The focus of this issue is to provide an international perspective on the status of school health in 16 different countries as well as issues and trends in different international settings. The articles describe health care delivery and education systems, and instructional, environmental, and health service activities. (SM)

Research has not yet identified the best combination of estrogen replacement, calcium, and exercise for fighting osteoporosis, but clinical experience indicates all are needed to prevent the rapid bone loss that occurs in postmenopausal women. Physicians must encourage women to reduce their risk using all available options. (SM)

Presents an overview of theories, recommendations, and guidelines to consider before beginning a schoolsite health promotion program. Starting programs without understanding the complexity of the task may do more harm than good. The chronological model for schoolsite health promotion projects involves initial assessment, organization,…

PRECEDE evolved as a teaching tool and framework for planning and evaluating health education programs. PATCH (Planned Approach to Community Health) let researchers examine certain principles underlying PRECEDE, relating them to new community research. Understanding PRECEDE's limitations led to PROCEED (policy, regulatory, and organizational…

Reviews factors concerning fitness screening in teacher education programs and examines screening requirements in selected institutions in the United States, Canada, and in three Scandinavian countries--Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The purpose is to provide cross-cultural perspectives on the issue. (SM)

Evaluation of the University of South Florida Medical School's new (1990) preventive health requirements for matriculants showed that expensive requirements had the lowest rate of compliance and inexpensive ones, the highest rates. Enforcement measures significantly improved compliance. Cost was seen as a major deterrent to compliance. (Author/DB)

Reports findings from an assessment by the U.S. Congress' Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), which examined national adolescent health services. Results indicated changes in approaches to promoting and improving adolescent health are essential. Congressional actions taken since the release of OTA's report are summarized. (SM)

Recognizing a fundamental relationship between health and education, the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Services issued a joint statement on school health in 1994 that underscored the cooperation between departments in efforts to improve child health. After describing the partnership, the article prints the one-page joint statement.…

Prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases is based on education of at-risk persons, detection, effective diagnosis and treatment, and evaluation, treatment, and counseling of sex partners. The article presents guidelines for secondary prevention, discussing prevention methods, prevention messages, HIV prevention counseling, partner…

Three conventional quasi-experimental evaluations of school-based smoking prevention programs produced no statistically significant effects on children's knowledge and behavior. Complementary evaluations of the implementation process provided empirically grounded hypotheses to justify continued intervention. Results indicate complementary…

Though leanness in athletes is often a natural state, it can pose long-term liability to some athletes' performance and/or health. The physician must determine when leanness is reason for clinical concern. Athletes who do not eat enough to sustain training must either reduce the exercise load or increase nutritional intake. (Author/SM)

A study of seventh and eighth graders in the southwest compared effects on exercise-intrinsic motivation and physical self-worth of taking either the President's Challenge or the Fitnessgram fitness test battery. Results did not support the premise that fitness test batteries would produce different motivational and self-perception outcomes. (SM)

Intentional social support is crucial in reducing the risk of poor health and diminished educational attainment for adolescents facing various challenges and risks. The article examines ingredients of successful adolescent social support programs, notes supportive school and community environments, and looks at various programs designed to support…

The article discusses the resurgence of school-based community health, mental health, and social services during a period of social upheaval, focusing on improving adolescent health through school-based initiatives. Three appendices describe school-based health service programs in New Jersey and Mississippi. (SM)

As school communities encourage healthy human relationships, they allow young people to create similar relationships independently. Good schools affect family and student beliefs in their power and ability to handle the world around them. Suggests that students need caring adults who know them well and model appropriate relationship building. (SM)