Describes Minnesota DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) PLUS, a randomized trial of 24 schools and communities. During 1999-2001, students in eight schools will receive the DARE curriculum in 7th grade. Eight other schools will receive the curriculum plus additional parent involvement, peer leadership, and community components in 7th and 8th…

Surveyed West Virginia middle- and high-school coaches' attitudes toward smokeless tobacco, actions toward athletes who used smokeless tobacco, intentions to provide interventions for users, and tobacco-use history. Results indicated that coaches had unfavorable attitudes toward smokeless tobacco, perceived it as a problem, and were willing to…

Investigated the extent to which a coordinated school health program infrastructure was functioning adequately within a developmental period. The model was implemented in three middle and four feeder elementary schools. Eleven critical performance elements were developed. Results indicated that a combination of four critical performance elements…

Evaluated a health education program for third graders at the Hult Health Education Center (HEC). Pretests-posttests of a control group, traditional classroom health education group, group that visited the HEC, and group that visited the HEC and incorporated center curricular materials in the classroom indicated that the best outcomes resulted…

Describes the design of a cohort of 6th-grade students, methods for tracking and retaining students as they advanced through 8th and 11th grade, and costs involved for survey completion in school and by mail for students who had ever and never used tobacco. Problems unique to the school setting are addressed, with suggestions for efficient…

Describes the efforts, outcomes, and recommendations from an urban California school district's pilot program for vaccinating preteens in two diverse urban middle schools. Barriers and strategies included staff inexperience, educating students, informing parents, tracking vaccinations, coping with language diversity, and creating individualized…

Reviews the evolution of efforts to develop effective, sustainable school health programs, arguing that efforts were significantly driven by public health priorities and have not adequately accounted for educational perspectives. A model illustrating linkages between different school-based inputs and strategies and long-term health and educational…

Assessed kindergartners' knowledge of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATODs), examining the congruence between parent ATOD use and children's knowledge. Data collected prior to an ATOD prevention trial for kindergartners and parents indicated that most students recognized cigarettes, half recognized alcoholic beverages, and 17 percent…

Assessed the scope of sexuality education topics taught by high school teachers, utilizing the SIECUS Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education, noting teachers' rated importance of these topics. Surveys indicated that most teachers taught most of the topics recommended by the Guidelines. They rated most Guidelines topics as important to…

Besides challenges in health and physical well-being, today's children face challenges based in behavior and lifestyle choices, which do not offer well-defined solutions. The paper describes coordinated school health programs; explains the importance of school, community, and family involvement in health; presents the U.S. Department of…

The 1998 National Alternative High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey measured health risk behaviors at alternative high schools. Many alternative students engaged in behaviors that made them high-risk for serious problems (e.g., motor vehicle safety, violence, nutrition, sexuality, exercise, and substance abuse). Their prevalence of high risk…

Describes the Health Promoting Schools Framework and its implementation in schools to prevent eating and body image disorders, examining the efficacy of preventive school-based strategies. The framework encompasses: school curriculum, teaching, and learning; school ethos, environment, and organization; and school-community partnerships and…

Describes adolescents' use of school-based health clinics (SBCs) for family planning and sexually transmitted disease (STD)-related services, using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Results indicated that 13 percent received family planning and 8.9 percent received STD-related services from SBCs. Factors affecting the…

Reports expenditures on tobacco control programs in California schools since 1989 and data from students interviewed as part of the California Tobacco Surveys in 1990, 1993, and 1996. Results indicate that the provision of substantial money for tobacco control to schools from 1989-1997 was not sufficient to ensure that effective interventions were…

The recent proliferation of tattooing has prompted increased concern for safety and awareness of hazardous conditions. Transmission of infectious diseases can occur when proper sterilization and safety procedures are not followed. Adolescents are a critical high-risk group that need the attention of school health personnel to help them become…