Recent decades have seen a rise in mental health problems among children and adolescents. Despite a proliferation of studies describing effective school-based mental health programs, reviews of current research in this field suggest a strong lack of consensus concerning the definition of school mental health and its constructs. In the present…

"Food insecurity," which is the lack of access to enough food to fully meet basic needs at all times because of economic constraints, afflicts 40.6% of low-income households with children. Research shows that living in a food-insecure household can lead to negative health and developmental consequences for young children, including obesity.…

This manual is designed for use by school personnel and dental personnel to aid in the development and maintenance of school-based or school-linked dental sealant programs. The sections include (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Guidelines" (school selection, school contacts, dental providers, target grades, and tooth selection…

Children need to protect their eyes from the sun's harmful rays. Sunglasses with ultraviolet (UV) protection can help enhance the eye's ability to filter out damaging rays, but sunglasses without such protection may allow in more harmful rays. The article presents guidelines to help parents select safe, appropriate sunglasses for their children.…

This publication describes the importance of promoting healthy eating habits among school-age children, discussing the benefits of healthy eating (e.g., prevents child and adolescent health problems and health problems later in life) and noting the consequences of unhealthy eating (e.g., hungry childen are more likely to have behavioral,…

These guidelines offer recommended topic areas and content for training local-level food service personnel. The recommended topic areas for training school food service directors/supervisors and food service managers are nutrition requirements, menu planning for school meals, procurement, financial management, marketing, food production, program…

This book presents nine packages of learning materials for trainers to use in teaching community health workers to carry out the nutrition element of their jobs. Lessons are intended to help health workers acquire skill in presenting to communities the principles and practice of good nutrition. Responding to the most common causes of poor…

Noting that increasing numbers of elementary schools in the Czech Republic are interested in participating in a program of health promotion for their students, this document outlines the contents of the handbook developed for an integrated program of health promotion in schools. The handbook is described as containing four parts. Part 1 presents…

Successful physical fitness programs are geared toward independent fitness maintenance. Today's revised national fitness tests cover overall fitness concepts (emotional and physical), recognize individual needs, and develop a life process strategy. The article provides a summary of physical fitness program components, suggestions for teachers, and…

This paper describes five key trends in the ways the rules for education are changing, the potential implications of the changes, and challenges for those promoting school health education. (SM)

In Japan, pedometers are so popular that most households there now have several. While pedometers have not yet reached this level of popularity in the United States, the media commonly discuss monitoring physical activity with pedometers. This discussion has focused both on its use as a monitoring device and as a means of physical activity…

Discusses the use of integrated pest management to foster a safe school environment free from pesticides. This effective, environmentally sound system minimizes human exposure and reduces the toxicity of materials used to control pests. Parents, teachers, and students can educate themselves to improve school pest control practices. (SM)

A sick school building has indoor air problems that pose health risks for everyone inside. The paper discusses what makes a school sick and what interested parties can do about it by targeting the problem together, making classroom changes, and making schoolwide changes. Resources for further information are included. (SM)

This guide is organized around a suggested list of health skills that all students should know and be able to do at each grade level from kindergarten through grade 6. The guide will help provide parents, teachers, and students with knowledge of what is being taught in a logical scope and sequence by grade level. It is designed to help build a…

Noting that Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is expected to become the fifth leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, this paper provides relevant information on AIDS and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to help educators understand that they can work with children and adults who are HIV positive or who have AIDS. The…