Notes changes in mortality and morbidity statistics which reflect the major health disorders in the nation. Asserts that Americans are now burdened with chronic and disabling disorders of aging population that are increasingly linked to environmental and behavioral factors. Documents gender differences among major life-threatening disorders and…

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) invests a disproportionately large share of its resources in research on Alzheimer's Disease at the expense of other interests of the broader scientific community in gerontology. Complex social forces that continue to shape this outcome embrace discipline-specific traditions of science advocacy, as well as…

Reports on linguistic features and patterns of coherence in mild and advanced levels of discourse of Alzheimer's patients. Argues and demonstrates that, as the disease progresses, patients' discourse becomes "pregrammatical"--vocabulary-driven and reliant on meaning-based discourse features rather than grammatically based features.…

Although there is a widespread belief that scaling up HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) programs in Africa will have large prevention benefits through reductions in risk behaviors, these claims are difficult to establish from existing evaluations of VCT. Considerations from behavioral models and the available data suggest that as VCT…

Objective: This article reviews the English-language literature on child sexual abuse in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The focus is on the sexual abuse of children in the home/community, as opposed to the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Methods: English language, peer-reviewed papers cited in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) are…

This document reports on the incidence of AIDS among Hispanics and addresses Hispanic concerns regarding AIDS education, prevention, and treatment. Hispanic Americans are proportionately more likely to suffer from AIDS than any other minority group, and health officials predict there will be a seven-fold increase in the number of AIDS cases among…

This paper focuses on new developments in medicine and in the courts that may have crucial implications for existing policies related to the educational placement of the HIV-infected student. Salient medical and legal aspects related to the educational placement and school attendance of HIV-infected children are reviewed. Recommendations for…

Rapid technological change in American society has been accompanied by accelerating growth of the population over 65. This report discusses the new challenges that will face the public and private sectors in both responding to the needs and making use of the resources of older Americans. The report discusses five chronic conditions that severely…

Authorities offer conflicting viewpoints on whether animal foods are essential to the health of young children or whether they can ingest the nutrients they need from plant sources. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) contends that because of the small capacity of young children's stomachs, they are not likely to consume all of the…

Summarized in this address are the results of a number of nutritional surveys from the sixties and seventies. Nutritional problems have been identified in a number of areas that cut across all socioeconomic and racial groups, the focus being on studies in rural South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Changes in nutrition with age and changes in…

Compares two major approaches to understanding how families respond to a member's chronic illness or disability with regard to how each conceptualizes illness and the family's response to illness. For each approach, discusses methodological implications, examples of research, and clinical implications. Presents advantages of combining elements of…

A discussion of the transmission and prevention of hepatitis B focuses on implications of the disease for special educators, including maintaining confidentiality, providing education in the least restrictive environment, curriculum modifications in related behavioral/social areas, and personal risk. Relevant administrative and legal questions are…

The epidemiology and characteristics of diabetes mellitus in children are discussed. Empirical studies focusing on personality and family variables, stress, behavior management, problems related to newly diagnosed cases, and cognitive functioning are reviewed. The role of school psychologists is highlighted, and guidelines are offered for…

Reviews California legislation related to work safety and injury prevention as they pertain to farmworkers. Describes types of work injuries and illnesses and supplies the state's statistics for their occurrence. Provides a source for identifying workplace hazards and devising safety measures and training programs. (KS)

This literature review will focus on the discussion of asthma and how it affects the sufferer. The role of serotonin and its physiological working at a neural level will follow, as well as the effects of corticosteroids on the brain and how low serotonin levels are linked to depression and corticosteroid use.