Discusses children's rights and the UN (United Nations) Convention on the Rights of the Child. Examines trends that relate to three rights of children (access to education, children and violence, and child health) and evidence of progress in establishing each right. Provides two model units that are linked to the NCSS (National Council for the…

Reports expenditures on tobacco control programs in California schools since 1989 and data from students interviewed as part of the California Tobacco Surveys in 1990, 1993, and 1996. Results indicate that the provision of substantial money for tobacco control to schools from 1989-1997 was not sufficient to ensure that effective interventions were…

Regular exercise is important for children's and adolescents' health maintenance, facilitating weight control, strengthening bones, and improving cardiovascular risk factors and mental health. Active childhoods help promote lifetime fitness. Physicians can assess children's weight and activity levels during routine exams. With simple…

Examines social and economic inequalities in the United Kingdom. Demonstrates how children's welfare and family functioning are crucially dependent upon locally available social support. Argues that building social capital in poor communities is more effective in promoting children's welfare than is present emphasis on formal child-protection and…

Determined predictors of and prevalence rates for U.S. high school students who carried weapons, were threatened or injured with weapons, or were involved in fighting on school property from 1993 to 1995. Youth Risk Behavior Survey data indicated that gender, race, and grade predicted school-related violence. Males, minorities, and younger…

Provides activities to help children learn good health habits and reduce illness. Specific activities, including songs, finger play, teacher-directed activities, stories, art, snacks, discovery, and references, are included in the five basic health building activities of: (1) hand washing; (2) covering sneezes; (3) bathing and shampooing; (4)…

Considers the effects of marital disruption on children and families, using a risk and resilience perspective. Highlights the importance of understanding pathways toward risk and resilience following divorce and how to integrate this research into effective, evidence-based preventive interventions and proactive social policies that foster…

This 1941 paper highlights the poor health of draft inductees, describing: implications of draftee rejections for school health programs; whether school children need to be "toughened" during the national emergency; legislation for national health preparedness; barriers to progress in school health (e.g., ill-prepared health educators);…

Describes School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000 findings about state- and district-level policies and practices related to mental health and social services issues (organization, staffing, and facilities; required services; school based health clinics and services at other sites; professional preparation; collaboration; and evaluation);…

Women's schooling is associated with much of the world's improvement in child survival and maternal and child health since 1960. Evidence for these associations is widely interpreted as representing a causal influence of formal education on health. The relationships of variations in female school attendance at the levels of individuals,…

This research used the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care database of 1,364 children to identify children at 3 years of age who could generally be characterized as exhibiting specific language impairment. Seventy-three identified children were classified into 2 groups on the basis of standardized…

This article examines the current status of dance education in North Carolina. Key issues impacting dance, including public school laws and policies, the impact of state and national accountability movements, graduation requirements, and health initiatives, are identified and described. Specific events that have shaped the status of dance…

Substances in the environment that are potentially harmful to children's health and development, from conception onward, include metals such as lead and mercury, pesticides, indoor air pollution, residues of synthetic chemicals, radiation from the sun, nuclear sources, and air pollution. Children's exposures to these substances, as well as…

Emerging research suggests that exposure to environmental pollutants, prenatally and in early childhood, may contribute significantly to diseases and disabilities. For example, exposures to mercury or lead early in life can impact the nervous system and brain, potentially contributing to learning, behavioral, and developmental disabilities. The…

This article describes how a rural community in Colorado developed the infrastructure to provide a family-centered, culturally competent array of early childhood mental health services that are integrated into existing community-based programs. The Early Childhood Health/Education Outreach (ECHO) and Family Center Early Childhood Council's…