A coronary heart disease risk factor self-change project for first-year medical students at Brown University is described. Students were exposed to behavioral principles and were able to observe firsthand the biological integration of behavior and physiology. (MLW)

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)

The current status of school health eductaion in the public schools is the result of political, economic, and social forces at the state and national levels. Policy recommendations are listed for state education agencies for a brighter future for school health education programs. (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)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the major public health problem in the U.S. today. Health education teachers should take the initiative to teach others about the relationships of diet, personal attributes, metabolic disorders, and lifestyle characteristics to CVD. (JN)

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)

Research on relationships between serum cholesterol, heart rate, and exercise in age-and sex-specific groups suggests a positive relationship between fatness on the one hand and serum cholesterol and heart rate, but eliminating the effect of body fatness results in no relationship between heart rate and serum total cholesterol. (MB)

Maintains that the prevention of heart disease begins in childhood with good dietary habits and health care. Provides parents and child care professionals with guidelines they can use to help prevent heart disease in children. (BB)

A step-by-step guide to auscultating young athletes helps physicians identify normal heart murmurs as well as sounds that might signify underlying cardiac pathology. Rapid, thorough preparticipation screening can help differentiate athletes who may require treatment or activity restriction from those with normal murmurs who can remain active. (SM)

Longevity of 12,543 Down's syndrome clients of the California Department of Developmental Services was examined. Findings indicated that predictors of survival were not different from mortality-related variables in the general population. Lack of mobility or poor feeding skills were better predictors of early death than variables associated with…

Sedentary lifestyles and obesity are leading causes of several diseases. About 20% of today's teenagers are overweight; 50% will become overweight adults. Effective health-education classes and physical education that focus on lifelong physical/mental well-being are needed. Administrators should evaluate students' health and fitness. (MLH)

A study interviewed caregivers and reviewed medical records of 278 adults with mental retardation with and without Down syndrome. The adults with mental retardation had age-related disorders comparable to those in the general population, but there was an increased frequency of thyroid disorders, nonischemic heart disorders, and sensory impairment.…

Focus groups with diverse low-income women generated ideas about cardiovascular disease interventions. Women preferred programs that: addressed multiple risk factors; emphasized staying healthy for themselves; taught skills for adopting heart-healthy behaviors; and offered choices in effecting behavior change. Women stressed the need for health…

Cardiac rehabilitation patients improve cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life, yet therapeutic processes that produce these changes remain unknown. A cross-lagged panel design was used to determine whether early-treatment enhancement of self-efficacy regarding abilities to change diet and exercise habits and the quality of the…