Role rehearsal and efficacy: two 15-month evaluations of a ninth-grade alcohol education program.

A ninth-grade alcohol education program aimed at reducing drinking, drinking and driving, and riding with a drinking driver was developed on the basis of problem behavior theory, social cognitive theory and role theory. In Year 1 the program was taught by Social Studies teachers to half of the eighty-four ninth-grade classes in all nine junior high schools in a single school system; the other half served as controls. In Year 2 the program was taught to the ninth-grade students of the same school system by English teachers. Students' knowledge, skills and practices were measured before and four-six weeks and one year after the program. Results indicated significant increases in knowledge and perceived ability to resist pressures to drink among experimental students. No significant differences were noted for the drinking or the drinking and driving practices of either group. One year after the program, significantly fewer students in the experimental classes reported riding with a driver who had been drinking. Results suggested that English teachers were more effective than Social Studies teachers in teaching this program.     

A RESPONSE TO HEIM AND SNYDER

This article comments on a recent study by Heim and Snyder (1991) which explores the interaction between marital distress and spouses' attributions in predicting depression. We suggest taht the attributional theory model may set up a reductionistic research stance that potentially separates what depressed people think from their circumstances and history, thus implying a linear relationship between thinking, depression, and, in this case, marital distress. We also question whether the authors' focus on women's attributional processes, combined with their reliance on a potentially unidimensional model of depression, might inadvertently support preexisting power imbalances in the marital relationship. Finally, we address research design issues regarding measurement, sampling, and statistical concerns.     

Is screening and brief advice for problem drinkers by clergy feasible? A survey of clergy

Routine screening for alcohol abuse in primary care, with brief advice to stop drinking for those screening positive, can detect individuals with alcohol problems and reduce alcohol use and alcohol induced problems in those detected. Not everyone with alcohol problems sees a physician regularly, however, and not all respond to a physician's brief advice. To explore the feasibility of expanding screening for alcohol problems to clergy, we did a mailed survey to 315 clergy at Christian churches in Cleveland, Ohio. Clergy reported a variety of views about alcohol use and abuse, but most agreed that alcoholism is a disease. They indicated counseling a significant number of parishioners, and were receptive to learning brief screening questions to detect alcohol problems. We conclude that many clergy would be interested in a strategy of screening and then giving brief advice or referral to individuals found to have alcohol problems.     

A collaborative approach to nutrition education for college students

It is well established in the literature that college students have poor eating habits and that many barriers exist to achieving optimal nutrition for this busy population. Little is known about students' perceptions of this problem or suggestions for improving their dietary habits. Similarly, college health professionals need innovative approaches to nutritional education. In an effort to develop an online nutrition resource specifically geared to college students, the authors assessed the availability of Internet-based nutritional information for this population and conducted focus groups with students and health professionals to identify relevant nutrition concerns. They used concept-mapping techniques to conduct a systematic analysis of the qualitative information generated from their focus group participants. Their findings emphasize the need for targeted resources for college students and the importance of using students' suggestions in developing nutrition programs.     

Street as Metaphor in Housing for the Homeless

This article examines the multivalenced meaning of “street” in a nonprofit shared housing project for chronically homeless street people in Toronto. Findings suggest the importance of the design of the built environment in facilitating a sense of empowerment for residents. The street becomes a marker of identity, a boundary where public and private meet, where marginality is reconfigured, where a sense of community thrives, and where the performance of arrivals and departures is spatially, aurally, and visually mapped.     

Child abuse and neglect: Perspectives on a national emergency

Hundreds of thousands of children are being abused and neglected in the United States annually. The structures devised to respond to this abuse and neglect have been unsuccessful. The United States government continues to spend billions of dollars on programs to deal with the effects of these unsuccessful responses. Child abuse and neglect in the United States now represent a national emergency. In this article, we will provide a historical, cultural, and contemporary perspective on child abuse and neglect. This perspective throws light on the complexity of the national emergency and provides a context for further exploration of the issue.     

Historical Overview of Tobacco Legislation and Regulation

In this paper we describe the legislative and regulatory history of tobacco control efforts and discuss ways in which the debate over tobacco control has been framed. From a regulatory perspective, primary concern is how to balance the individual's legal use of tobacco products with society's obligation to limit the use of a lethal product. Our review demonstrates the progress tobacco control advocates have made in enacting statewide legislation and local ordinances, especially during the past fifteen years, to restrict both smoking in public places and youth access to tobacco products. Nevertheless, this progress may be threatened by a powerful and determined tobacco industry. We discuss various strategies for determining how and where to allocate tobacco control resources.     

Homeless violence and the informal rules of street life

Successful adaptation to street life requires that risk of violence, an often present aspect of this lifestyle, be reduced to as low a level as possible. This means knowing the informal rules which permit avoiding the pitfalls of street life. It is argued in this paper that safety and security are a function of interactions occurring within a specific place, with particular associates, and involving safe and unsafe behavior. Carelessness with respect to any of these factors can result in victimization. These issues are discussed using survey and ethnographic data collected in Chattanooga.