bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Job Satisfaction in Relatively Closed and Open Schools
Authors: Coughlan Robert J.
Published: March 2007

This study examines the ways in which teacher work values affect job satisfaction within relatively closed and open school organiza tional systems. The findings suggest that these different types of formal organization generate patterns of work attitudes which are related more to type of system than to the disparate work values of teachers. Nonetheless, certain differences among value types indicate a "directional trend" in problem emphasis from vertical to lateral work relations as one's attention moves from examining closed to more open organizational systems. Mr. Coughlan is an Associate Professor in The School of Education at Northwestern Unversity.
Theory in Educational Administration: An Instructional Module Teaching Approach
Authors: Van Meter Eddy J.
Published: March 2007

An instructional module approach to the teaching of theory in educational administration is presented. It is suggested this ap proach has a potential to meet identified criteria of competency- based instruction. The approach is designed to incorporate both methodological procedures of theory construction as well as sub stantive content of administrative and organization theory. The author is Assistant Professor of Administration and Foundations of Education at Kansas State University, and KSU Coordinator of Project Kansas 76, a USOE/EPDA educational leadership develop ment pro ject.
Educational Management Information Systems For The Seventies
Authors: Hayman John L.
Published: March 2007

Modern systems theory tells us that the manner in which infor mation is used is a key determiner of organizational function. There is always an information system, whether it is formal, infor mal, or both, and its operation always effects the organization's success in meeting its goals. In this article, issues related to the improvement of educational information systems are discussed. The author is Professor of Education at The Pennsylvania State University and is Director of the Center for Cooperative Research with Schools, a unit of the College of Education concerned with systems applications.
The Preparation of Administrators: Some Observations from the "Firing Line"
Authors: Hills Jean
Published: March 2007

A professor's year-long return to the elementary school principal- ship provides the basis for this paper. Observations concerning the author's experience are reported, questions concerning the content of preparation programs are raised, and recommendations for the im provement of preparation programs are advanced. Jean Hills is a Professor on the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia.
Role Conflict Resolution Behavior of High School Principals
Authors: Hatley Richard V. , Pennington Buddy R.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to assess the role conflict reso lution behavior of high school principals. The investigation focused on five distinct resolution modes, underlying reason, legitimacy, and sanction variables, and the issue of hierarchical aspects of conflict episodes. Findings prompted development of a reconceptualized model of role conflict resolution. Richard Hatley is Associate Pro fessor of Administration, Foundations, and Higher Education at the University of Kansas; Buddy Pennington is Superintendent of Schools at Brule, Nebraska.
Some Correlates of Role Ambiguity — Men and Women in the Same Work Environment
Authors: Paul Robert J.
Published: March 2007

Administrators frequently don't know what to expect from or how to manage the female employee. Research findings are often at variance with authoritative statements and women's liberation doctrines. A comparative analysis of role attitudes of men and women in the same environment provides some insights. Robert J. Paul is a Professor of Management specializing in Organizational Behavior and Personnel Management at the University of Missouri--Columbia.
Increasing Public Tuition in Higher Education: An Alternative Approach to the Equity Issue
Authors: Johnson Gary P. , Leslie Larry L.
Published: March 2007

Certain national study groups have recently recommended raising substantially the tuitions in public universities and colleges. The authors analyze the probable impact of such recommenda tions, viewing public tuition as a form of taxation, and conclude that the middle-income student and his/her family would bear a disproportionately large share of the burden resulting from a substantial increase in public tuitions.
The Testing of a Prototype System for Outcomes-Based Instructional Supervision
Authors: Niedermeyer Fred C.
Published: March 2007

Widespread implementation of outcomes-based instruction is rapidly increasing in the nation's schools. Recent experience has shown, how ever, that while some classes achieve the intended outcomes, other classes, often within the same school or district, do not. This study reports the results of a large-scale empirical test of a prototype cur riculum supervision system. The system was developed to enable school administrators and supervisors to efficiently monitor class per formance of outcomes-based instruction during a school year, and to assist teachers in quickly identifying and correcting instructional problems when they occur so as to improve class achievement of in tended outcomes.
State Politics and Education: An Examination of Selected Multiple-State Case Studies
Authors: Burlingame Martin , Geske Terry G.
Published: March 2007

This article examines major studies of state politics in education that use the comparative, multiple-state case study methodology. These studies are reviewed, and the use of this methodology is examined. The findings of these studies are presented, and several lines of future research activity are explored. The article suggests that major methodo logical problems in this type of study hinder the usefulness for assessing changes in state politics and education.
When the Union Has Something the School Board Wants: Role Reversal in Collective Bargaining
Authors: Blumberg Arthur , Castallo Richard
Published: March 2007

In collective bargaining, the teachers' union typically tries to initiate change of some sort and the school board tries to maintain the status quo. This article analyzes an opposite condition: the school board as initiator of change and the union as protector of the status quo. Several predictive propositions are offered concerning these circumstances.
Organizational Leadership: The Case of the School Superintendent
Authors: Pitner Nancy J. , Ogawa Rodney T.
Published: March 2007

Two dimensions of the leadership of educational organizations are explored: (1) the day to day behavior of superintendents and (2) the meanings superintendents attach to their work. The work stems from related studies by the authors. Two clusters of patterns emerged from this analysis. First, superintending is communicating. Second, superintendents are constrained by social and organizational structures and, yet, control a major part of their day-to-day work and exert an important organizational influence. Questions are raised concerning the adequacy of the dominant notions about leadership.
Searching the Scripture
Authors: Russell D.S.
Published: March 2007

In a society very different from that of the first Christian century, wherein for us does the authority of scripture lie? Not, I believe, in its professed 'historical accuracy', and not in its claimed 'verbal inerrancy', but rather in the unique story it has to tell of God's dealings with his people Israel, culminating in the gift of his Son Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the world.
Reporting in Ancient Japan
Authors: Yamamoto Fumio
Published: March 2007

Reporting is an absolutely indispensable element in present-day society. But in remote antiquity, too, reporting was in quite as great demand as it is to-day, and was of the highest importance in deciding man's desires and actions. It would, however, be erroneous to try to understand reporting in ancient times in terms of modern 'news' or 'the newspaper'. A short-cut to better understanding would be to classify the communication of various concrete facts with respect to the different aspects of old-time reporting. It is accordingly the object of this article to survey the multifarious phases of reporting in Ancient Japan.
The "Anti-white press" campaign: the opposition of the African press to the establishment of the Daily Graphic by the British Mirror Newspaper Company in Ghana, 1950
Authors: Karikari Kwame
Published: March 2007

British imperial response to anti-colonial agitation in West Africa highly featured efforts to curb the nationalist press. In Ghana, colonial authority failed to bridle a vociferous press by resort to the law. After World War 2 colonial authority encouraged the Mirror Company - a burgeoning media transnational - to establish the Daily Graphic in Ghana (and others elsewhere) to weaken the nationalist press through market competition. Weak capital, mutual political rivalry and colonial maneuvring undermined a fervent campaign to boycott this "White Press Menace". Ultimately the Mirror newspapers so weakened African newspaper proprietorship that, the conditions thus created made it easy for the post-colonial state in Ghana to curtail press pluralism.
Public service broadcasting and the challenge of new technology: A case study of Japan's NHK
Authors: Akhavan-Majid Roya
Published: March 2007

The decade of 1980's was characterized by multiplying challenges to public service broadcasting in many countries. The threat to the financial viability of public broadcasting, which had originated with the stagnation of receiver fee revenue in the face of rapidly escalating production costs, was compounded by the economic-ideological chal lenges posed by the advent of new media technologies. By the end of the 1980s, public broadcasting systems everywhere appeared to be either crumbling or managing a slow decline.

As a system operating in a uniquely different, and little-studied, policy environment, Japan's public service broadcasting system, NHK, presents a sharp contrast to this grim picture of decline. In contrast to many of its Western counterparts, such as the BBC, for example, NHK has succeeded in adapting new technologies to its own advantage and has grown tremendously in power and prominence as a broadcasting institution since the early 1980s.

Based on extensive personal interviews conducted with Japanese media scholars, commercial broadcasters, and NHK representatives in the course of a four-month field study in Japan (January 1991-April 1991), as well as library research, this study analyzes the reasons behind this contrast in terms of 1) the elements in the Japanese policy environment which have given NHK an advantage over its counterparts and 2) the management strategies pursued by NHK itself in response to new technologies.
Structural changes in Kenya's broadcasting system: A manifesta tion of presidential authoritarianism
Authors: Heath Carla W.
Published: March 2007

Between December 1988 and March 1990, the government of Kenya restructured its broadcasting system. Examination of government documents and press reports viewed from the perspective of literature on authoritarian politics in Africa indicates that the structural changes were part of a strategy intended to enhance the image and authority of President Moi, breath new life into the ruling party and attract foreign investors. The strategy did attract foreign aid and investment in the media and did give the president a more efficient propaganda tool and tighter control over the state's broadcasting system. But, the aid increased the nation's external debt; the regime's propaganda alienated the public, and the second TV channel served to encourage open debate and multi-party politics which undermined the president's authority.
Reconstructing the story of Simplemente Maria, the most popular telenovela in Latin America of all time
Authors: Singhal Arvind , Obregon Rafael , Rogers Everett M.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the present paper is to investigate a spectacular mass media phe nomenon that occurred some twenty-five years ago: The case of a highly popular Peruvian telenovela Simplemente Maria ('Simply Mary'), which to this date is considered by many as the most popular television program of all time in Peru and in most countries of Latin America. Our methods of data-collection activities in reconstructing the history of Simplemente Maria are described. We explore the reasons for Simplemente María's audience popularity and its several intended and unintended effects. One of Simplemente María's serendipitous effects was the formulation of the entertainment-education strategy in television.
The cultural obligations of broadcast television in Israel
Authors: Schejter Amit
Published: March 2007

In this study, a textual analysis of policy papers, drafts of legal documents and laws enacted by the Knesset are used in order to demonstrate how broadcasting policy has been shaped in Israel in order to serve cultural needs. The study describes the historical development of policy toward broadcast television in Israel, from the 1960s to 1993, when commercial television was introduced. It demonstrates how all along, though cultural goals and understandings have changed, cultural considerations were at the basis of the policy. The analysis demonstrates the changes in the value systems of Israeli policymakers and lawmakers over the years and between broadcasters, but maintains that the cultural policies in regard to non-Jewish cultural expression have remained unchanged.
Under the gun: The Bolivian press and military rule, 1964-1982
Authors: Knudson Jerry W.
Published: March 2007

Military intervention in civil government comes and goes in Latin America, fre quently crushing any opposition by the press. Bolivia has experienced more military coups d'état than any other Latin American or Caribbean country. This study of the relationships between the Bolivian press and military between 1964 and 1982 thus has a wider significance. In some ways repression has grown more subtle, but in Bolivia brute force still was commonly employed. Bolivia also has experienced the second social and economic revolution in Latin America, beginning in 1952. Poverty and social maladjustment breed militarism and a vulner able press, but on the other hand, resistance to authoritarian rule - sometimes at a terrible cost - marked the beginning of professionalism within the Bolivian press.
Scary faces, scary places: children's perceptions of risk and safety
Authors: Harden Jeni , Backett-Milburn Kathryn , Scott Sue , Jackson Stevi
Published: March 2007

Risks to children have been defined from an adult perspective with little or no space given to hearing from children themselves. In this paper we discuss children's perceptions of risk and safety. Children's risk landscapes were con tingent on a range of contextual factors - space, time, people, actions. Their assessment of risk was based on knowledge gained from a range of sources and from their own direct experiences. While children may have expected their parents to protect them, they also expected there to be some negotiation, and a balance to be reached between protection and restriction. The data presented are from a project, 'The Impact of Risk and Parental Risk Anxiety on the Everyday Worlds of Children', which explored children's landscapes of risk and safety. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with children, aged 9- 15 years, in rural and urban locations in Scotland.
Assessment of a touch-screen health promotion system in independent community pharmacies
Authors: Hariri S. , Goodyer Ll , Meyer J. , Anderson C.
Published: March 2007

Kiosks containing an interactive multimedia touch-screen computer program providing advice on individual lifestyle habits were placed in three independent community pharmacies for two months. User characteristics were recorded by internal monitoring. Health promotion activity was assessed by changes in leaflet uptake and queries to the pharmacy staff. In one of the pharmacies only, individuals with a higher body-mass index and those under 20 years of age were less likely to complete the program. There was a significant increase in the number of leaflets taken and queries made to the pharmacy staff. Multimedia kiosks are useful tools for health promotion in independent com munity pharmacies and could lead to an increase in health promotion in the pharmacy.
Bringing order from chaos: The challenge of training lay responders to use automated external defibrillators and provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Authors: Woollard Malcolm
Published: March 2007

Each minute's delay to treatment for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) with ventricular fibrillation (VF) reduces the likelihood of survival by ten per cent. Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were developed to make rapid definitive treatment more widely available.AEDs use a computer algorithm to diagnose the collapsed patient's heart rhythm and determine the need for a defibrillatory electric shock. This requires no intellectual input from the operator, whose actions are directed by simple written and recorded vocal prompts.

Increasing the number of members of the public with the ability to access and use AEDs and provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a cost-effective strategy for reducing deaths from OHCA. However, conventional training often results in inadequate skill acquisition and fails to ensure skill retention beyond three to six months. Classes without instructors and which use computer-assisted learning or automated voice-advisory manikins have resulted in competence similar to that achieved with traditional training, and may be more cost-effective and

convenient. Simplified staged CPR classes offer improved skill acquisition and have a moderate benefit for skill retention. Short self-instructional video training classes or frequently repeated brief practice sessions with feedback from a voice-advisory manikin (both in the absence of an instructor) offer the greatest benefit for CPR skill acquisition and retention, but have not been used for AED instruction. Further research is required to determine the optimal method for training lay members of the public to use AEDs. It seems, however, that the ideal teaching strategy is unlikely to utilise a conventional instructor-led model.
Cervical cancer risk perception and Pap-smear screening
Authors: Merrill Ray M. , Madanat Hala N.
Published: March 2007

Objective This study assesses whether cervical cancer screening is influenced by self-perceived risk of developing the disease.

Design Analyses are based on 3221 women respondents, aged 18 years and older, to the 1996 Utah Health Status Survey, a cross-sectional random

telephone survey. Religion and church activity are used as surrogate markers for cervical cancer risk.

Setting Interviews were carried out across 12 local health districts in Utah.

Methods Religion was classified as member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint (LDS), non-LDS, and no religious preference. Church activity was divided into attends church weekly and attends church less than weekly. Data were assessed using cross-tabulations and multiple logistic regression.

Results The relation between religious preference, church activity, and Pap smear screening was dependent on marital status. Among married women, religious preference and church activity was not significantly related to Pap smear screening. On the other hand, for unmarried women the odds of having a Pap smear in the last two years, compared with religiously active LDS, was 2.39 (95 per cent confidence interval: 1.30- 4.09) for less religiously active LDS, 2.30 (1.10-4.82) for religiously active non-LDS, 1.65 (0.91-2.99) for less religiously active non-LDS, and 5.35 (2.50-11.43) for women with no religious preference. For unmarried religiously active LDS, 39.2 per cent had a Pap smear in the last two years. In contrast, for unmarried women with no religious preference, 78.7 per cent had a Pap smear within the last two years.

Conclusion These findings suggest that self-perceived risk for cervical cancer influences Pap smear screening behaviour. Cervical cancer screening programmes in certain areas, such as Utah, may benefit by considering religious preference and church activity when developing and targeting screening programmes.
A systematic approach to the development and evaluation of an intervention promoting stair use
Authors: Adams Jean , White Martin
Published: March 2007

Background and context Regular activity is recognised to have powerful health maintaining and promoting effects but two thirds of adults in developed countries remain unhealthily sedentary. This research was undertaken as part of the Newcastle Healthy Medical School Project (NHMSP), a multi-dimensional health promotion initiative based in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

Objective To use a theoretically based, systematic approach to design and evaluate a stair promotion intervention in conjunction with the target group.

Design and methods A series of five small scale studies, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, was conducted to: choose an outcome measure, gather an evidence base, and design and evaluate a stair promotion intervention.

Setting One stair-lift complex in the medical school of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Target group All users of the stairs and lifts in the target setting, including students, staff and visitors.

Results A stair promotion intervention comprising four posters was designed and evaluated in conjunction with the target group. Stair use comprised 20.1 per cent of all upward journeys pre-intervention, 20.6 per cent at week one and 19.5 per cent at week four (p>0.05).

Conclusion No increase in stair use was measured in response to the intervention. This may be due to an inadequate measure of stair use, the possibility of stair distance thresholds, the targeting of a relatively active group or the unauthorised removal of many of the posters.
What is CONSORT? How to publish a research project
Authors: Holloway Philip J. , Worthington Helen V.
Published: March 2007

Many research projects are inadequately reported in the scientific and professional literature, so an increasing number of leading journals are insisting on an agreed format for publications. This has been outlined recently in a check list known as the CONSORT Statement (Consolidation of Standards for Reporting Trials). This article explains the foundation on which this Statement was developed and how it will improve not only the reporting of research findings but also the conduct of that research.
Student attendance at dental checkups: An application of the Transtheoretical Model
Authors: Coulson N.S. , Buchanan H.
Published: March 2007

Objective To examine the application of key constructs of the Transtheoretical Model (stages of change and decisional balance) to attendance at dental checkups with a student sample.

Method A questionnaire was completed by 224 students from the University of Derby. They were asked to report their intention and behaviour in relation to dental checkups (reflecting the stage framework) as well as rating 31 statements representing the Pros and Cons of dental checkups.

Results Thirty (13.7 per cent) participants were classified into precontemplation, 69 (31.5 per cent) contemplation, 18 (8.2 per cent) preparation, 86 (39.3 per cent) action and 16 (7.3 per cent) maintenance. Support for the application of the stages of change model to dental checkups was found. The decisional balance measure (Pros and Cons) reflected hypothesised differences across the stages of change.

Conclusion The findings suggest that applying the stages of change construct to dental checkup attendance can assist us in designing interventions that are more appropriately targeted by stage of change. For the large proportion of students not attending, we suggest minimising the Cons and maximising the Pros of dental checkups.
Rethinking drugs prevention: Radical thoughts from social marketing
Authors: Hastings Gerard , Stead Martine , MacKintosh Anne Marie
Published: March 2007

NE Choices was a major drugs prevention programme which targeted 13 to 16-year-olds in the north-east of England between 1996 and 1999. It had explicit drug use prevention, prevalence reduction and harm minimisation behaviour change objectives.

The intervention had everything going for it: strong theoretical underpinnings; a multi-component design, combining a schools intervention with community, media and stakeholder activity; extensive, long term resources (the programme lasted three years plus a one-year pilot and an additional year of follow-up); a comprehensive bank of formative, process and impact evaluations to inform its development and implementation; and a quasi-experimental design to measure its effect on behaviour.

But it did not work. Despite consistently and markedly positive formative, process and impact results, it did not change behaviour.

This paper examines the lessons that emerge from NE Choices. It begins with a conventional analysis, which suggests a need for relatively straightforward alterations to the intervention, starting at an earlier age, for example, or making the evaluation more rigorous. The paper then looks at some of the intervention's strengths, before taking a more radical perspective, and using learning from social marketing to call for a fundamental rethink of the 'intervention mentality'.
Humour and health promotion
Authors: Snowden Ann
Published: March 2007

Objective To inform those who wish to recommend or evaluate humour as a therapeutic intervention.

Design Review of literature relating to the putative effects of humour on health.

Method Evaluation, interpretation, and synthesis of existing literature relating to humour and health published in many disciplines including anthropology, communication, counselling, education, gender studies, linguistics, literature, medicine, neuroscience, philosophy, physiology, psychology, and sociology.

Conclusion It would seem that the health-related benefits of humour are becoming a popular subject for postgraduate students, with a steady stream of articles appearing in healthcare journals over the last few years. Many of these articles have relied on anecdotal evidence or secondary sources rather than original data, whilst at the same time ignoring the lack of empirical work on the identification of exactly when humour is healthy or unhealthy. These healthcare articles have helped to support a burgeoning business in the beneficence of humour, which is further reported in books, workshops, newsletters, web sites, and the media. However, before recommending or evaluating the role of humour and laughter in health promotion, it is essential to (a) appreciate the multidimensional and multidisciplinary nature of the variables under investigation; and (b) examine original empirical data rather than rely on anecdotal evidence or secondary sources.
SPICED: Evaluation of a drug education project in Kirklees primary schools
Authors: Crosswaite C. , Tooby J. , Cyster R.
Published: March 2007

Objective To investigate the process, implementation, and short-term outcomes of a drug education programme (SPICED) introduced in Kirklees schools, West Yorkshire.

Design A retrospective evaluation using mixed methods.

Setting Ten primary schools in West Yorkshire.

Methods Interviews with professionals, survey of parents, focus groups with children, observation and literature review.

Results The SPICED programme was viewed as a valuable means of delivering drug education. The partnership approach between classroom teachers, school nurses and police officers enhanced its delivery. Delivery had been less effective where full participation of partners had not taken place. More than 500 questionnaires were sent out to parents and a response rate of 39 per cent was obtained. Being involved in the drug education programme assisted parents in responding to their children at home and they were supportive of the programme. The pupils enjoyed SPICED and demonstrated increased knowledge levels and confidence.

Conclusion The results support the multiprofessional approach of SPICED highlighting the importance of consistent drug education messages and multiple information sources for children. Informing and involving parents was important in gaining their support and ensuring that discussions at home concurred with the messages in school. Some areas for further development have been identified but SPICED provides a comprehensive model in line with existing evidence for effectiveness.
Barriers to healthier eating in a disadvantaged community
Authors: O'Neill Martin , Rebane Deanne , Lester Carolyn
Published: March 2007

Objective The research objective was to identify how healthy eating was understood in a disadvantaged community and how barriers to healthy eating might be overcome.

Design Participatory action research.

Setting Communities in Gurnos, Merthyr Tydfil, one of the most deprived areas in the UK.

Method Trainees on a participative methods course undertook hands- on research, directed by the course leader and local researchers. Respondents were from established local groups, including elderly, carer and toddler and residents' groups. Participants were asked to identify and rank healthy and unhealthy foods and to discuss barriers to healthy eating in their community.

Results Participants demonstrated fairly good knowledge of what constituted a healthy diet, but many found that this was difficult to achieve. Barriers included conflicting advice from professionals, lack of time, advertising, community norms and poor quality food available in school. Conclusion In order to be successful, healthy eating initiatives need to embrace the multifaceted nature of this issue in poor communities, including food as an aspect of local culture.
GP exercise referral schemes: Improving the patient's experience
Authors: Wormald Helen , Ingle Lee
Published: March 2007

Objective The main objective of this study was to explore patients' perceptions of general practitioner (GP) exercise referral (ER) schemes with a view to providing a better service for future patients.

Design A qualitative focus group methodology.

Setting Meeting rooms or communal areas in leisure centres across North Yorkshire.

Method Thirty participants took part in six focus groups. Data were analysed using a content analysis technique based on the 'framework' approach.

Results Participants were generally very positive about the ER schemes and reported numerous benefits including: improved self-confidence, wellbeing and quality of life; increased physical activity behaviour and awareness; and improved physical health and fitness. Access to the ER scheme appeared to be restricted due to a lack of awareness amongst primary health care staff. Participants were content with the activities provided by the leisure centres, but felt that there should be more group activities and opportunities to meet other people.

Conclusion Findings from this study provide support for the use of ER schemes for promoting physical activity and improving health. Despite existing evidence supporting a move towards promoting informal, unstructured, unsupervised physical activity, ER schemes provide participants with support, supervision, structure and opportunities for social contact, which act as powerful motivators for some people. In terms of a population approach, however, the ER scheme must be considered as just one method for promoting physical activity, and must be part of a broader strategy encompassing a wide range of initiatives in a number of settings.
Coronary heart disease knowledge and risk factors among tri-ethnic college students
Authors: Koutoubi Samer , Huffman Fatma G. , Ciccazzo Michele W. , Himburg Susan P. , Johnson Paulette
Published: March 2007

Objectives Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States and Europe. This study identified and compared nutritional knowledge associated with CHD risk factors among tri-ethnic college students.

Design A quantitative, cross-sectional, observational study using questionnaires.

Setting University laboratory.

Method Three hundred college students, 50 per cent male and 50 per cent female, completed self-administered surveys of demographics, CHD knowledge, and Cardiovascular Risk Assessment. Data were analysed by gender and ethnicity using one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlations, and Chi-square test.

Results The mean percentage of correctly answered CHD knowledge questions for all subjects was 70.7 ± 7.9 per cent. The CHD knowledge was significantly higher ( p=0.039) for White non-Hispanic males than Black non-Hispanic males. A large percentage of the subjects selected'do not know' in response to the family history of heart disease (27.2 per cent) and diabetes (15.6 per cent) questions. A significant inverse correlation ( p=0.032) was found between the CHD knowledge and CHD risk point standards in White non-Hispanic females. Overall, significant inverse correlations were found between CHD knowledge and intakes of calories ( p=0.010), carbohydrates ( p=0.016), total fat ( p=0.024), and cholesterol ( p=0.023).

Conclusion Nutrition knowledge of CHD risk factors are key in changing nutrition behaviour, and future studies should investigate the effectiveness of nutrition education that specifically addresses ethnic differences needs and strengths of college students.
Cannabis use, beliefs about 'hard drugs' and 'soft drugs', and the ineffectiveness of anti-drug interventions in French high-schools
Authors: Peretti-Watel Patrick
Published: March 2007

Objective To study drug-related beliefs among adolescents, and specifically their propensity to distinguish 'soft drugs' from 'hard drugs'; to investigate factors associated with such a propensity as well as its relationship with cannabis use.

Design & setting A cross-sectional self-administered survey conducted among a random sample of 5,812 French high-school pupils.

Method A score was designed for assessing respondents' propensity to distinguish 'soft' from 'hard' drugs. The correlates were studied, and then used to model various levels of cannabis use. Separate analyses were performed for boys and girls.

Results The propensity to distinguish 'soft drugs' from 'hard drugs' was tightly associated with cannabis use. For both genders, exposure to preventive information during a course, or through posters or booklets had no impact on such a propensity, and indeed attending a conference on drugs reinforced this propensity among boys. For both genders, this propensity was also strongly associated with cannabis use, and exposure to anti-drug information through a specific lecture was positively associated with cannabis experimentation.

Conclusion The effectiveness of preventive information in French high schools is highly questionable, especially when it endorses an unbalanced 'anti-drug' discourse that may even boomerang. As cannabis use and related beliefs are probably built together and reinforce each other, one should neither overestimate the impact of beliefs on behaviours, nor underestimate users' adherence to such beliefs.
■ Research Problems in the Assessment of Nursing Education
Authors: Price Joseph L.
Published: March 2007

RESEARCH in any specialty of nursing education is not presently noted for its product ivity. An increasing number of studies may be noted in nursing journals, but the vast majority of these research endeavours are better described as programme innovations with some evaluative criteria applied, rather than systematic research. In fact, many teaching nurses know precious little about the effectiveness of their programmes that has been garnered by careful research procedures. There are at least several reasons for this condition.
Health education in schools
Authors: Guy C.J.
Published: March 2007

MUCH has been said and written in recent years about the need for health education in schools, but there seems to be a wide divergence in practice about what is meant by health education, who should teach it, who should receive it and when it should be undertaken.
Physical fitness for women
Authors: Rumsey J.A.
Published: March 2007

THE campaign sponsored by the Health Education Council and called 'Look After Yourself!' was initiated during the academic year in which the Southampton College of Higher Education was running a 'Fitness for Fun' course.

It was thought that it might prove a valuable exercise to compare the progress of a small group of women on the course who could be subjected to the exercise programme with that of a control group of women from the secretariat of the college.
The understanding of medical terminology used in printed health education materials
Authors: Cole Rosalind
Published: March 2007

SELF -ADMINISTERED, multiple-choice question naires were completed by 120 patients and students in order to assess their medical vocabulary knowledge. The fifteen test words were taken from printed health education materials. It was apparent that many respondents had problems with the words, in particular, those of low social status or low educational achieve ment. The scores of students, however, were not signifi cantly higher than those of the patients.

It is suggested that all health education materials be carefully screened for medical words, although they may have high readability scores. Even seemingly simple medical words should be explained in simple terms, or should be included in a glossary. This practice should increase understanding and recall.
Toothbrushing attitudes and behaviour of 12 and 13 year old Somerset children
Authors: Palmer J.D. , Burchell C.K. , Andlaw R.J.
Published: March 2007

A QUESTIONNAIRE survey on toothbrushing attitudes and behaviour of 1158 Somerset children aged 12-13 years is re ported, this survey being part of a three-year toothpaste clinical trial. The results indicate that the ma jority of these children do brush their teeth regularly each day, but there is a need to emphasise more thorough brushing of all tooth sur faces and the gingival margins for effective oral hygiene. The con cern of this age group for 'social acceptability' should be an im portant consideration in designing dental health educational material for young teenagers.
Market place rubella antibody testing
Authors: Carnegie-Smith Kaetrin , Fairfax Ian C.
Published: March 2007

THE health education caravan at the Newcastle Summer Exhibi tion was used as a venue to offer rubella antibody screening.

A true cross-section of the fer tile female population had the test performed and showed an immunity rate of 82%.

Of those proved to be suscept ible, there was only limited com pliance with the suggestion that immunisation should be sought from their GP.
How the Northern Ireland World Cup football squad led an anti-smoking campaign by the Ulster Cancer Foundation
Authors: Wood Michael A. , McGuffin Samuel J.
Published: March 2007

IN the run-up to the World Cup in 1982, the Ulster Cancer Foundation recruited the Northern Ireland World Cup squad to take part in an anti-smoking cam paign aimed at young people. Posters were distributed to schools throughout the Province. Evaluation discovered that such ventures contribute to health education in schools; that young people retain the significant messages of the campaign; and that such approaches raise aware ness among young people that physical fitness and smok ing are incompatible.
Attitudes of health visitors to fluoridation
Authors: Williams S.A. , Fairpo C.G.
Published: March 2007

A study of the attitudes of health visitors in urban com munities in northern and southern England was carried out in 1973 and 1979. The survey showed that two-thirds were in favour of fluoridation, but that there was consid erable scope for more attention to be paid to the subject in training programmes, both at college and in service.
Can health education help to disperse the 'menstrual blues'?
Authors: Harding Christina M.
Published: March 2007

PREVIOUS research on the psychological concomitants of menstrual distress is critically evaluated. This research is criticised for methodological issues, statistical naivety, and for non-standardisation of the measurement of psychological parameters. The measurement and definition of menstrual terms is criticised for its subjectivity, and more objective measurements are proposed to describe menstrual bleeding patterns. It is found that, despite the many weaknesses in this research, there is evidence to suggest that women are responding to social expectations. This evidence is briefly outlined. It is proposed that, as the problem appears widespread, a campaign to modify expectations about menstruation would be valuable. The available findings about the problems encountered and about the sources and quality of information on menstruation are dis cussed. It is concluded that an intervention study, incorporating more objective measurements, could be an effective method of testing the role of expecta tions on the incidence and intensity of the 'menstrual blues.'
Social class and environment: their perceived influence on health in Britain
Authors: O'Looney Barbara A. , Harding Christina M.
Published: March 2007

PERCEPTIONS of the health risks thought to be associated with the lower and middle classes and urban and rural environments were investigated. Three hundred subjects were asked to read one of 12 character profiles and answer a series of questions related to their perceptions of the health behaviours, health attitudes and illness susceptibility of the target character. The 12 characters differed in terms of their places of residence (urban/rural) and occupa tions. Subjects were found to have definite ideas of the health risks associated with socio-economic status and the environment and many of their perceptions reflected the official statistics. The implications of the results for the planning of health education programmes are discussed. The impor tance of taking account of the social context in which health decisions are made is emphasised.
A village health worker's project in the Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh
Authors: Mariasy Yvonne
Published: March 2007

DURING an elective period in India a village health worker's project was studied.

The health education of the inhabitants of 32 villages is the main function of the project, which concentrates on the prevention of malnutrition in the under-fives and their immunisation. The villages are linked to the community health centre of the hospital by a weekly village clinic held by nurses, and by the village health worker who attends training sessions at the hospital. She uses the gathering collected around the clinic as an opportunity to give health education talks. She continues the work of the clinic by treating minor illnesses and educating the villag ers in between clinics. Her duties are reported at the training session.

The villagers' acceptance of the clinic services and receptivity to the messages of the village health worker increases with the length of time the project has been established in their village.

The employment of nurses and health workers in primary care is a pragmatic approach to India's massive health problems.
Young people's perception of health, illness and smoking
Authors: Murray M. , Jarrett L.
Published: March 2007

FORTY NINE young adults were interviewed about their views on health and smoking. Content analysis of their replies revealed certain differences between men and women and between smokers and non- smokers in their views on health, health mainte nance, illness, causes of illness and the health hazards of smoking. The implications of these findings for the development of future anti-smoking programmes are discussed.
Dental health education and the Manpower Services Commission Youth Training Scheme
Authors: Hodge Hilary , Griffiths Beryl Bevan
Published: March 2007

RESOURCES obtained from the Manpower Services Commission have been used to set up a dental health education programme with pre-school and handi capped children constituting the principal target populations. Over a five year period the project has developed into the existing Youth Training Scheme employing twenty school leavers and four adult supervisors. The venture is of benefit both to the trainees and to the Health Authorities who sponsor the schemes, providing widespread dental health education programmes which otherwise could not be carried out.
Health education in general practice
Authors: Fowler Godrey
Published: March 2007

IN the third of his series on health education in general practice, Godfrey Fowler takes a look at patient education leaflets, and considers ways in which they can be used most effectively.
Health skills: the power to choose
Authors: Anderson Jen
Published: March 2007

IN the current debate about health education and health promotion, it is difficult to see where school health education fits. Whether the route to health is through social engineering, political activism, razzmatazz, community activism or individual responsibility, it seems clear, since it is mentioned so frequently in the literature, that self-empowerment is central to all. But what is self-empowerment, a phrase which is widely used although often misun derstood ? And how, in practice, can it be developed in secondary schools? This article describes five cri teria for self-empowered behaviour and relates them to the experience gained during the project Lifeskills and health education in the secondary school.
Attitudes of parents and teachers to sex education
Authors: Steele Andrew
Published: March 2007

A STUDY was undertaken in the spring of 1986 to discover the attitudes of parents, teachers, and stu dent teachers to sex education. The groups were asked to assess a questionnaire designed to test chil dren's ability to differentiate between fact and myth in sexual matters. Parents were more positive than teachers and student teachers, who felt that factual information about sex should be placed in the con text of education for personal relationships.
Aids - the British context
Authors: Garland Ruth
Published: March 2007

The 'gray plague' headlines have largely been replaced by a more responsible approach. But the story of Aids in Britain is still at an early stage; with many problems yet to be confronted.
An international comparison of health education literature on breast disorders
Authors: Goddard Anne , Bowling Ann
Published: March 2007

A CONTENT analysis was undertaken of publicly available literature on breast disorders from six countries. The study showed that it is harder to obtain information on many topics in Britain than it is elsewhere. Better literature might lead to better- informed choices and use of services by British women.
Quality in life — a safety campaign
Authors: Lomax Carlton
Published: March 2007

A SAFETY campaign linking an environmental health department and a crime prevention panel had a discernible effect on the elderly population of South Bedfordshire. Widespread co-operation is felt to be essential to the success of similar ventures, and effort should be devoted to taking the messages to the target audience.
Heterosexual spread of Aids: a challenge for health education
Authors: Wellings Kaye
Published: March 2007

AN arguable over-reaction to the threat of Aids a year ago has been replaced by over-complacency. Research findings are extensively reviewed, and it is argued that information on heterosexual spread is still insufficient to make confident predictions of its ultimate extent. However, areas for health education can be identified, and future priorities are suggested.
Alcohol education and its evaluation — some key issues
Authors: Bagnall Gellisse
Published: March 2007

THIS paper identifies some of the key issues in the development and evaluation of an alcohol education programme. The major problems inherent in this kind of research are discussed, and some consider ation is given as to how these might be resolved. There follows a detailed description of a continuing study, designed to put some of these ideas into prac tice. Its principal aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of an alcohol education package for 12 to 13-year-old children in school.