Reports a survey that documented the health and safety behaviors of parents of children in Head Start programs. Nearly all parents reported using car seats, teaching handwashing and pedestrian safety, and locking away medicine and alcohol. Sixty percent reported storing guns and bullets safely, possessing working fire extinguishers, and having…

Victims of child abuse are at risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, not only directly through sexual abuse, but also because they engage in more high-risk behaviors. Because American Indian youth experience higher rates of sexual abuse and have less access to treatment and counseling, they are especially at risk.…

Analyzes the variation in the risk of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in U.S. Blacks, Hispanics, and other racial/ethnic minorities relative to that in Whites by geographic area and mode of infection. Uses data reported to the Centers for Disease Control, and 1980 U.S. Census Data. (FMW)

Using a conceptual stress development model that treats informal supports and competency as potential mediators, examined outcomes of caregiving in samples of black and white caregivers. A perceived lack of informal supports and a sense of incompetency exacerbated stress among black caregivers but had no effects among the white caregivers. (RJM)

Reviews evidence on the state of health of the nation's children and youth, identifying common health problems. Findings indicate the need for policies placing priority on the delivery of primary care services and status measures that reflect the interrelationships among health problems and the impairments associated with them. (SLD)

Biological questions about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are minor compared with political and ethical problems related to the AIDS epidemic in the United States. Lack of public confidence in the work of public health officials and the controversy surrounding New York City's syringe exchange program are two examples. (SLD)

Whether Canadian young adults are adjusting their sexual behaviors as advocated in safer-sex guidelines of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) prevention campaigns was studied among 1,334 college students in 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1988. Knowledge about AIDS appeared accurate but was not being translated into effective risk reduction. (SLD)

It is apparent that some children in the United States have not benefited from the improved oral health care available. These children tend to be poor and members of racial and ethnic minority groups. Policy recommendations are made to increase both self-care and access to dental care. (SLD)

A study with 62 students compared the effectiveness of face-to-face and World Wide Web-based instruction in the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) segment of an undergraduate health-education course. Results suggest collaborative learning activities were more effective in the Web-based than in the class environment; students perceived the…

Summarizes results from 1999 national school-based surveys and trends during 1991-99 in selected youth risk behaviors as well as 33 state and 16 local school-based surveys. Prevalence of several injury-related behaviors and sexual behaviors have improved. Current smoking rates may be declining. Certain risk behaviors are more common among…

Describes the modes of transmission of HIV and the course of the disease in infants and toddlers. Information is provided on its effects on early development, medical screening and treatments, therapies, psychosocial assistance, and interventions, including nutritional therapy, occupational and physical therapies, and speech and language therapy.…

Family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) commonly have high levels of psychological distress. Black caregivers often report less depression than white caregivers, but the process underlying this difference is poorly understood. With the use of a stress process model, 123 white and 74 black family caregivers of patients with AD…

Background: The number of HIV infections among adolescents is increasing, and youth in psychiatric care are at particular risk because of their high rates of risky sexual behavior. Methods: As part of a larger longitudinal study examining AIDS-risk behavior among adolescents in psychiatric care, this pilot study investigated the relationship…

A major challenge to developing therapeutic interventions for cognitive loss and dementia in aging individuals with Down syndrome (DS) is the selection of appropriate outcome measures. This report describes the adaptation of the Brief Praxis Test (a nonverbal cognitive test) as a primary outcome measure, as well as the selection of secondary…

Though the continuum of care model has been adopted in HIV/AIDS intervention, there is little empirical work documenting the experiences of caregiving families. Addressing this gap, a study on family caregiving and care receiving was undertaken in Mumbai, India. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven seropositive caregivers, seven…