This report itemizes the costs and consequences of sedentary living, providing cost reasons to fight a war on sedentary lifestyles. It begins by explaining that 70 percent of U.S. adults are sedentary (undertaking no leisure time physical activity or less than 30 minutes of physical activity per day), and it notes how sedentary living increases…

This final report describes the rationale, goals and activities of a federally funded project that was designed to develop a model intervention program for hospitalized chronically ill children between birth and five years. The focus of the program was to promote optimal emotional development: attachment, separation, individualization, and…

Parentification is defined as compelling children to perform the role of parent at the expense of their own developmentally appropriate needs and pursuits. This book presents a comprehensive study of parentification in the family, covering both theoretical and clinical topics. Part 1 of the book details research related to parentification and…

Compares the interactions in two listservs, one dealing with a chronic illness (diabetes), the other with a more acute disease (colon cancer). Analysis of 1000 messages from each list categorized messages by problem orientation and into socioemotional areas having positive and negative reactions and into task areas for asking questions and…

Camps for children with serious diseases or disabilities are becoming more common. These camps provide children and their families with ongoing support systems and allow children to interact with peers who accept them for who they are while having fun. Counselors with similar conditions make good role models. Camps sponsored by four national…

A relatively new method of helping pediatric cancer patients cope with their illness is specially designed summer camps. Camp helps children with cancer address psychological effects of the disease, bodily changes, and self-concept, and helps parents and siblings cope. Sidebars present resources and tips on incorporating children with cancer into…

Reviews how chronic illness affects the psychosocial and cognitive development of ill children, using both Eriksonian and Piagetian theoretical rubrics. Explores family and child stress and coping with medical crises and manifestations of illness. Provides recommendations for enhancing parent and professional communication and educational…

Diabetes educators have a dual role--to prevent eye disease and to help people with diabetes who are visually impaired achieve and maintain their desired level of independence. Familiarity with the range of adaptive equipment available and utilization of the professional association, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, can assist in…

In this study we examined the association of optimism and depressive symptoms with self-reported physical symptoms in 241 low-income, inner-city African American women with or without a chronic illness (HIV). Although optimism was not a unique predictor of self-reported physical symptoms over and above depressive symptoms, optimism interacted with…

Major physical illnesses usually have an impact on the psychological well-being of any individual. An illness of early onset, with necessity of frequent diagnostic and therapeutic interventions can adversely affect the emotional balance and behavioural adaptation of children and adolescents. This is applicable for congenital heart disease,…

This annotated bibliography provides an overview of the issues and selected resources related to the needs of adolescents and young adults with chronic illnesses. The first section of the document lists 80 bibliographic materials, including books, reports, and journal articles on general medical and social aspects, demographics, school issues, and…

This report summarizes existing data on persons with disabilities in narrative and tabular form. The first section considers definition and measurement of disability including such topics as activity limitation, functional limitation, special population groups and measures, chronic conditions, work disability, federal benefit programs, and state…

This pamphlet reprints the preface, contents, executive summary, and 27 recommendations from an extensive report on disability prevention issued by the Committee on a National Agenda for the Prevention of Disabilities. The summary notes that disability is a social, public health, and moral issue in addition to a medical issue. It cites statistics…

The purpose of the research study was to investigate the leisure behavior, social avoidance and distress, social self-efficacy, life satisfaction, global function, and negative symptoms of 26 individuals with chronic mental illnesses who reside in group homes. The study used a treatment group and a control group design to evaluate the…

These two volumes contain research papers and personal reflections developed as culminating projects by adult students involved in workplace literacy classes in nursing homes, hospitals, and home care agencies. The first volume contains 18 papers: "What You Need to Know about Cancer" (Grace Bopst); "What Nursing Assistants Need to Know about Heart…