This elaboration of the Dietary Goals for the United States, set by the U.S. Senate and Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs in 1977, details all seven dietary goals and includes a discussion of possible risk factors associated with certain chronic diseases. (JN)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether stress management training reduces blood pressure (BP) variability in hypertensive patients. Previous literature suggests that cardiovascular risk is not only a function of BP levels, but also of BP variability, and this partially depends on changes induced by the stress of everyday life. The…

Provides an overview of dietary risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including diet sodium intake for hypertension and dietary fat and cholesterol for hypercholesterolemia, exacerbation of these conditions by obesity, and intervention strategies for their modification. Describes clinical strategies for modifying diet: education, skills…

Discusses the general standard of health of Australians, the trend towards a lifestyle of fast foods and less excercise, and the relation between diet and three major diseases: heart disease, cancer, and stroke. (Author/SS)

A comprehensive health education program stressing the development of sound health habits should be offered to all students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Such programs could help to prevent the development of cardiovascular disease by educating students of current practices that add to the risk of disease. (CJ)

A Virginia elementary-secondary school blood pressure education program is described and evaluated. Evidence presented indicates that participants' cardiovascular knowledge levels increased significantly as a result of program participation. (JMF)

A program in the schools for screening children suffering from hypertension is described. (JMF)

Guidelines for cardiac evaluation of the child and adolescent prior to sports participation are presented including taking a history, physical examination, special testing, and stress testing. (JMF)

The Discordance Hypothesis suggests that the human genetic makeup has only changed one-hundredth of one percent in the last 10,000 years. In that time the world has changed dramatically and the environment has become hazardous to our health. The goal is to emulate our ancestors' diet and lifestyle. (MLW)

Contains 18 articles discussing the uses of behavioral medicine in such areas as obesity, smoking, hypertension, and headache. Reviews include discussions of behavioral medicine and insomnia, chronic pain, asthma, peripheral vascular disease, and coronary-prone behavior. Newly emerging topics include gastrointestinal disorders, arthritis,…

A health assessment battery was developed to screen elementary school children in Clovis (California) for factors that might lead to heart disease. Students' height, blood pressure, flexibility, weight, and body fatness (by skin-fold tests) were measured. Plans call for future development of longitudinal student profiles. (Authors/PP)

Text, illustrations, and exercises are utilized in this set of learning modules to instruct the general public in the prevention and treatment of heart disease. The first module, by James W. Woods, presents a medical definition of high blood pressure, reviews its causes and effects, and discusses its treatment. A script to a slide version of this…

A study compared serum total cholesterol and blood pressure levels of participants in a voluntary national health screening with NHANES II estimates of the general U.S. population. Findings suggest the levels may not have decreased appreciably over 10 years; and continued national, state, and local behavior modification efforts are warranted. (SM)

Identifying and intervening with overweight children may decrease their likelihood of developing heart disease later in life. This secondary analysis of 58 children in the 3rd grade examined the prevalence of overweight children, methods for measuring overweight status, and the relationship among these measures and other risk factors for heart…

This document reports on the second year of a project developed to improve the cardiovascular health of elementary school children. The project objectives in the second year were to refine and expand the curriculum which included components on cardiovascular health, nutrition, and physical fitness. Increased family awareness and involvement were…