Studies concerned with factors related to perceptions of the elderly have found that educational attainment is the only variable to show a consistently positive relationship with the way people view the aged. The goal of this curriculum model is to develop a training program that incorporates racial/ethnic content relevant to practitioners in…

The 1980s brought an unprecedented rise in the number of homeless families with children. That there may be as many as three million homeless persons in the United States, with families representing one-third of this population, indicates that homelessness is a social problem of catastrophic proportions. This paper finds that while Federal…

The quality of air inside the schoolhouses of America may have a profound effect on students' ability to concentrate on their lessons. The environmental hazards that influence the quality of the indoor air (IAQ) of our schools have not been well understood. Research evidence suggests that school age children and youth (especially those under the…

The importance of mealtime companionship and social interaction to improvements of food consumption, nutritional status, and morale in the elderly have been stressed, but the research supporting this concept is minimal. To determine the relationship between mealtime companionship and morale, a representative group of rural adults (N=418) aged 65…

This document contains the 42 reports from mini-conferences held in various nationwide locations prior to the 1981 White House Conference on Aging. Each report presents an overview of the topic, descriptions of particular problems, and statements of recommendations, based on the views of mini-conference participants, and made available to the…

The first section of this Technical Committee Report provides a brief summary of the major health problems of the elderly. Problems are categorized under the general headings of health maintenance, chronic illness, mental illness, multiple impairments, demographic characteristics, manpower (geriatric medicine, nursing, and other health…

Athletic trainers, whether or not they are university-based, should link themselves and their programs to the traditional medical community. A harmful communication gap now exists between athletic trainers and other medical professionals as a result of differences in value systems, clientele, and professional image. Trainers should market…

As the American population increases, the health problems of older women will be of greater concern to health planners, because it is the elderly woman who most often survives to old age and has greater need of services. Data from the National Health Survey was used to determine characteristics, conditions, management, and outcomes of patients at…

This paper presents the hospice as an alternative method of caring for the dying, with emphasis on bereavement follow-up care of the family. Components of this approach are described in terms of: (1) the delivery of care through a physician-directed team supported by nurses, social workers, pastors, volunteers, and consultants; (2) the maintenance…

Current challenges to the nursing profession are examined, including changing health needs, health care providers and the cost and quality of their services, the recruitment, retention, and regulation of nurses, and competition. Implications for nursing and parallels with pharmacy are discussed. (MSE)

The current state of dental labor research, dimensions of interest, problems of policy analysis, and the importance of these issues for dentistry are discussed, and a conceptual model for such research is presented. Immediate attention to the research is encouraged because of need and greater opportunities than ever for collaboration. (MSE)

More and more often, children in the United States are denied services that help keep them healthy or heal them when they are ill. This study examines the demographic, psychological, and physical health status of a group of children (N=293) with no access to health care, and who experienced an acute health problem. The children ranged in age from…

The University Health Services (UHS) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, has been conducting contraception education sessions since 1970. The Contraception Education Session lasts about one and one-half hours and consists of three sections: a slide/tape production overview of all prescription and nonprescription methods available, a…

Demographic data suggest that alcohol abuse among the elderly will increase in proportion to the population growth of that group. Four factors which may cause the elderly to be a highly susceptible group for alcohol problems are: (1) retirement and its boredom, role changes, and financial problems; (2) increased concern with death and losses of…

The Body Awareness Resource Network (BARN) is a system of interactive computer programs designed to provide adolescents with confidential, nonjudgmental health information, behavior change strategies, and sources of referral. These programs cover five adolescent health areas: alcohol and other drugs, human sexuality, smoking prevention and…