Background: We aimed to better understand the impact of statewide legislation removing personal belief exemptions (PBEs) for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) school immunization requirement and factors associated with resulting health-seeking behaviors. Methods: We used chi-squared tests and logistic regression models to determine individual-…

Background: Children with asthma should have immediate access to rescue medication. Yet, <15% of children have access to this life-saving drug while at school. Methods: A search was conducted in the all states database of Westlaw to identify which the US states, territories, and the District of Columbia have a law for K-12 schools. Terms…

Little is known about the implications of cannabis legalization on adolescent health behaviors. This study sought to examine the relationship between recreational cannabis legalization and adolescent sexual risk behaviors. Data on 371,487 respondents who have ever had sexual intercourse from 41 states in the 2005 to 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey…

While the study of ignorance is nothing new to philosophy, this article explores the origin and production of ignorance in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors link the question of a pandemic of ignorance to state education laws and policies that arguably manufacture ignorance. Their purpose is not to create a sense of paranoia or lead…

By April 15, 20 states had ordered child care centers to close in the wake of COVID-19, with exceptions for programs serving the children of essential workers such as health care professionals. Other states modified regulations, with some reducing class sizes to 10 or fewer. Especially for struggling providers, the emergency presents real…

This study sought to determine if human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates are associated with teaching requirements for abstinence in state sex education laws and policies. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted assessing the association between abstinence education legislation and HPV vaccination rates in adolescents (aged 13-17 years).…

This article uses the question "Can government and businesses mandate the COVID-19 vaccine?" as a starting point for an interdisciplinary lesson appropriate for a variety of business law classes. This lesson includes several important overlapping learning goals: (1) It expands students' ability to analyze how the complexity associated…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School District Health." Contents include: (1) Habits of a Healthy School…

Sexual and reproductive health and well-being plays a central role in the lives of young adults. Having the ability to plan whether and when to become pregnant, to protect against sexually transmitted infections, and to receive essential medical care during pregnancy, for example, have important effects on young people's lives--including their…

Over the past forty years, considerable attention and funding has been spent to improve the health status of Kanaka ?Oiwi. While gains have been made, Kanaka 'Oiwi continue to experience an average life span ten years shorter than that of the general population (Wu et al. 2017). This is caused in part by non-communicable diseases such as diabetes,…

The New York Civil Liberties Union's Teen Activist Project (TAP) and Youth Organizing Institute are peer educator and organizing programs for high school students in New York City. In recent years, students from both programs have identified bullying and harassment and the lack of comprehensive sex education as major problems in New York City…

This booklet seeks to clarify teenagers' rights under New York State and federal law to make their own medical decisions. It is designed as an aid to teenagers and the professionals -- social workers, counselors, teachers, and medical providers -- who work with young people. Frequently, professionals can encourage communication between young…

The recommendations presented in this article are provided to colleges and universities to facilitate the implementation of a comprehensive institutional prematriculation immunization policy. Vaccine-preventable diseases continue to occur on American campuses. In response to changing epidemiology and the introduction of new vaccines, the ACHA…

Objectives: We assessed policy and system changes and health outcomes produced by the Allies Against Asthma program, a 5-year collaborative effort by 7 community coalitions to address childhood asthma. We also explored associations between community engagement and outcomes. Methods: We interviewed a sample of 1,477 parents of children with asthma…

We use state repeals of blood test requirements (BTRs) for a marriage license that occurred between 1980 and 2008 to examine the impact of changes in the price of marriage on the marriage decision. Using a within-group estimator that holds constant state and year effects and exploits variation in the repeal dates of BTRs across states, we find…