People with low incomes and low literacy skills often have limited access to health care information. Popular education, participatory research techniques, and community-based partnerships between literacy programs and health educators and providers are methods that improve both health and literacy outcomes. (SK)

In New Orleans, nursing faculty and students partnered with inner-city schools and churches to mobilize neighborhood assets and improve health care. Students learned community assessment skills and worked with empowered citizens who reclaimed their health resources. (Contains 28 references.) (SK)

PROJECT BLUE was funded during the first phase of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative and proposed to provide students in its District with a range of services to improve school safety, decrease school violence, decrease alcohol and drug use, and improve student mental health. Selected results are highlighted and lessons learned from the…

Describes one working group's attempts to develop and utilize assessment tools for measuring and changing organizational support for employee health. Originally designed as part of a heart health related intervention, the system has evolved into a managed care evaluation and major chronic disease inventory. Findings indicate the potential of…

Explores the relationship between academic assessment and assessment of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) for health professionals in Britain. Examines the relationship between competence and excellence or expertise and the development of reflective practitioners. Raises concerns about using NVQs in professional occupations. (SK)

Student nurses presented an interactive play on sexual health promotion to 14- to 18-year olds, to whom they were close in age. The nursing students experienced great empathy with the secondary students and gained personal and professional skills. (SK)

Reviews four areas from the prevention science field, including: promoting healthy behavior; preventing substance abuse; preventing high-risk sexual behaviors; and preventing child abuse and sexual abuse. Recommendations are made regarding strategies for implementing empirically validated programs, supplementing school programs with ecological…

Examined organizational and professional correlates of the integration of the ecological approach in Canadian public health organizations' youth tobacco control programs. Surveys of 110 tobacco control programs in 90 organizations indicated that organizational environment and staff preparation played a critical role in adoption of the ecological…

Describes the pathophysiology of asthma and the types, risk factors, and current trends in management of the disease. The role of the school nurse in asthma management is outlined, including identifying children with asthma, evaluating the child's response to the asthma management plan, and controlling environmental factors that precipitate asthma…

Describes strategies used by five U.S. rural interdisciplinary training grant programs (mainly based in academic institutions) to respond to local needs and promote recruitment in rural communities. Programs provide training to 17 health care disciplines and serve diverse disadvantaged populations. Services are provided through individual clinical…

Offers ten suggestions for schools and universities to help maintain a healthy indoor environment: proper flooring, sanitary washrooms, consistent maintenance, indoor air quality, preventing mold, daylighting, good acoustics, avoiding volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ergonomic furniture, and well-maintained roofs. (EV)

A research review identified four factors other than knowledge that influence decisions regarding healthful behaviors: perceptions of risks, perceptions of self, physical and social environment, and perceptions of costs and benefits of recommended behavior. Findings were used to develop guidelines for messages and programs designed to encourage…

Ten nursing teachers in two Finnish polytechnics stated that their involvement in curriculum development was impeded by lack of time. They felt that health promotion was adequately addressed, although there was no evidence that new approaches recommended by the World Health Organization and other bodies were being used. (Contains 49 references.)…

Offers a feminist critique of sex education programs in Canada. An ideal curriculum would cover the full range of human preferences and practices. Discusses the benefits of such a policy for lesbian and gay youth, but taking into account the conservative point of view. (DM)

A weight management program utilized the participant's own data for the participant to (1) understand energy balance; (2) compare his/her diet with U.S. dietary codes; (3) know which food selections were high in calories, fat, and cholesterol, and low in complex carbohydrates and fiber; and (4) understand weight management. (JD)