutions. Favorable outcomes…

Physicians were surveyed about the appropriateness, content, and criteria for evaluation of decision aids for women with breast cancer. Both physicians' usual information practice and preference for outcomes from decision aids were measured. Conclusions relevant to developing decision aids to meet the needs of clinicians and patients are…

Experience treating women with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) from varied sociocultural backgrounds in a large inner-city general hospital is related to a literature review. Subgroups were identified according to personality pathology, psychiatric symptoms, and psychosocial stress factors. Accurate assessment, needs of individuals, treatment…