Information available so far indicates that children in managed care arrangements are less likely to be seen by pediatric specialists and that families and providers are less satisfied under managed care. In spite of these drawbacks, the managed care approach, modified appropriately, offers new opportunities to provide high-quality medical care…

The health care environment is undergoing significant change in the United States. There is constant talk of a health care crisis and the need for systemic reform. Part of this reform involves the education of the individual so that he or she can monitor his or her own health. The need for expanded health education produces implications for…

The PRECEDE model was developed for health educators in an effort to improve programs and to influence health behaviors. The model consists of several diagnostic phases: (1) epidemiological; (2) social; (3) behavioral; (4) educational; (5) administrative; and (6) evaluation. (JN)

Measured the impact of managed care on the utilization of preventive health-care services by 867 inner-city Los Angeles families and assessed the relationship between insurance type, source of care, and access to immunization services. Results show that, lacking financial incentives, managed care is unlikely to improve immunization rates among…

Three elements of persuasion (source, message, and audience) are discussed, and a paradigm for persuasion, the Elaboration Likelihood Model, which unifies many existing attitude theories, is described. Selected concepts and research on attitudes and persuasion are also examined as a context for teaching preventive behaviors and strategies in…

This review evaluates the accuracy of diabetes mellitus coverage in selected mass-circulating women's magazines from 1995 through 2001. The ProQuest database was searched to obtain all citations from five women's magazines ("Better Homes and Gardens," "Good Housekeeping," "Ladies' Home Journal," "Family Circle," and "Woman's Day") and three…

Psychoeducation is presented as a philosophy and a series of skills which allied health practitioners and educators can use to improve the preventive care and positive health enhancement aspects of their professional practice. An organized approach to the extensive literature in psychoeducation is outlined. (Author)

This article highlights key portions of the National Institutes of Health's National Asthma Education Program. Guidelines for understanding asthma triggers and medications are provided, and approaches to controlling environmental factors are suggested. (Author/PB)

Summarizes efforts by state governments to regulate managed care and examines the various actions that states have initiated to credential managed care plans that desire to provide care for Medicaid beneficiaries. In the long run, organizations other than state regulatory agencies may be better equipped to regulate managed care. (SLD)

Reviews the basic decisions states must make when implementing State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs and reports on the decisions states participating in this federal program have made, as reflected in the plans they submitted to the Health Care Financing Administration. Sources of information about the program are included.…

Behavioral medicine is a field which attempts to integrate social, behavioral, and biological sciences through an application of bio-behavioral methods to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of illness. Because behavioral medicine overlaps many psychological disciplines, some disciplines of psychology such as medical psychology and…

Notes performance injuries are a concern among musicians. Gives an overview of performing arts medicine, a new field offering benefits to music students and professionals. Comments on the educators' role in preventive strategies. States music educators can make a useful contribution to research by sharing their knowledge. (NL)

This paper, first in a series of special reports concerning disability and the family, presents a review of the relationship between abuse and disabilities, arguing that roughly 25 percent of all disabilities are caused by child or spousal abuse. A national survey revealed that 12 states have legislation addressing these issues, and the paper…

Refugee movements impose tremendous psychological and physical trauma on survivors, making refugees a high risk group for psychopathology and psychosocial adjustment problems. This paper explores the traditional impediments to developing prevention programs for refugees and describes public mental health strategies that could be used for different…

After reviewing the post-World War II history and the current status of health education, the author, a 1982 American Association for Health Education scholar, looks at the challenging vista ahead for health education. (CJ)