Although ethnic and racial disparities exist in adolescent reproductive health, few studies have examined differences between members of different minority groups. This paper describes differences in measures of reproductive health behaviors, cognitions and social context between African-American (n=170) and Puerto Rican (n=150) adolescent females…

It is the position of the National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the College and University Physical Education Council (CUPEC) that all colleges and universities uphold a physical activity instructional program for students as a strong and integral part of the academic curriculum. Bombarded by popular culture, newfound…

Excessive exposure to sunlight during early childhood increases the risk of developing skin cancer. Self-administered questionnaires exploring sun-protection knowledge, practices and policy were mailed to the directors/co-ordinators/senior teachers of all known early childhood services in Queensland, Australia, in 2002 (n = 1383; 56.5% response).…

Valid measurement of physical activity is important for studying the risks for morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to examine evidence of construct validity of two similar single-response items assessing physical activity via self-report. Both items are based on the stages of change model. The sample was 687 participants (men =…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current situations of condom using behavior and its related factors among college students in Taiwan. There were two phases in the study. In phase I, 50 students from one college in the eastern, southern, middle and northern parts of Taiwan were selected to form a focus group, and were interviewed…

This document reports on a study that assessed levels of knowledge, types of attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs (KAPB) of the general South African public regarding Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Interviews were conducted with 5,360 participants; survey data are summarized in 49…

This report examines the behaviors and attitudes of Alabama adolescents and provides insights into changes and trends in the selected areas. Relatively few meaningful changes on risky behaviors were found. Risky health behaviors remained a serious, immediate, and future threat to the well-being of Alabama's teens. Changes were extremely modest in…

Problems of access to health care facing Appalachia mountain communities are confounded by unemployment, poverty, low education, and local religious beliefs that barrier people from receiving medical care. This proceedings addresses the issues related to health access and health needs. It contains 20 papers and 12 synopses of presentation. The…

This study sought to determine the effects of a high blood pressure education program for sixth graders on the preventive hypertension health attitudes and behaviors of their parents. Attention was focused on the role of students ("significant others") in affecting parental attitude and behavior changes relating to the three risk factors of…

The present study follows up a report by the same author of gender differences in health status of white and nonwhite adolescents. Both studies reported upon secondary analysis of data on a national sample of adolescent subjects from the Health Examination Survey conducted between 1967 and 1970 by the National Center for Health Statistics.…

This clear, authoritative overview by an educator and a physician helps principals navigate their way through the many contradictory recommendations confronting them. The authors provide a targeted discussion of the "do's," "don'ts," and "can'ts" that school leaders need to know when creating and implementing new school policies for wellness,…

This document describes a January 2002 roundtable held with the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention and community college representatives. The nation's 1,166 public and private community colleges enroll approximately 10.4 million students, or 44% of all U.S. undergraduates. The aim of the…

Smoking among college students is on the rise, particularly among women and minorities. This paper explores smoking among college women, reviews different types of smoking cessation interventions, and describes a newly developed interactive Web site that combines tailored smoking cessation information with other health information in an attempt to…

There are too few HIV/AIDS research, prevention, and treatment efforts for women, though 13 percent of U.S. AIDS cases involve women. There is also a paucity of knowledge about how AIDS affects women uniquely. HIV infection is currently moving to younger cohorts and from men to women. The four known transmission routes are blood products,…

This publication presents K-12 tobacco use prevention lesson plans for schools in the state of Montana. Lessons for students in grades K-6 include: family connections; body tracing; smokeless tobacco; prenatal development; tobacco look-alikes; tobacco chemicals; analyzing tobacco and alcohol ads; tobacco use and the lungs; and a personal health…