The author explored the correlates of tobacco use among 18-and 19-year-old students at a major midwestern university. A sample of 203 randomly selected freshmen and sophomore students completed a survey that included questions about tobacco use, other drug use, mental health issues, eating disorders, stress, smoking environment, and healthy…

Health officials may have an uphill battle in educating Blacks about a disease that's being called a "silent killer," a recent survey shows. Kidney disease is an illness that's become more prevalent, especially in the nation's Black population, but a survey conducted in Jackson, Atlanta, Baltimore and Cleveland shows only 15 percent of those…

Athletes often adjust their dietary routines to enhance sport performance, but problems can arise when athletes turn for guidance to coaches who may not be trained in the field of nutrition, or who, themselves, are poor examples when it comes to healthy eating habits. There are many myths regarding nutrition that are spread throughout the world of…

This article highlights the juncture between environmental health and health promotion and underscores the need for health promotion involvement in environmental health practice. It begins with a synopsis of current issues in environmental public health and deficiencies in environmental public health practice that could be partly ameliorated by an…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if older adults are capable and willing to interact with a computerized exercise promotion interface and to determine to what extent they accept computer-generated exercise recommendations. Design and Methods: Time and requests for assistance were recorded while 34 college-educated volunteers,…

Gender is a health determinant, but gender itself is influenced, in part, by biological and psychological variables. Understanding gender's influence on health therefore requires an understanding of the determinants of the construct "gender". A review of certain gender determinants is presented. The authors consider the modifiability of these…

The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and programs at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. SHPPS 2006 was designed to answer the following questions: (1) What are the characteristics of each school health program component at the state,…

As the United States continues to search for answers to the growing problem of obesity among children and adolescents, much attention has focused on body mass index (BMI) measurement programs in schools. The BMI is the ratio of weight to height squared. It is often used to assess weight status because it is relatively easy to measure and it…

The commercialisation of schools is a controversial issue, but very little is known about the actual situation in UK schools. The aim of this study was to investigate, with particular reference to health education and health promotion, commercial activities and their regulation in primary schools in the Yorkshire and Humber region of the UK. A…

In order to gain physical fitness and health, exercise must be performed at a sufficient level of intensity. Exercise intensity can be monitored with rated perceived exertion (RPE) scales to promote safe and effective programming. The usefulness of the Children's OMNI Scale as a subjective measure of intensity for adults with intellectual…

The article focuses on the Daya Tibi Community Wellness Center of Fort Peck Community College in Poplar, Montana. The idea for the center came from the college's President Haven Gourneau. The center contains a tanning bed, sauna, and state of the art exercise equipment and can be used by students, tribal elders, diabetics and people with high…

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…