BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of the Bienestar/NEEMA Coordinated School Health Program (BN CSHP) on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) of preschool children. METHODS: A cluster randomized trial was conducted of preschools in South Texas. Of 48 eligible schools, 28 were randomly assigned (14 intervention, 14 control).…

School-based sexuality education provides a means of disseminating valuable information about decision making and avoidance of risky behaviors that may result in an unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection; however, effective teacher training is required for efficacious sexuality education programs. The purpose of this paper is to…

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) present serious problems for the twenty-first century. These disorders describe a variety of neurological and behavioral deficits that result from exposure of an unborn child to alcohol during pregnancy. While thousands of children are diagnosed with FASD annually, FASD is completely preventable if women…

Background: This study evaluated a school-based obesity intervention for elementary school children (N = 835) where health professionals assisted teachers with the integration of healthy messages into the school curriculum. Methods: Schools were randomized into a professional-facilitated intervention (PFI; N = 4) or a self-help (SH; N = 3)…

Background: Texas does not require health education or tobacco use prevention education (TUPE) in its middle schools. During planning for the Texas Tobacco Prevention Initiative, this baseline research was conducted to (1) describe tobacco prevention and control practices in middle schools prior to the pilot, (2) analyze implementation of a state…

Surveyed Mexican-American (MA) and non-MA parents regarding their attitudes toward school health education and its place in the curriculum. There was widespread support for quality comprehensive school health education. MA parents considered school health education more important than non-MA parents. They also considered health was more important…

Examined the establishment and function of Texas school health advisory councils (HEACs) following 1995 legislation containing guidelines on school HEAC duties and membership representation. Survey data indicated that 67.3 percent of the 217 responding districts had formed school HEACs. Council size, membership, training, and number of meetings…

Describes evaluation of "Heart Partners," which used an interpersonal approach to increasing schools' and teachers' acceptance and use of school health-promotion innovations. Trained individuals became on-campus recruiters and allies of advocates. Participant surveys showed a twofold to fourfold increase in actual use and reach of school…

Assessed the elementary-school child-sexual-abuse-prevention programs in 89 large Texas public school districts. Surveys examined types of programs, training available, evaluation used, involvement of local agencies, and funding. Results indicated that 58 districts addressed the issue formally, and most districts trained their presenters.…

The Texas Nutrition Education and Training Program (NET) provides: (1) workshops to teach children about good eating habits in school and in child care facilities; (2) a circulating NET library collection; (3) instructional and promotional materials on nutrition and food service management; (4) presentations, exhibits, and publications on…

This study examined the effect of an innovative smoking prevention program, the "Giant Texas SmokeScream," on 512 middle school students' knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intent about smoking. The data indicated that the program had no effect on students and provided a basis for discussion of "proinnovation bias." The…

Using 1993 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, this study assessed Texas high school (N=6,015) and college students' (N=1048) alcohol use, tobacco use, and sexual behavior. Results indicated that the high school students initiated risk behaviors at much earlier ages than the college students, but college students reported a higher incidence of the…

Until recently, teen pregnancy and birth rates had declined steadily in the United States in recent years. Despite these declines, the United States has the highest teen birth rate and one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among all industrialized nations. To help young people reduce their risk for pregnancy and STIs,…

Until recently, teen pregnancy and birth rates had declined in the United States. Despite these declines, U.S. teen birth and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates remain among the highest in the industrialized world. Given the need to focus limited prevention resources on effective programs, Advocates for Youth undertook exhaustive reviews…

This teacher's guide accompanies a program designed to teach water and boating safety to students in grades K-2. The written curriculum accompanies a video, AquaSMART K-2. The theme of the curriculum is AquaSMART. To become AquaSMART, students must learn 10 basic lessons for water and boating safety. The teacher's guide begins with an overview of…