Storytelling can be used to motivate people toward good health behaviors. When Seminole Indians were told health-related folktales, they became more aware of obesity and diabetes problems. Suggestions for developing stories and questions are listed along with recommendations and conclusions. (DF)

Adolescence represents a unique period in the life cycle. No longer children and not yet adults, adolescents make significant choices about their health and develop attitudes and health practices that impact their current safety and well-being. Those choices also often influence their risk for future serious chronic disease. Adolescence also…

Teenage sexual activity is a major problem confronting the nation and has led to a rising incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, emotional and psychological injuries, and out-of-wedlock childbearing. Abstinence education programs for youth have proven effective in reducing early sexual activity. They can also provide the foundation for…

Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs are in the nation's schools, sidetracking kids from getting a good education and from building a solid foundation for a productive, healthy life. The good news is that a large-scale evaluation of Project ALERT, the widely used middle-school drug prevention program developed by the RAND Corporation, shows that it…

Using nationally representative data from students in grades 9 to 12 from the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) of 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1997, this study examined changes in high school students' participation in health risk behaviors. Ten specific health risk behaviors were identified, each of which poses potential immediate and…

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation began surveying Kansas City area teens during the 1984-85 school year. The Kauffman Teen Survey now addresses two sets of issues for teens. Teen Health Behaviors, addressed in this report, have been a focus of the survey since its inception. The report focuses on teen use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in…

Pretest comparisons on Health Behavior Inventory do not support hypothesis that low class students have less desirable health habits than do middle class ones. Differences occur on five specific items pertaining to weight control, social behavior, dental health, infection prevention, and responsibility for community health. (Author/CJ)

Health contracting is a useful structure to guide and facilitate lifestyle and behavior changes and to promote self-control and responsibility. An investigation of college students' attempts to change health behaviors through contracting is reported. Health instruction and contracts appear to affect, and to have some lasting effects on, students'…

If health education is to develop into a discipline that increases the competencies of people to implement decisions about health behaviors, the development of a paradigm that can be used as an alternative to the behavior change paradigm is required. Several models of behavior change are presented. (JN)

The PRECEDE model was developed for health educators in an effort to improve programs and to influence health behaviors. The model consists of several diagnostic phases: (1) epidemiological; (2) social; (3) behavioral; (4) educational; (5) administrative; and (6) evaluation. (JN)

Results indicate that the described program is an effective learning device for altering negative health behavior patterns and for reinforcing positive health care activities. (LH)

This study evaluated the impact of a required college health and physical education course on selected health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of alumni. Mailed surveys of alumni from two colleges (one with a required course and one with no required course) indicated that the course had a positive effect on health knowledge, attitudes, and…

A five-year study examined the effects of a mass media campaign to change college students' perceptions of peer norms and binge drinking. Annual survey data indicated a significant drop in numbers of students who perceived binge drinking as the norm and a corresponding reduction in binge drinking. (SM)

Focuses on preventing performance-related injuries for music students. Discusses techniques for preventing injury, such as warm-ups, information on stretching and strength training, exercises for the upper arms, torso, and for selected muscle groups. Includes illustrations for some exercises. (CMK)

A study examining AIDS awareness among northern California Latinos surveyed 817 Latinos from a community and 188 Latino men from migrant labor camps. Misconceptions about AIDS transmission were highest among Latinos with low educational attainment, particularly men from labor camps, older Latinos, and Latinos with low educational attainment who…