Nearly half of youths between the ages of 12 and 21 are not vigorously active on a regular basis. In order to meet national health objectives for youths, schools need to promote opportunities for physical activity. Physical educators are qualified to develop a comprehensive physical activity program that engages both students and staff and that…

As in other Western countries in the Netherlands during the first half of the twentieth century, large numbers of school children were sent to holiday camps or "health colonies" to gain weight and recover strength. At first this large-scale hygienic enterprise was led by teachers, who wanted to "save" poor, undernourished…

The AIDS pandemic has become an important force that is shaping the world and will certainly have an enormous impact on the lives of young people today. Forty million people around the world are suffering from HIV/AIDS and, every year, eight million people die of this disease. As both school librarian and teacher of the Challenge and Change course…

The 1% or Less Campaign is an effective research-tested program for reducing saturated fat intake by encouraging individuals to switch to low-fat milk. All published studies have been conducted in small communities with mostly White populations. The 6-week intervention included a media campaign, public relations, and taste tests. Campaign…

Objective: To explore the barriers to positive mental health in a group of young offenders. Design: A qualitative approach was used to provide insight into the ways in which mental health for young offenders is experienced and managed. Setting: A Young Offenders Institute (YOI) accommodating males aged between 18 and 21 years. Method: Participants…

Context: Alcohol consumption is a major public health problem nationally, but little research has investigated drinking patterns by rurality of residence. Purpose: To describe the prevalence of abstinence, alcohol use disorders, and risky drinking in rural, suburban, and urban areas of the United States. Methods: Analyses of the 2001-2002 National…

As part of a research project aimed at the health care needs of the vulnerable community-dwelling elderly, an educational intervention was delivered to police and firefighters in worksite settings. A single educational intervention proved insufficient to produce lasting attitudinal and behavioral change as measured by follow-up surveys 3 and 6…

A community-based intervention study for suicide prevention was conducted in six towns (total population 43,964) in Akita Prefecture of Japan according to a quasi-experimental design to reduce suicide rates in rural towns. Public awareness raising activities using a health promotion approach emphasizing the empowerment of residents and civic…

This publication describes common characteristics that underlie effective curriculum and instruction strategies to prevent youth risk behavior and promote health and safety. In 1998, more than 50 teachers, staff developers, and prevention specialists from across Wisconsin came together to discuss what research and experience say about the content…

Data from 523 survey respondents at the University of Oregon were analyzed to determine whether employees differed on health-related characteristics and their interest in attending a worksite health promotion program. Implications for health risk reduction program planning in the worksite are discussed. (Author/JOW)

This guide discusses the importance of having school health and safety committees, describes New York law creating these committees, explores their responsibilities and recommended actions, and examines what committees can do to efficiently meet their goals. The guide details school walk-throughs as the best way to learn about a school, including…

This brochure, one of a series of publications on recommended feeding and dietary practices to improve nutritional status at various points in the life cycle, focuses on childbirth, the initiation of breastfeeding, and breastfeeding concerns during the first week after birth. Addressed to health care providers working with mothers and newborns,…

This is the second report of the Surgeon General devoted to women and smoking. First signs of an epidemic of tobacco related diseases among women are no longer being seen, as they were first reported in 1980. Lung cancer is now the leading cause of female cancer deaths, but cancer is just one of the serious risks faced by women who smoke. Female…

This textbook is designed as a first book in the study of such laws of practical hygiene as pupils of primary grades can comprehend, and as will lead to the formation of habits essential to a healthy, happy, and useful life.

Responses from 23 of 36 participants in a weekend wellness retreat conducted by a rural extension program revealed positive changes in their nutritional behaviors and emotional well-being. Exercise was one lifestyle area needing improvement. (SK)