Microorganisms have the potential to induce diseases characterized by rapid transmission and high mortality rates. Today, there persist medical unresolved issues, including the emergence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. This phenomenon stands as one of the paramount global threats to public health in the twenty-first century. A…

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are long-standing policies that link cash assistance to low-income families to work effort. A new policy being tested in New York City adopts this "conditional cash transfer" principle and extends it to a broader set of family efforts to build their…

Presents information on Reye's syndrome, which affects all ages, both sexes, and every race, generally following viral illnesses (with or without a fever). Aspirin products increase the risk but are not a necessary element. Symptoms include persistent vomiting, listlessness, disorientation, personality changes, combativeness, and delirium. Early…

The graphs in this pamphlet illustrate the decline of the incidence of tooth decay in the nation's schoolchildren. The report, based on a study of more than 40,000 children, found that students have 36 percent less tooth decay than they did in the beginning of 1980. Appended to the graphs is a National Institutes of Health press release which…

The data contained in this report represents all of the 297,696 students, K-12, in the state of Nebraska. High levels of immunity are documented among children grades K-6. Some immunization levels of children grades 7-12 are yet below the 95 percent established as a minimum for the prevention of vaccine preventable diseases. Specifically, there…

Examines education's effects on choice of medical care inputs and the subsequent relationship between these inputs and overall health. Specifically examines consumption of curative and preventive medical care and other lifestyle choices, using nultivariate analysis of three estimation models and 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey data.…

This article elucidates some causes of homelessness and describes living conditions in shelters and welfare hotels. Recommendations are offered to the school-based support team, in cooperation with teachers, to help ease the child's transition from hotel to school and initiate preventative health measures. (Author/BN)

Suggestions for facilitating dental health education programs in public schools include: (1) determining who will be responsible for dental health education; (2) involving parents; (3) using community health resources; and (4) assessing the results of programs. (JN)

Some children in American schools have known and unknown communicable diseases, including herpes, cytomegalovirus, AIDS, mononucleosis, pinworms, and hepatitis. This article examines major public health issues, school responsibility, preventative measures (like basic hygiene), and the need for more effective community education programs. A disease…

The Minnesota Heart Health Program is described as an example of a health promotion program partially implemented through the schools. The potential roles for the school psychologist in designing and initiating health consultation programs are addressed at several levels from individual consultation with students to multi-staged intervention…

It is the province of all educators to effectively deal with drug abuse on the highest level possible, "preventive resolution." A cogent drug education program, factorally suited to age-education, developmental and cultural variables and longitudinally implemented throughout a community educational system, is the preventive resolution. (Author)

Two types of school-based programs that increase students' use of fluoride for preventive dental health are described. In fluoride mouthrinse programs, teachers give their students a fluoride solution once a week in a paper cup. In areas where the level of fluoride in the water supply is insufficient, the flouride tablet program is used. (JN)

A program in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instruction for Florida's school children is described. Program guidelines and support services are detailed for other schools wishing to implement such a program. (JN)

The properties of three critical elements in the human diet are discussed. In the first section, the functions of sodium in the body and in the diet are considered. The relationship between sodium and hypertension is explored, and recommendations from professional health groups on the sodium consumption are presented. In the second section, the…

A position statement is offered that clarifies the function, role, and emphasis of decision making within the field of health education, and a rationale that proposes that health decision-making efforts be limited to areas where evidence links a health behavior (i.e., smoking) to a health problem (i.e., lung cancer) is presented. (Author/CJ)