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…

Examined the relationship of tobacco knowledge and attitudes, degree of acculturation, and gender with tobacco use initiation among early adolescent Mexican Americans. Surveys of fifth graders indicated that lack of knowledge about tobacco and positive attitudes toward smoking were the most predictive of tobacco initiation. Initiation rates were…

Examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and decision making among a non-clinical sample of low-income African American adolescents. Data from the Children's Depression Inventory and Flinders Adolescent Decision Making Questionnaire indicated that there was a significant correlation between adolescents' self-reported depressive…

This study assessed the level of physical activity, exercise self-efficacy, and stages of change for exercise behavior among college students at a large midwestern university using a street-based survey method. The 50% response rate produced 925 student responses comprising 95% as young ([less than or equal to]24 years of age), 53% female, and 79%…

This analysis determined the association between 13 selected health risk and protective factors and reporting two or more lifetime sexual intercourse partners and non-condom use for last coitus among sexually experienced U.S. rural high school students. The sample was 569 sexually experienced adolescent females and 561 sexually experienced…

Health educators play a key role in assisting the nation deal with and be prepared for potential biological attacks. This article summarizes information found in the literature about likely bioterrorist threats to the U.S. population and discusses the responsibilities of health educators in regard to these threats. Among the important roles health…

An exploration of the linear relationships among alcohol use, participation in late-night alcohol-free entertainment options, perceived drinking norms, social identity, perception of university policy, and demographics was conducted. The sample was 1,074 college students enrolled in introductory psychology courses. Alcohol use was measured using…

For more than a decade the health education profession has used the seven responsibilities, outlined from the 1978-1988 Role Delineation Project, as the foundation for credentialing, curricular structure in professional preparation programs, and continuing education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the seven…

Johnson C. Smith University, one of the nation's oldest historically Black colleges and universities, has a peer education program known as Students with a Realistic Mission (SWARM). SWARM's primary focus is on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted disease prevention, alcohol education, and other drug awareness. During the spring 2000 semester, we…

Residency educators are identifying approaches to measure resident competence. Portfolios are well suited since they require work already completed as part of patient care where competency must be demonstrated. This paper describes assessment of the reliability and validity of portfolios in a psychiatry residency program. This was a…

In this article, part of the "Exemplar" series in "Advances in Health Sciences Education," we profile the career of Christine McGuire, and capture her perspectives on the status of medical education practice and research. Her career was prototypical of other exemplars in the series--a pathway characterized by serendipity. As an exemplar, her…

Aim: Tutor performance and tutorial group productivity interact with each other in a complex manner. The aim of this study was to investigate how tutor performance, tutorial group productivity and the effectiveness of a PBL unit interact with each other. Three hypotheses were tested: (1) Does the tutor performance score differ across different…

Background: The ability of physicians to critically reflect on their professional practice has been increasingly valued. Previous research brought to light the multidimensional structure of reflective practice in medicine. It comprises at least five sets of behaviours in response to complex medical problems encountered in professional practice.…

Student approaches to learning vary from surface approaches to meaningful, deep learning practices. Differences in approach may be related to students' conceptions of the subject, perceptions of the learning environment, prior study experiences and performance on assessment. This study aims to explore entering students' conceptions of the unit…