Reports an Australian study that investigated the proportion of elementary students previously taught about stranger abduction who detected they were being followed. Observations of 15 children who were followed once a week for four weeks indicated the children only detected they were being followed 3% of the time. (SM)

Fourteen middle- and high-school curricula published over 10 years were examined via a content analysis instrument. Little difference occurred in noun and pronoun usage within curriculum texts. Illustrations were scarce but showed greater female representation. There were differences in gender representations according to topic. (SM)

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors six categories of health-risk behaviors: injury-inviting behaviors, tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behaviors, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity. This report summarizes results from the national survey, 35 state surveys, and 16 local surveys conducted among high…

Because public support for establishing school-based health centers has outstripped the provision of stable funding mechanisms, this article addresses possibilities of using patient care revenue, especially Medicaid, as a component of a long-term funding strategy. Experiences of various state governments authorizing schools to bill Medicaid are…

The Safer Choices program, being tested in Texas and California, is a multicomponent program to change behaviors which lead to infection with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy. Components include a School Health Promotion Council, curriculum and staff development activities, school environment activities implemented by peer…

This statement of the National Association of State School Nurse Consultants lists those school nursing services and procedures the organization believes should be reimbursable by Medicaid to school districts. Identified services are in the areas of case finding, nursing care procedures, care coordination, patient/student counseling, and emergency…

This report by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides data from an ongoing study of the high number of BB and pellet gun related injuries to children and adolescents. It urges parent supervision and determination of effectiveness of technological, regulatory, environmental, and…

Sexual behavioral risk factors were studied in 1,090 youth (mean age 14 years) in Moscow (Russia) using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey. Only 26.3% of youth reported being taught about HIV/AIDS infection in school, and just 41.7% indicated discussion of HIV/AIDS with parents or other familial adults. Condoms were used in 41.7% of…

This paper reports the psychometric properties of each of the subscales of the Youth Health Survey and results of a pilot study with 205 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. The eight subscales assess health habits and attitudes of the adolescent as well as peer and family influences. Data for internal consistencies, test-retest…

White and black adolescent females (n=344) participated in a survey of ideal body size beliefs using a questionnaire and 9 female and male body size drawings. Black females preferred a significantly heavier ideal female body size than whites and perceived that their parents and friends would select as ideal a significantly heavier female body size…

Guided by the Health Belief Model, focus groups identified strategies to promote parent involvement with their children's substance abuse education. Low-income parents and school personnel identified cues to action and necessary requirements (child care, transportation, incentives) as important in promoting parent involvement. Children's…

This study followed children retrospectively from kindergarten through 12th grade to examine incidence of abnormal school vision screening tests and rates of follow-up by specialists. School vision screening provided first indication of abnormal visual acuity in 76% of the children. Results support the notion that school vision screening is…

Describes the design and implementation of a peer-led sexually transmitted disease/human immunodeficiency virus prevention program for high school students in a dropout prevention program. Pre- and postintervention ratings of peers' effectiveness by teachers and students demonstrated an increase in awareness and discussion and an increase in…

This article presents a list of the most current and commonly used computer networking terms, providing brief descriptions of each. The terms are related to hardware, software, electronic networks and services, making the connection, and locating information in cyberspace. (SM)

Perceived invulnerability to acquired immunodeficiency virus is strong among adolescents, but it is changeable. Health education can attempt to move students beyond this perception using a five-stage model (facts and figures, initial dissonance, uncovering hidden realities, transitional events, and new dissonance). (SM)