Community HealthCorps members working in community health centers provided HIV/AIDS prevention education to youth as part of their community service work. After HealthCorps members received training in the curriculum, Be Proud! Be Responsible!, they recruited youth from their communities to complete the program, offering prevention education which…

Analyzed data from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000 to assess the relationship between school demographics and school health policies and programs, linking interviews with school faculty and staff to extant data on school characteristics. The presence of most policies and programs differed according to school type, urbanicity,…

Describes the prevalence of school bullying behavior, noting the physical, psychological, and behavioral characteristics of children involved in school bullying; examining related issues (interpersonal relationships, family environment, physical health, and academic and school issues); looking at attitudes/perceptions regarding bullying; and…

Assessed fifth and six grade teachers' techniques of responding to students' human sexuality-related questions. Few teachers reported receiving formal training in sexuality education. Most teachers' districts had a sexuality education curriculum.(SM)

Implemented a computerized screening instrument, the Adolescent Health Review, in urban school-based clinics to test the viability of a stand-alone screening process and its acceptance by patients and providers, examining the relationship between health risks and the stated purpose for the clinic visit. Patients and providers readily accepted the…

Used the RE-AIM (reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) evaluation framework to assess how thoroughly recent school-based studies in 12 leading journals addressed RE-AIM issues, emphasizing external validity. Studies rarely addressed RE-AIM dimensions regarding external validity. School-based behavior change interventions…

Conducted a data quality substudy in conjunction with the School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2000 to assess the quality of study questionnaires. Validity of state and district level questionnaires was examined via telephone interviews with original respondents. A test-retest reliability of the school and classroom level…

Conducted a meta-evaluation of 11 school-based smoking prevention programs. Criteria included: adequacy of research design; evidence of reliability and validity; appropriate statistical analyses and interpretations; reporting of effect sizes or practical significance; accounting for attrition; and tracking fidelity to the program. Criteria with…

Examined the incidence of violence-related injuries in an urban school district, comparing characteristics of intentional and unintentional injuries. Data from student accident report forms indicated that 77.2 percent of injuries were unintentional, 16.8 percent were intentional, and 6.0 percent were of unknown intent. High school students and…

With threats of being labeled abnormal or facing rejection, homosexual adolescents are pressured to hide their sexual identities. To provide optimal anticipatory guidance and support, professionals must understand the natural development of sexual attraction and the disclosure concerns and risks for developing homosexual adolescents (e.g., risk…

Investigated whether 9th graders' participation in school team sports, exclusively or in combination with other extracurricular activities, would relate to higher levels of psychological functioning and healthy behavior than participation in other extracurricular activities alone or nonparticipation. Participants in any type of extracurricular…

Investigated factors associated with school adjustment and engagement. Surveys of 1,267 6th graders at the beginning and end of the school year indicated that parental involvement and social competence were protective against declines in school adjustment and student engagement during middle school. School adjustment was lower for boys than girls…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiated "Programs-That-Work" (PTW) in 1992 to identify health education programs with credible evidence of effectiveness and disseminate them to schools and youth agencies. Two tobacco use reduction programs and eight sexual risk behavior reduction programs were identified. This paper describes…

Describes the feasibility of the peer leader component of a school-based nutrition intervention for young adolescents designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and lower fat consumption. Results from a multicomponent process evaluation involving participant feedback, observation, and teacher ratings and interviews indicated that…

Assessed the effectiveness of a model for diffusing a middle school's life skills training program, examining implementation fidelity. Data from observations and surveys of master trainers and teachers indicated that 27 percent of trainers conducted training sessions, and 60 percent of teachers taught the curriculum. Implementation fidelity was…