Examined the disordered eating behaviors and beliefs of female middle school athletes, investigating the relationship between number and type of sports played and disordered eating. Student surveys indicated that girls participated in a mean of 4.6 sports and reported an average of 2.1 weight dissatisfied beliefs and restrictive or disordered…

Examined the relationship between self-esteem and sexual behavior and intended sexual behavior among Hispanic middle school students. Student surveys indicated that higher home self-esteem significantly related to reduced likelihood of participation in sexual intercourse (ever) and reduced intent to participate. Higher school self-esteem related…

Investigated preservice teachers' beliefs about school violence prevention and intervention approaches, the effect of violence prevention training on the school environment, and differences in preservice teachers' beliefs by background and demographics. Overall, there were significant differences in beliefs about violence prevention interventions…

Assessed the dieting frequency and nutritional patterns of college females in allied health and health science at a large urban university. Data from the Black Health and Habits History Questionnaire and measures of body mass index indicated that 73 percent of the respondents had dieted at least one time, though 61 percent were at normal weight.…

Presents a framework for teaching epidemiology to middle school students. The curriculum, "Detectives in the Classroom," addresses five essential questions: 'Why Are Some People Getting Sick While Others Remain Healthy?;''Is There an Association between the Hypothesized Cause and the Disease?;''Is This Association Causal?;''What Should Be Done…

Describes major methods available for determination of cut scores or minimum competencies (the Nedeslsky and Angoff methods) and their application to annual assessments at Texas Tech School of Pharmacy. (EV)

Sought to develop a reliable and valid instrument to measure pharmacy students' self-confidence and to determine the effect of selected demographic variables as independent predictors of self-confidence. Found that the instrument had content validity, high internal consistency reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. Several…

Proposes a methodology using self-efficacy measurements in curricular evaluation and assessment, and discusses their potential uses in pharmacy education. The suggested methodology includes item generation, validation, administration, and correlation with behavior. Describes an exploratory study using the methodology at the University of Arizona…

Examined the impact of a workshop that trained teachers in using problem-based learning to teach health content. Data from a repeated measures quasi-experimental study of participants and nonparticipants indicated that six variables differed significantly between participating and nonparticipating teachers (e.g., ratings of passive student…

Likens the situation in today's public health to war, recommending a military-style strategic plan that focuses on three concepts (ends, ways, and means), and suggesting that until these three are in balance, the best way for the United States to win a public health war is to focus on the enemy's center of gravity, prioritize ends, and apply…

Examines the federal, state, and local policies that guide approaches to sex education in the United States today (comprehensive curricula versus abstinence only), examining recent research into community-level experiences and practices as well as emerging evidence about the effectiveness of different types of sex education curricula. (SM)

Investigated how state coordinators of abstinence education programs defined "sexual activity." Researchers surveyed Title V abstinence education coordinators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories. Of the 17 coordinators providing at least partial responses, none reported having a definition of sexual activity. The…

To optimize professional preparation and ensure the transition of positive attitudes about teamwork from education to practice, educators must offer students opportunities to participate in well-designed, positive group activities grounded in theory. This paper presents an activity that provides class project groups a chance to work through the…

Tested the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in predicting elementary teachers' intentions to teach health education, describing teachers' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors regarding the teaching of health to students. Teacher surveys indicated that variables of the TPB explained 52.3 percent of the variance in teachers'…

Parents of middle school students completed surveys regarding factors that hindered their participation in school health education. Parents were more likely to have low participation levels if they had limited knowledge of opportunities to participate and perceived that the school did not want their participation, the curriculum did not allow for…