If we want more evidence-based practice, we need more practice-based evidence.*

CHAPTER 10:
APPLICATIONS IN SCHOOL SETTINGS - Archived Headlines

Tatoos disqualify possible blood donors. FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP, July 19, 1999) - Chris Wood waited in a queue to donate blood at Western Hills High School, prepared to do his public service. When he scanned the list of conditions that would disqualify donors, anemia, antibiotic usage, abnormal blood pressure were no problem, but, farther down the list, he found tattoos. He hadn't expected that. "It came out of nowhere," said Wood. That was last year, his junior year. Wood, bound for Western Kentucky University in the fall of 1999, had gotten a jester's head tattoo on his hip during his 1998 spring break. At the same time, he unwittingly disqualified himself as a blood donor for one year. He was not alone. Blood-donation workers say it now happens routinely.

More Teen AIDS Feared. London Free Press Online (May 23, 1999); Lem, Sharon. New statistics from Health Canada indicate that of all new HIV infections between 1990 and 1995, half occurred among individuals aged 23 or younger. Dr. Chris Archibald, chief of Health Canada's division of HIV/Epidemiology at the Centre for Disease Control, noted there is risky sexual behavior among the country's teenagers, and he called for increased sexual education in schools. Data reported to Health Canada's Centre for Disease Control suggest a low prevalence of HIV infection among Canadian youth, but a Health Canada HIV/AIDS report notes that sexual behavior statistics indicate the situation could be quite different. A 1992 British Columbian report found that 33 percent of boys and 28 percent of girls aged 12 to 18 reported being sexually active. However, of these students, 30 percent of boys and 24 percent of girls had already had at least four sexual partners, and just 64 percent of boys and 53 percent of girls reported using a condom during their last encounter.

"Healthy'' insulation technology offers solution to school mould problem. (MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 26 /CNW) - Icynene, an innovative Canadian insulation technology, will be featured as a primary part of the solution to mould in school portables at a Toronto forum on the issue. ``In independent tests, we found Icynene insulation made it much easier to improve indoor air quality,'' said Bruce Small, director of the Envirodesic Certification Program, which independently tests and certifies building products that contribute to healthy indoor air. ``In tandem with proper ventilation, it is a key to avoiding the growth of mould.'' School boards across Canada have been wrestling with mould in school portables. In some cases, the mould problem has resulted in students and staff being sent home or relocated. Exposure to spores and gases from moulds have been linked to headaches, respiratory difficulties and other adverse symptoms.
    Meanwhile, significant changes have taken place in the design field and in manufacturing industries that make it much easier to address and avoid school indoor environment problems, including mould growth. ``Specific, practical, and affordable solutions are available in Ontario now, to fully resolve school indoor environment issues without further risk to health and education,'' Mr. Small said. These solutions will be presented at the forum, which is titled, ``Home-Grown Solutions to Indoor Environment Problems in Schools.'' The forum, sponsored by Envirodesic and Pollution Probe, will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 2, 1999 at Metro Hall in Toronto. Icynene insulation is a key solution that will be presented at the forum. ``Icynene dramatically reduces the air movement through walls to prevent the condensation that creates a breeding ground for mould,'' explained Alan Rankin, President of Icynene, who will be a speaker at the forum.
    Icynene does not release any harmful emissions or fibres into the air. With the look and feel of angel food cake, the water-based foam does not emit gases known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and contains no formaldehyde or harmful CFCs or HCFCs. Icynene has undergone rigorous health and safety testing, including independent tests by the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratories, the National Association of Home Builders Research Center, and the Florida Solar Energy Center at Cape Canaveral. Icynene has also been selected to insulate American Lung Association Health Houses in Michigan, Florida, Washington, Oregon, and Iowa. Consumers and health officials interested in more information on indoor air quality, can visit www.icynene.com on the Internet .

Health Minister launches Federal Guide to Programs and services for children and youth. (6 April 1999). Health Minister Allan Rock launched the 1999 edition of the Guide to Federal Programs and Services for Children and Youth. Intended for parents, caregivers, organizations, educational institutions, and agencies working with young people, the Guide is organized thematically with topics such as health, families and research. For more information, see http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/media/releases/1999/99_61e.htm .

Winnipeg Schools & Gay Bashing. (National Post, Toronto, Apr. 15, 1999). A Winnipeg meeting on how to reduce gay-bashing in schools grew heated when parent groups accused educators of promoting homosexuality. A committee formed to examine ways to teach tolerance of homosexuals to Winnipeg high-school students has been condemned by those who say it promotes an anti-heterosexual agenda. Kristine Barr, an education trustee in Winnipeg, convinced the board of education in Manitoba's largest school district to examine gay-bashing in high-school corridors, and to investigate what is being done in other school districts to alleviate the problem. At a meeting on April 5, the board voted seven to two in favour of striking the committee, which will also attempt to convince school officials and the public of the need to foster understanding of different sexual orientations as part of the curriculum. At a second meeting Tuesday night, this one open to the public, 60 separate delegations turned out to speak to the issue. One delegation was headed by Brian Hanslip, the founder of a group called Parents Against Heterophobia. Mr. Hanslip claimed programs to accommodate homosexual students have been disastrous in other jurisdictions. In Toronto, he said, they have been criticized by medical professionals who have warned that they will lead to the spread of AIDS.  But Janet Wong, a spokeswoman for the Toronto District School Board, said yesterday that the "Triangle Program" was widely regarded as a success. It allows students who have been harassed because they are gay or lesbian to continue their studies outside the regular classroom until they feel they can return to their school. It was fear for the students' safety that led to Toronto board to make the special accommodation, she said. And proponents of Ms. Barr's committee point to similar safety concerns. Glen Murray, Winnipeg's mayor, is the first openly gay person to head a city council in Canada and is fully supportive of the committee.

Koop ties college-age smoking to Joe Camel. - The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette. A rise in smoking by college students can be attributed to the effect Joe Camel had on children, former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said. "Kids smoke now more than ever," Koop said in Iowa City on Friday. Koop noted a national study indicated children were more familiar with Joe Camel, an advertising icon for Camel cigarettes, than they were with Mickey Mouse. "Now they've moved on to college." The rise in college-age smokers is also a result of doctors' reluctance to use drug therapies to help smokers younger than 20 quit, Koop said... The numbers will not change without a "constant drumbeat" of anti-smoking rhetoric, Koop said. Each day 6,000 kids make up their minds to smoke tomorrow, and 3,000 actually go through with it, he said. Such anti-tobacco campaigns, he said, should be funded with money from the states' settlements with tobacco companies... Efforts should not be confined to teens, Koop continued. Adults must be urged to quit, he said, and the combination of drug therapies and behavior modification make the chances of success higher than ever. A critic of the tobacco companies' settlement with states, Koop also took aim at the process by which it was achieved. "Congress is riddled with people who owe a tremendous amount of favor to the tobacco industry," he said. "There was one lobbyist for every two congressmen."  

Cigarette firms to talk with B.C. officials about teen smoking - (National Post, Mar. 15, 1999). Canada's three biggest tobacco manufacturers are ready to sit down with the B.C. government and talk about how to curb smoking among young people, just days after Glen Clark, the Premier, said his plan to impose a hefty fee on the cigarette giants was a tactic designed to bring the companies to the negotiating table. For full story: http://www.nationalpost.com/news.asp?f=990406/2449458&s2=national&s3=news

"Earlier Work With Children Steers Them From Crime" New York Times (Mar. 15, 1999) P. A16; Brody, Jane E. New research indicates that by generating an interest in school and boosting adolescents' self-esteem early, many risky behaviors can be avoided. The 12-year study, which involved schools with students from crime-ridden neighborhoods in Seattle, found that compared to students who did not receive intervention during elementary school, by 18 years of age, those who did were 38 percent less likely to drink heavily, 13 percent less likely to have sexual intercourse, 19 percent less likely to have multiple partners, and 35 percent less likely to be involved in a pregnancy. Lead researcher Dr. J. David Hawkins, a professor of social work at the University of Washington, noted that the curbs on sexual behavior and teenage pregnancy were accomplished "without ever using the 'S' word." The findings are published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

"Students Believe Pill Can Stop AIDS." UK Independent Online (03/13/99). New research into the sexual knowledge of British youth indicates large gaps. The "Young People and Health" survey, which involved more than 10,000 11- to 16-year-olds, revealed that only 39 had heard of gonorrhea, one-third of syphilis, and 51 percent of herpes. More than 25 percent believe the contraceptive pill will guard against STDs. The study also found that the teens want more information about AIDS.

Health Education Standards - The US Dept of Education has compiled several standards relating to health education.  Website: http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/docs/chapter16.html
    The identification of national reports was used to identify standards and benchmarks for health.  Six reports were identified as providing useful information on health education standards in the schools:
1.    National Health Education Standards: Achieving Health Literacy (1995) from the Joint Committee  on National Health Education Standards;
2.    Benchmarks for Science Literacy (1993) from Project 2061, American Association for the Advancement of Science;
3.    Health Framework for California Public Schools from the California Department of Education (1994);
4.    The Report of the 1990 Joint Committee on Health Education Terminology, from JCHET (1990);
5.    The Michigan Essential Goals/Objectives for Health Education (1988) from the Michigan State Board of Education, and;
6.    The National Science Education Standards (1996) from the National Research Council.
    Selection of the Reference Document National Health Education Standards: Achieving Health Literacy was used as the reference document. However, some basic content information was also drawn from the Michigan and California documents identified above, and supporting material (as well as some primary material) came from the two science documents, National Science Education Standards and Project 2061's Benchmarks.

Study Gives High School Textbooks Low Marks for Environmental Health Chapters. (American Council on Science and Health, December 23 1998.)

Surgeon General Pushes Sex Education. United Press International (12/06/98); Susman, Ed  Surgeon General David Satcher called for the use of sex education to teach responsible sexual behavior to children. Speaking at an interim meeting of the American Medical Association's House of Delegates in Honolulu on Sunday, Satcher said that Americans have to "get real" about sex education. He added that sex education can aid teenagers and children, helping them "feel good about themselves to be abstinent until they are involved in a committed relationship." Satcher noted that even though teenage pregnancy rates in the United States are higher than in other developed nations, sex education is not taught in many areas.

Our kids' lives worsen: Report; Ottawa failing on health, poverty, author says. The Toronto Star.  The lives of Canadian children are getting worse, according to a new report. The annual Progress of Canada's Children report, to be released today, says children's well-being is declining on more than half of nine indicators from health to economic security.
    Poor children are getting poorer and  they're suffering more. But even children in higher-income  families have been hit by a divorce rate   that has tripled in the past 20 years and rising teen pregnancy and smoking rates, says the report by the Canadian Council of Social Development.
    While there has been some improvement in school performance and physical safety in the '90s, ``Canada has failed to reverse negative trends in other important areas - most notably life prospects for poor children and health conditions for all children and youth,'' said the report's author, Louise Hanvey.
The federal government launched the national children's agenda several years ago to address these problems, but since then it has been tied up in a series of federal-provincial meetings that seem to be going nowhere, said David Ross, the council's executive director.
    The report found child and youth poverty rates are rising, the gap between rich and poor children is widening, and poor children have fewer opportunities than in past years.
    Part of the reason is the ``bloody stubborn unemployment rate'' which means single parents in particular can't find a place in the labour market, said Ross, an economist.
    The council went searching for some good news in its third annual look at children's lives but ``it's pretty hard to find,'' he said, because of cuts to community services and resources.  The average family has slightly more disposable income than a year ago, but lower-income families still spend more each month than they earn.  As well, criminal charges against youth are declining, math and science skills are improving compared to other countries and injury deaths among teens are falling.
    But the report also found:
* The number of families using food banks has more than doubled in the last decade and almost half of those who depend on them are children and youth.
* About 57,000 Canadian children younger than 12 go hungry because of lack of food or money.
* Teen smoking rates have risen dramatically to nearly a third of all 15- to 19-year-olds.
* One out of every six children younger than 12 has parents who are separated or divorced and one-third of them live in families with no financial agreement in place.
* While more young women are earning post-secondary degrees, average university undergraduate tuition fees rose 7 per cent this year and the average debt load at graduation has gone up by nearly half
since 1995.
* Affordable housing is a growing problem, particularly among young and single-parent families, and public housing construction has stopped in most provinces.
* Less than half of low-income families with children spend money on user fees for children's recreation activities while three-quarters of high-income families do.
    To reverse the negative trends, the council called on the federal government to increase its contribution to the national child benefit to $2.5 billion annually by 2000.  It also called for delivery of the long-promised national child-care program, improved services for children and youth and ``a coherent, long-term and adequately financed approach to health care.''  To improve families' economic security, governments should increase funding for post-secondary education, increase employment insurance benefits and reform the tax system to make it more equitable for low- and moderate-income earners.