Analyzed current trends in television advertising targeting children, comparing results to the historical perspective of the last quarter century. Researchers evaluated 16 hours of Saturday morning children's programming on four network channels for commercial content based on Food Guide Pyramid and USDA Child Nutrition criteria. Overall,…

Describes a research-based self-care health education program for recently widowed people. Program aims to provide a foundation of knowledge, motivation, and encouragement to initiate positive behavioral changes, and to establish a support network. Preliminary analysis suggests the program is achieving many of the intended outcomes. (Author/JDM)

Describes experiences of a South African rural women's organization focused on preventive health care, exchange of knowledge and skills, and empowerment. (SK)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works to make communities aware of dangers posed by misused pesticides, which can be hazardous to the health of children and others. The EPA is involved in outreach to inform the public. People need information about safe and effective pest-control options. They should report suspected pesticide misuse to…

Provides an overview of the potential health benefits of strength training for children, discussing the role of strength training in preventing sports-related injuries and highlighting design considerations for such programs. The focus is on musculoskeletal adaptations to strength training that are observable in healthy children. Guidelines for…

Presents an overview of Islamic health care beliefs and practices, noting health-related social and spiritual issues, fundamental beliefs and themes in Islam, health care beliefs and practices common among Muslims, and health-affecting social roles among Muslims. Cultural, religious, and social barriers to health care and ways to reduce them are…

The Boarding Home Support Program for adults with mental health problems uses health promotion mechanisms of self-care, mutual aid, and healthy environments. The program is challenged by increased numbers of persons served, substandard homes, and conflicts between tenant and operator needs and between individual and group tenant needs. (SK)

Major public health problems require interventions that recognize the broad, social, cultural, economic, political, and physical environments. The learning environment is a key setting for promoting health, especially mental health and emotional well-being. (SK)

Nutrition knowledge and dietary intake among 184 Hispanic teenage girls were assessed before and after a nutrition education intervention involving five weekly lessons. Intervention participants increased their nutrition knowledge by 50 percent and showed modest improvement in dietary behavior. Contains 16 references and data on subjects' dietary…

Describes the Sun Protection is Fun! skin cancer prevention program for preschool children that features intervention methods grounded in social cognitive theory and emphasizes symbolic modeling, vicarious learning, enactive mastery experiences, and persuasion. Program components include a curriculum and teacher's guide, videos, newsletters,…

Healthstages is a health promotion program of OASIS, a national organization for older adults, in cooperation with a university. The program and curriculum are based on models of successful aging and stages of change. The curriculum includes health assessment, identification of health goals, and development of an action plan. (SK)

Discusses the relationship between health promotion and academic achievement at the middle school level. Considers three reasons to promote wellness, noting that poor health practices drain educational resources, students in poor health do not learn well, and youthful choices affect health. Describes ways to promote health in middle schools. (JPB)

An international group of concussion experts met in 2001 to discuss the most recent research and findings and to establish guidelines for clinical practice. They addressed such issues as epidemiology, basic and clinical science, grading systems, cognitive assessment, new research methods, protective equipment, management, prevention, and long-term…

An Institute of Medicine committee examined the links between biological, psychosocial, and behavioral factors and health; reviewed effective applications of behavioral interventions (individual behavior, families, organizations, communities, and society); and discussed the production and maintenance of behavior change. The paper presents a…

Reviews existing hearing conservation education programs and materials designed for children that could be adapted for classroom use, presenting recommendations for hearing conservation education and concluding that this topic is as important in the public schools as are such health issues as smoking, teen pregnancy, and substance abuse. (SM)