The Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University emphasizes research on mental retardation and human development; there is a parallel commitment to research training for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral candidates. This article reviews the history of the Kennedy Center's research training,…

Presents a HIV/AIDS preventive counseling protocol developed for use with African American young adults that makes use of hip-hop music. Contends that an increased understanding of the relationships that many African American young adults have with hip-hop music may be used by disease prevention personnel to educate these populations about…

Alcohol use among adolescent athletes is fairly high. Young athletes may be more likely to abuse alcohol than their nonathlete peers and to suffer the behavioral and psychosocial consequences of drinking. They are also more prone to binge drinking. Education and prevention strategies should focus on behavioral and psychosocial consequences,…

Reviews the work of the Collaborative to Advance Social and Emotional Learning, examining its guidelines for promoting mental health in children and youth based on social and emotional learning (SEL) and key principles. Five examples of exemplary approaches to SEL, each representing a different focus, are presented. Issues in real-world…

Presents a historical overview of injury control and prevention in the United States and offers a summary of current knowledge about the importance of different causes of childhood injury, looking at risk and protective factors that have a bearing on preventive efforts. Injury remains the most important cause of death and disability for children…

Summarizes the central findings of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Aging. Proposes a conceptual framework for successful aging and considers some pathways or mechanisms that make for successful aging. Focuses on health, risk factors, cognitive functioning, physical functioning, social relations, productive activities, and…

Describes the first two years of a San Diego-based collaborative involving managed care organizations (MCO's), school districts, and other health care agencies. By establishing trust, developing overriding principles, and creating an interagency communication infrastructure, this collaborative has encouraged shared management of many student…

School health educators can help farm children learn ways to reduce the possibility of serious injuries by incorporating farm safety into the school health curriculum. This paper examines three farm injury or death risk categories for children (machinery, livestock, and recreation) and discusses curriculum implications, explaining that most farm…

Examined relationships between participation in school-based hepatitis B immunization programs and teacher attitudes toward school-based health care and student socioeconomic status (SES). Data on teacher attitudes, student standardized test scores, and student SES indicated that SES was the most important predictor of student participation. The…

Reports on research with four focus groups of 17-year-old girls of different education levels, about their need, expectations, and attitudes concerning contraceptives. Determined: (1) the school physician is not the person they want to seek help from; (2) peer influence is very important; and (3) girls expect confidentiality from their family…

Highlights the school health coordinator as an essential, unifying element in the eight-component model of the comprehensive school health program, with responsibilities including administration, integration of personnel and programs, evaluation, and direct intervention. The number of program elements is reduced to five by transferring staff…

The human capital model is described as it relates to health promotion and exercise behavior change strategies, and possible limitations are discussed. An alternative called the human development-potential perspective is presented. The alternative model broadly frames health in socioecological terms with economic, moral, and sociocultural…

Social norms strategies in examining college health behavior have become popular and well-accepted. There is substantial variation in the understanding, application, and nature of social norms approaches. This paper introduces four articles on social norms research in college health that address: binge drinking prevalence; substance abuse…

Too often, ideological debates, not scientific evidence and public-health concerns, influence decisions about sexuality education. Comprehensive, developmentally appropriate, and culturally sensitive sexuality education should be an important component of all grade levels. Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)…

Discusses changes in pediatric knowledge and practice necessary to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. Considers the importance of the "new morbidity" training for pediatricians to include advocacy, public health, adolescence, health promotion, parenting and family dynamics, health and social inequalities, and social…