This article examines the extent to which the lifestyles of young people are affected by health and fitness considerations. An analysis of data from 3253 Health Related Behavior Questionnaires, completed by fourth-year secondary school pupils is presented. (IAH)

Fourteen brief articles provide information about health threats to children, covering alcohol and drug abuse, nutrition, arthritis, Lyme Disease, Reye's Syndrome, school bus safety, inner ear disorders, dental health, and toy safety. (CB)

A six-step process defines and validates the role of worksite health promotion directors: developing expert opinion consensus, examining current job descriptions, reviewing literature, reviewing independent role delineations, developing competency statements, and validating statements to reduce the number to 80. The competencies are categorized as…

Health professionals can work to correct common misconceptions through nutrition and fitness education and sharing information and resources to provide consistent public messages. The article discusses the impact of the media, food labels, and the Fuel for Fitness program, encouraging teamwork to ensure proper communication of diet and exercise…

The sample consisted of 533 adolescent state wards. Knowledge levels were classified by sex and race. Scores were compared with results of National Adolescent Student Health Survey. Within sample, females scored higher than males, and whites scored higher than nonwhites. Variations in knowledge levels and implications for AIDS prevention education…

This study investigated the usefulness of a telephone-based intervention in circumventing participant biases in school-based tobacco use prevention programs. Researchers attempted to conduct telephone interventions with ninth graders and found it difficult to reach a large portion of targeted individuals. Results provided data on which adolescents…

The study described here attempted to operationalize adopter characteristics identified by research and assess their relationship to the adoption and implementation of health innovations in schools. Surveys of second-grade teachers after the introduction of a new health promotion program identified three components of teacher views that measured…

Researchers have not yet agreed upon links between stress and illness. Levels of response mediated by the central nervous system are considered important in predicting and determining health consequences of stress. The paper uses the cardiovascular system to examine experimental evidence for the relationship between stress, health/illness, and…

Examined 295 African-American adolescents' degree of social support, attitudes regarding health beliefs and condoms, AIDS knowledge and risk, self-efficacy, and sexual behavior. Found that adolescents with less social support were less knowledgeable about AIDS, held more negative attitudes toward condoms, and were lower in self-efficacy than…

The report by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, "Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children," presents a comprehensive strategy for child well-being. Parent education and universal health coverage are but two aspects of an approach that considers the needs of all families. (SLD)

To aid at-risk children, summer intervention programs must emphasize links between physical well-being and drug awareness, nutrition, health, and safety. West Virginia's Project YES (Youth Enrichment Services) is a comprehensive, community-based program highlighting many aspects of child development. The article describes the program's history,…

Successful counseling is possible if health care providers learn to interpret behaviors within cultural context. The paper describes a culture-centered approach, using a grid that matches same/different behaviors and expectations. Culturally accurate knowledge and skills provide a developmental sequence for more appropriate health-care guidance in…

Formative evaluation of a community health project providing and promoting low-fat foods in five restaurants in Montreal (Canada) shows that restaurateurs are willing to collaborate in project implementation but not in training waiters and that the project did not cause an increase in market demand for low-fat menu offerings. (SLD)

Several recent national initiatives by both professional associations and public agencies provide measurable health objectives and suggestions for educational activities in geriatric oral health promotion. These can be used to evaluate current educational programs in geriatric dentistry and to plan programs and health promotion activities to meet…

Article reviews the major school-based approaches implemented during the last two decades to reduce sexual risk-taking behaviors, examining their evidence for success and providing recommendations for effective programs and program evaluations. The article focuses on programs that educators believed would reduce unprotected sex. (SM)