The abuse of addictive substances in Germany is a growing concern. Three strategies have been taken against drug abuse. They include: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment and rehabilitation; and (3) criminal prosecution of drugs production and trade. Germany also cooperates in the fight against drugs in all leading international bodies.…

Twenty-first century contagious diseases require more than basic health lessons to prevent transmission. This Digest examines ways to prevent disease transmission in school settings. Section 1 discusses key concepts in contagion education: all people are potentially contagious; germs that cause diseases are present on many parts of the body; hand…

Fifteen years ago, W. Davison introduced the third-person effect hypothesis, that individuals believe they are less influenced than others by media messages. Although third-person effect is a perceptual bias, Davison believed that individuals act on such misperceptions. Few studies since have tested the behavioral aspect of the third-person…

Recent third-person perception articles suggest that optimistic bias is the mechanism underlying the perceptual bias, but fail to empirically test the assumption. Minority "at-risk" youth are neglected in both literatures, despite the fact that they are frequently the target audience for the resulting campaigns. This study sought to…

School-based drug prevention programs target not only the use of illicit drugs such as marijuana but also licit substances such as alcohol and tobacco. These programs thus have the potential of benefiting society not only by reducing the violence and criminal justice costs associated with abuse of alcohol and cigarettes. This opportunity for…

The Recovery Month observance highlights the societal benefits of substance abuse treatment, lauds the contributions of treatment providers, and promotes the message that recovery from substance abuse in all its forms is possible. The observance also encourages citizens to take action to help expand and improve the availability of effective…

This report describes some models for effective community-wide cooperation in AIDS prevention and education for African American youth. Since 1994, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has hosted forums around the country to provide information to black public officials about HIV/AIDS prevention education in schools. Forums in…

This report is part of an annual national survey that examines salaries of full-time teaching faculty in 54 selected academic disciplines. Data for the study were collected from a total of 296 public and 390 private four-year institutions from the baseline year of 1996-97 to the trend year of 1999-2000. A data table lists average salaries for both…

The use of inhalants is a major health concern among the school-age population. Information presented in this publication dispels the myths about inhalant use and presents common warning signs that alert teachers to a student's use. The short- and long-term effects of inhalant use are described to shed light on the health risks involved. Lesson…

Families, schools, community organizations, and local practitioners have an important role to play in bringing about changes in the larger physical and psychosocial environment. The environmental strategies of policy, enforcement, education, communication, and collaboration can all have a significant impact. These environmental strategies for…

This report is a follow-up to the first publication of the Child Proofing Our Communities Campaign, titled "Poisoned Schools: Invisible Threats, Visible Actions." The previous report looked at the problems of public schools built on contaminated land years ago, the trend of proposing new schools on contaminated land, and the threat of…

Movement toward a more flexible health manpower regulation system encourages these educational improvements: imaginative implementation of multiple entry points; training programs which provide for upward and lateral mobility; more meaningful competency examinations (toward the development of national standards); and developing continuing…

Discusses what was expected of a health program, what happened in the course of its implementation, how major departures from what was expected are being explained, and what some implications are for public policy of the actual results, expected or unexpected. (Author/JM)

The professional mental health community, which had romanticized the concept of community control, is presently becoming disenchanted with it due to the lack of facility and skills for working with it. The task is to understand and evaluate community control and to alter only those aspects found destructive to community well-being. (DM)