Menstrual abnormalities are extremely common in both athletic and non-athletic adolescents and young women. Exercise- related menstrual abnormality is linked with hypothalamic pituitary axis-dysfunction and is a diagnosis of exclusion. In athletes, treatment of secondary menstrual abnormalities and associated health concerns such as bone density…

During hard economic times, college health professionals must urge their supervisors and administrators to help them maintain or find new funding so that they can attend regional and national conferences of the American College Health Association. In this viewpoint, a nurse from a small college shares the various sources of funding she discovered…

A research has uncovered that adolescent sleep patterns are influenced not so much by the activities of the young adults as by the changes taking place in the biological timing system of their brains. It is evident that teenagers are not getting the amount of sleep they require and suggestions are presented to help diminish if not entirely avoid…

The health promotion and health education literature has references to health counselling. Yet, beyond the field of health, coaching has become a popular method to enhance and facilitate individual and group performance in business, sports, and personal areas of life. This paper focuses on the recent development of health coaching by practitioners…

This is the second progress report on "Hungry for Success." It includes evidence from primary, special and secondary schools. The report finds that "Hungry for Success" has been successful in meeting many of its aims. There have been notable improvements in the quality of school meals in Scotland. Improvements in the…

This study invokes the ecological approach to social support by examining how school social support relates to moderate or severe adolescent depression. School is seen as not only a place for supportive individual-level relationships, but also as a source of community support created by teachers and other students. The main purpose of the study is…

Skin cancer is highly preventable, but clearly there is a critical need to focus on better ways to disseminate information about known skin cancer prevention. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) SunWise Program is one channel for reaching children, teachers, and school nurses. In a pilot study designed to increase adoption of…

Competency in 21st-century health communication involves an understanding that the internet landscape has evolved from static webpages to applications that engage users. This evolution to "Web 2.0" includes such applications as blogs, wikis, social-networking sites, and podcasts. This review presents trends in Web 2.0 internet usage, summarizes…

One of the core competencies in the IFT education standards for students is to achieve competency in communications skills (that is, oral and written communication, listening, interviewing, and so on). According to the IFT guidelines, by the time students graduate, they should not only be able to search for and condense information but also be…

Adolescents who are required to live away from their families of origin face many challenges that can affect mood and mental health. Milieu therapists (mental health associates) working with adolescents in a residential treatment center may be expected to provide group activities that promote mental health. It is important for new group leaders to…

This article provides group counselors a description of Ayeli, a culturally-based centering technique rooted in Native American traditions. Ayeli is a process that allows participants an opportunity to experience and reflect on four crucial elements relevant to wellness from a Native American perspective: belonging, mastery, independence, and…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to review the barriers associated with implementing a campus-wide smoke-free policy as perceived by the American Cancer Society's Colleges against Cancer (CAC) Program chapter representatives. Design/methodology/approach: Four focus group sessions were conducted at the annual CAC National Leadership Summit in…

The authors examined the subtype structure of smokers classified in the precontemplation stage of change within the transtheoretical model. From a general practice-based sample of 1,499 daily smoking patients from Germany (participation rate 80%), they used a subgroup of 929 smokers who were classified in the precontemplation stage and applied…

Objectives: To measure relative effectiveness of tobacco countermarketing advertisements by category and emotive execution style among young adults. Methods: Participants (n = 1011) from 2 US 4-year colleges, one southern and one northern were surveyed before and after viewing advertisements in one of 3 categories: social norms, health…

Methicillin-resistant "Staphylococcus aureus" (MRSA), commonly called a superbug, has recently been a major political issue in the UK, playing a significant role in debates over health policy in the general election held in 2005. While science recognizes the lack of evidence with regards to the effectiveness of existing measures…