Difficulties experienced in implementing a randomized design in a school-based adolescent health promotion program are explained, and a solution using a randomized control group design nested within two treatment options is proposed. The Health for Life project involved 21 middle schools in Wisconsin. (SLD)

Costs and benefits that adolescents perceive for engaging or not engaging in potentially health-harming behaviors of alcohol use and nonmarital sexual intercourse were studied for over 2,400 seventh through twelfth graders. Perceptions of costs and benefits are related to gender, age, and the behaviors themselves. (SLD)

Heat-related injuries in aquatics classes are possible, though 100 percent preventable. The article discusses heat-related syndromes; how bodies generate and dissipate heat; how elevated heart rates that burn calories differ from those that dissipate heat; and modification of exercise intensity to provide calorie-burning workouts without…

Surveys African-American-owned radio stations to determine how effective they are in addressing health issues among African Americans. Responses from more than 50 stations indicate that they serve as change agents by encouraging community partnerships and emphasizing drug awareness, nonviolent behavior, education, and other health issues. (SLD)

Discusses strategies and techniques for communicating physical education and physical activity-related messages to local school boards, noting that without their support, efforts to promote physical education and healthful activity will be difficult. The paper includes three sections: positioning the argument, persevering in the message, and…

Describes evaluation results from 12 months of the Western Australia School Health (WASH) Project, a school health-promotion intervention that used community-development strategies to help schools identify and respond to relevant health concerns. Surveys of intervention and comparison schools indicated that schools successfully made organizational…

Proposes solutions to youth violence which encompass action across seven priorities. Within each priority, strategic recommendations and action steps for change are included. Priorities include: support the development of healthy families; promote healthy communities; increase access to health and mental health care services; reduce access to and…

Examines the development and implementation of the Pawtucket Heart Health Program (PHHP), a community research and demonstration project in Pawtucket (Rhode Island) focusing on PHHP's school intervention project, designed to help decrease the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among the students and staff of Pawtucket schools. (MDM)

Family Resource Centers/Youth Services Centers were mandated within Kentucky's Education Reform Act to help the state's disadvantaged children and families. The school-based centers provide services to maintain basic necessities and enhance children's health and learning. The article describes how centers are developed, funded, staffed, governed,…

Examines APPAL-LINK, the Southwestern Virginia Telepsychiatry Project. The project uses state-of-the-art telemedicine equipment to link a state psychiatric hospital with two rural, isolated community mental health center programs. Provides an overview of telemedicine and discusses the problems, opportunities, and future of the project. (MJP)

Examines reasons why some young people are more at risk than others for sexual health problems, highlighting structural and environmental factors that contribute to sexuality-related risks and vulnerabilities and proposing ways that policymakers might help reduce these risks by improving access to quality information and creating health-enabling…

Assessed the impact of school organizational characteristics on outcomes of a teacher health behavior change program. Organizational, dietary, and psychologic data from intervention and control schools indicated that teachers at intervention schools with high organizational climate, organizational health, and job satisfaction reported better…

Investigated whether college level peer educators were adequately prepared to teach peers about sexual health, sexual assault, and substance abuse. They completed 20 hours of training on the issues and on public speaking, leadership, and presentation skills. Pretesting and posttesting indicated that the program increased students' factual…

Presents a guide to direct teachers of all grade levels to antismoking resources on the Internet. The paper discusses the importance of basic knowledge and facts about smoking and health risks, beginning at an early age; tobacco marketing awareness; and social action to reinforce knowledge. (SM)

A survey of 57 dental school deans concerning current and ideal curricular emphases in 33 topic areas identified three that were rated highly as ideals: health promotion/disease prevention; primary care; and effective patient-provider relationships/communication. The most significant barrier to reform was an already crowded curriculum. Deans…