Asthma has grown to epidemic proportions among school-age children, and nearly 10 million U.S. adults suffer from it. This paper describes asthma and its triggers and explains how to take measures to manage asthma symptoms within the school (e.g., dusting regularly and keeping medications available). A sidebar presents tips on controlling asthma…

A nursing school's curriculum evolved from an integrated acute-care focus to a community-based health promotion framework. Survey data from other schools, alumnae, current seniors, and faculty laid the groundwork for a process of template design, values clarification, and consensus building. (SK)

Social networks and social support are reported to be healthy activities, particularly for women. The support is credited with reducing morality rates, improving recovery from serious illness, and increasing use of preventive health practices. Health promotion with women is an underdeveloped area of social work practice that needs to be…

Examines first year outcomes of an alcohol preventive intervention within inner-city middle schools. Results reveal that significantly fewer neighborhood intervention students initiated alcohol use compared to control students. Suggests that a brief, stage-based preventive intervention may result in significant reductions in alcohol initiation and…

During the last two decades, obesity rates in the United States have escalated dramatically, and intense media coverage of obesity issues has fueled consumer interest in low-carbohydrate diets designed to promote rapid weight loss. The food industry has fostered the assumption that a drop in carbohydrate consumption will translate into a drop in…

Drawing from the health belief model, cues to action have been theorized to influence health behaviours; however, few studies have examined these constructs explicitly. This study investigated the relationship between information cues to action and exercise self-care. It was hypothesized that reading about illness information, knowing about…

In this article, the authors discuss some activities that will develop health-related fitness for students and recommend that teachers present activities that make students feel capable, confident and competent to their participation in physical activity. The authors present NASPE's Physical Best fitness education program and the Cooper…

The era of technical and scientific progress ushered in with the twentieth century brought new medical knowledge such as the Halstead 'radical' mastectomy, which promised a cure for breast cancer. These advances in medical knowledge were premised on an epidemiological model of disease, which shaped the treatment and public understanding of breast…

Recent years have witnessed broad public health transformations. Central to these changes is that partnership work is increasingly mandated and employed as a vehicle for health education and promotion and disease prevention. Such efforts involve partnerships that span National Health Service bodies, local authorities and health and social care…

Despite a growing body of research into children's concepts of illness, many basic questions still remain. This study aims to describe 8- to 11-year olds' lay beliefs of health, illness, health promotion and disease prevention. Children responded to open-ended questions about health and illness by drawing and writing their responses. Two primary…

"[T]wenty-five percent of today's teenagers have inordinate emotional baggage beyond the normal angst of adolescence." This burden can lead to unhealthy escapes, including substance abuse, sexual activity, violence, eating disorders, and suicide. One healthy escape, however, lies in books, where students can read about teenagers living in painful…

Objective: To examine the types of health messages delivered to males and females through the "popular" media of magazines that have a health content, and to consider the potential for "popular" magazines to play a role in communicating health promotion messages to men. Design: A qualitative approach that subscribes to content analysis of a sample…

The authors examine the notion of democracy and how it can be portrayed in school settings where efforts to promote health are prominent. Democracy is considered relative to the educational opportunities presented in school, in general, and through the study of human experience as it is portrayed in health contexts. Threaded into the dialogue are…

When it comes to preserving and improving the health of Russians, a great deal depends on people's individual perception of health and their own activity that is not in conflict with basic valeological principles. It is of particular interest to study and shape the valeological attitudes of students--attitudes that regulate people's health on the…

In the United States, there is an alarming trend toward obesity and inactivity among children. Minorities and economically disadvantaged children are at an even higher risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention one in two Latino children will become diabetic. As a result, there is a dire need for tailored intervention…