Describes Project PACE (Physician-based Assessment and Counseling for Exercise), a system of matching physician counseling with patient readiness for physical activity. It targets known, modifiable determinants of physical activity such as self-efficacy, social support, and perceived barriers to action. (SM)

Presents Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines that summarize school-based strategies most likely to be effective in preventing tobacco use among youth. The guidelines recommend that all schools develop and enforce a policy, provide instruction on tobacco use consequences, provide prevention education, train teachers, involve families,…

Diabetes control involves the appropriate balance of exercise, diet, and medication. Regular exercise has many benefits for people with diabetes. Physicians can educate patients about ways to regulate and monitor blood glucose before, during, and after workouts. Patients need to understand the effects of exercise and diet on insulin requirements.…

Reports a study that evaluated the appropriateness and effectiveness of a self-help manual for postsecondary education students who used smokeless tobacco. Students participated in groups that received either two or four sessions of support for using the self-help manual. Results indicated both groups produced similar cessation rates. (SM)

Heart to Heart, a 5-year, community-based chronic disease prevention project, included walkathons, lectures, media messages, restaurant food labeling, and cooking seminars. Surveys and assessments of participants and nonparticipants indicated that the project had a slightly favorable effect on cholesterol and smoking but did not affect other…

Examines differences among American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives with regard to incidence and mortality rates for various types of cancer, particularly lung, cervix, breast, biliary, gastric, colorectal, prostate, and primary hepatic cancer. Discusses the influence of genetic and environmental factors, smoking, and inadequate medical…

Describes a high school circuit weight training (CWT) program which promotes physical fitness and helps students understand relationships between health and physical activity. It consists of upper- and lower-body weight lifts and cardiorespiratory exercises. Research indicates that CWT improves even difficult to improve health-related components.…

Though sport, fitness, and active leisure are increasingly valued, secondary school physical education (PE) is often devalued. The America 2000 educational reform agenda offers a chance to restructure secondary PE based on guidelines which direct emerging trends in middle and high school restructuring. National and state leadership are crucial.…

Reviews community development projects in Nicaragua that use the multiplier effect in which people learn from each other. Projects include volunteer community health promoters, women's family gardens cooperatives, soil and water conservation programs, a women's collective, and a wheelchair repair workshop. (SK)

Strength training is considered a male activity, but physicians are recommending it to women who want to keep their musculoskeletal systems strong and flexible as they age. This article discusses goals and problems of strength training for women and suggests it as an adjunct to cardiovascular fitness exercises. (SM)

Study evaluated bicycling habits and helmet use in 100 university students. Only 31 owned helmets, and 17 wore them during most trips. Helmet ownership was most strongly associated with previous injuries. Ethnicity and possession of bicycle injury insurance were also factors. Perceived risk was an important factor in helmet use. (SM)

Longevity is leading to four-generation societies and transcendence of governmental and conventional age-controlled productivity. Elderly women's numerical superiority are influencing a firmer attitude toward self and lessening stereotypes of women as caregiver of the ill and elderly. "Fourth-age" people see empowerment as necessary for…

A study of 125 sophomore preclinical dental students found that these young professionals, because of having a low prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) antibodies, are at risk for acquiring a primary HSV infection when treating HSV positive patients and should take precautions to avoid virus transmission. (MSE)

Presents a primer for health educators about blood donation and transfusion, examining the nature of human blood, the background of blood transfusion, blood donation criteria, risks related to homologous blood transfusion, directed blood donation, potential alternatives to homologous transfusion, and resources for education on the subject. (SM)

For public recreation, park, and leisure services to prosper in the financially troubled 1990s, they will have to be recognized as a primary health provider. By today's standards, health, recreation, and leisure are practically synonymous. The article rethinks the concepts of health, illness, parks, and recreation. (SM)