Excessive school absence disrupts learning and is a strong predictor of premature school dropout. School-aged children with asthma are absent more often compared to their healthy peers without asthma; yet, the causes are inadequately documented. We sought to determine the difference in mean absence days between children with and without asthma,…

Objectives: To determine relationships between physical fitness and academic achievement in diverse, urban public school children. Methods: This cross-sectional study used public school data from 2004 to 2005. Academic achievement was assessed as a passing score on Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) achievement tests in…

Background: Depression is prevalent among children and adolescents and often goes untreated with adverse effects on academic success and healthy development. Depression screening can facilitate early identification and timely referral to prevention and treatment programs. Conducting school-based emotional health screening, however, raises the…

Background: Students are unable to benefit from many school programs designed to address their mental health needs if their parents do not consent to their participation. As part of an ongoing effort in a large urban school district to meet the mental health needs of students traumatized by violence exposure, this paper examines the impact of…

A survey of school clinic visits during one school year revealed the most frequent complaints or reasons for visits of school children in grades kindergarten through twelve; a decline of visits appeared at the junior high level, and some relationship was found between visits and socioeconomic background. (JD)

Examined the incidence of violence-related injuries in an urban school district, comparing characteristics of intentional and unintentional injuries. Data from student accident report forms indicated that 77.2 percent of injuries were unintentional, 16.8 percent were intentional, and 6.0 percent were of unknown intent. High school students and…

Examined violent behavior and aggression among youth attending 10 urban alternative schools in Texas. Student surveys indicated that aggression significantly related to fighting and weapon carrying. The prevalence of violent behavior was lower among these nontraditional students than among students from the 1998 national alternative Youth Risk…

Background: Anger, a component of negative affect, has previously been associated with increased drug use primarily among white high school-aged students. However, few studies have examined these associations over time, and fewer have examined them among younger adolescents and students of color. Affective factors may play a greater role in drug…

Pediatric asthma rates are reaching epidemic proportions, adversely affecting children's quality of life, educational potential, and health care costs, especially those in the inner city. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based asthma case management (CM) approach with medically undeserved inner-city children attending Memphis…

School nurses spend considerable time caring for the needs of children with asthma and thus can offer valuable insights into barriers to asthma care within the school setting. Investigators conducted focus groups with school nurses in Dayton Public Schools to evaluate barriers to asthma care for children in an urban school system. The school…

Surveyed parents of third graders in an urban public school system regarding their knowledge about school health services, value they placed on the services, and barriers to health care access. Overall, parents highly valued school health services, knew little about service availability and use, and were often unaware their children received many…

Implemented a computerized screening instrument, the Adolescent Health Review, in urban school-based clinics to test the viability of a stand-alone screening process and its acceptance by patients and providers, examining the relationship between health risks and the stated purpose for the clinic visit. Patients and providers readily accepted the…

Analyzed health care utilization at three New York City school-based health centers (SBHCs), comparing characteristics of frequent and average users. Examination of participants' encounter forms and charts indicated that the SBHCs had a high rate of use. Frequent users were more likely to be older, comprised 28 percent of clinic-users, and…

Examined the attitudes of key participants in a telehealth project, conducted by the Kansas University Medical Center and one school district, which brought health care into the schools via interactive video technology. Archival data and participant interviews indicated that initial challenges and negative attitudes were overcome to effectively…

Examined the efficacy of a school-based asthma management program to prevent exacerbation of symptoms in inner-city, African-American students. Students visited the school clinic twice daily for treatment with inhaled anti-inflammatory medication and measurement of respiratory peak flow rates. Regular use of inhaled anti-inflammatory medication…