Recounts the history of tobacco and its use, emphasizing the difference between American Indians' sacred relationship with "sacred" tobacco and the hedonistic use of "secular" tobacco. Recommends reviving the distinction between the two, especially in substance abuse programs. Sidebars discuss the Traditional Native American…

This review determined how many drug prevention curricula available to schools have been shown in rigorous research studies to reduce substance use behavior. The review identified 47 curricula, only 10 of which had been evaluated in rigorous studies. The paper presents recommendations to increase the number of programs rigorously evaluated.…

Suggests violence prevention strategies that can be adapted for school health offices. The activity teaches school nurses to: recognize at least four steps in identifying family violence in a health history; discuss at least three parent, child, family, and community activities to reduce family violence; and identify at least three resources to…

Evaluated a female condom promotion intervention for socioeconomically disadvantaged women at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV who had never used female condoms. Pre- and postintervention surveys indicated that providing education and counseling, along with unlimited quantities of male condoms, female condoms, and water-based…

Explored relationships between college students' alcohol use, participation in late-night alcohol-free entertainment options, perceived drinking norms, social identity, and perception of university policy. Surveys indicated that students who considered the LateNight program a way to have fun without alcohol were less likely to binge drink than…

Describes the Delta Health Education Partnership, an interdisciplinary distance education program intended to recruit, educate, and retain interdisciplinary groups of primary care health practitioners to increase access to health care in medically underserved and health professional shortage areas of the lower Mississippi Delta. It spans six…

Investigated whether a community based fitness program could help improve the fitness levels of adults with developmental disabilities (predominantly mental retardation) and promote fitness and exercise. Pretest-posttest data indicated that personalized social support increased participant compliance and motivation, adaptations in routines helped…

Discusses the controversial use of continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring as a safety measure in cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs. Little evidence substantiates its value for all patients during exercise. In the absence of empirical evidence documenting the worth of this expensive procedure, it is recommended for use with high-risk…

Outlines the medical and social consequences of adolescent pregnancy, including maternal and infant mortality, and low birth weight. Discusses why pregnant adolescents do not seek prenatal care and implications for health providers. (FMW)

The aim of this article is to provide teachers with interesting and intelligible ways of interpreting fitness test results to students. Also shown are ways that fitness testing can be used to diagnose fitness needs, provide a basis for exercise prescription, help monitor progress, and individualize fitness education concepts. (IAH)

This conference paper discusses seven trends with implications for pharmacy: changing demographics (to a more elderly population), setting limits (health care costs), wellness and health promotion, organizational and structural changes in the health care industry, driving diseases (mental health, heart disease, AIDS), driving discoveries, and…

In order for AIDS education to be effective among homeless women with children, particularly among minority women, certain psychosocial concerns of these women, as well as the connection between illegal drug use and AIDS, need to be addressed. (IAH)

This article describes a community-based approach to health promotion planning and intervention implemented by the Health Promotion Resource Center at Morehouse School of Medicine. The community organization and development model implemented was designed to empower an urban Black community neighborhood to become more self-reliant in addressing…

This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Cole County Community-Based Health Promotion Program, a cardiovascular risk reduction project which targeted Black adults. The program's goal was to enhance lifestyle behaviors in an effort to reduce risk factors and improve health status, utilizing community-based…

Attention to the quality of the working environment for women factory workers can make a real contribution to productivity. The example of an Indonesian project that introduced low-cost workplace improvements and provided health instruction shows the feasibility and effectiveness of such efforts, provided there is a clear commitment from…