Search

Background: Mental health services in the United States public schools are an important component of the academic success of a student. Not all schools, however, have the necessary personnel and funding to offer such services. Methods: In this paper, we provide an analysis of data collected from schools in 3 geographic locations. Comparisons were made of the availability of personnel to assess and treat mental health disorders in students enrolled in city, urban, and suburban schools, with over 10,000 schools represented. The data were part of the 2015 to 2016 School Survey on Crime and Safety. Results: Accessibility of mental health practitioners and reasons that limited efforts of a school to provide the services were assessed. Statistically significant differences were identified by school location, demonstrating that those in rural communities were most challenged providing diagnostic assessment and treatment for students by school mental health professionals, for several reasons. Conclusions: Increased state and county funding to support mental health practitioners in public high schools is one suggestion to address mental health disorders in students. Other strategies are offered for timely and appropriate diagnoses and treatment for mental health disorders that may impact the quality of life of a student for a lifetime.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are areas designated as STEM disciplines. There is national and international attention being given to these fields as they are the foundation for partnerships and alliances in the global economy. Education beyond high school is necessary to achieve desired levels of competency and efficiency in STEM fields. Despite the demonstrated need, there is a shortage of individuals trained in these areas, especially women and ethnic minorities (BHEF, 2006). Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have contributed meaningfully to addressing the void of qualified STEM educators and researchers (Allen, 2002). Studies at the beginning of the new millennium (in 2000), indicated that 40% of African Americans graduating with a bachelor's degree in biological sciences matriculated from an HBCU (Cronkite, 2000; National Science Foundation, 2002). Furthermore, HBCUs were responsible for 40% of the bachelor's degrees awarded to African Americans in other STEM fields, including physics, chemistry, astronomy, environment sciences and mathematics (Cronkite, 2000; National Science Foundation, 2002). Although these studies have established trends on the role that HBCUs have played in generating the pool of African Americans with degrees in STEM areas, most of these studies relied on data collected in the 1990s. Moreover, the last national report on the status of HBCUs and STEM graduates entitled "Science and Engineering Degrees, by Race/Ethnicity of Recipients: 1991-2002" was published in 2002, using data from that time period, collected as part of the Integrated Post-secondary Education Data System (IPEDS; National Science Foundation, 2002). Studies are needed to update the contribution of HBCUs to address the shortage of STEM graduates in the years subsequent. The purpose of the present descriptive study is to reexamine the number and percentage of African Americans graduating from HBCUs with STEM degrees in a nine year period. This study used national data produced by National Center for Educational Statistics (2010). The focus is to report the impact that HBCUs are having on educating African American undergraduates in STEM fields. (Contains 10 tables.)

Background: Violence at a school can have a negative impact on the health of students, teachers, administrators, and others associated with the school and surrounding community. The use of weapons in school buildings or on school grounds accounts for the majority of violent deaths, particularly among males. This national trend suggests the need for a more concerted effort to improve safety and prevent violence. This article reports the use of 13 safety measures in US public schools in 4 geographic regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) and 3 community settings (urban, suburban, and rural). Methods: Data representing 16,000 schools reported in the Educational Longitudinal Survey of 2002-2004 were analyzed. Data were self-reported by school administrators. Results: Of the various safety measures assessed, fire alarms and extinguishers were consistently reported regardless of the geographic region or community setting of the school. Other than measures for fire safety, schools throughout the country routinely used exterior light and student lockers as safety measures. There was a significant difference by geographic region and community setting in the use of safety measures that required specific personnel, namely a security guard and an adult to direct a guest to sign in. Conclusion: Recognizing the patterns of violence at public high schools, administrators working with students, other school personnel, and community partners may consider more combinations of the safety measures within their institutions together with local resources and services to improve safety and reduce violence. (Contains 3 tables.)

The article presents a study which analyzed the dietary intake and body mass index (BMI) of adolescent girls from the University of Houston, Texas. The study made use of a cross-sectional study with a pre-enrollment food questionnaire design participated by 190 adolescent girls to determine the history of eating disorders, dietary habits, and from being pregnant. Results indicate that the dietary patterns are essential to lessen the risk of chronic diseases and obesity in adolescence.

The purpose of this study was to examine binge drinking patterns reported by college students according to sibling birth order. Individual Psychology theory was used to assess family dynamics and dependency. Participants in the study were enrolled at a historically Black university. Consistent with observations by Adler on alcohol abuse, data analysis resulted in significant differences between first-born and last-born participants with weekly drinks and binge frequencies. Last-borns reported a higher risk for alcohol-related behaviors than first-borns. Parallel to national studies, data revealed a significant difference in drinking patterns by other demographic variables. Male students consumed more weekly drinks than female students, and White students reported higher drinking averages than African American students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the need to increase awareness of the occurrence of osteoporosis in perimenopausal African American women in Houston, Teas. Measurement of African American women's knowledge of osteoporosis; Determination of sources of information about osteoporosis that African American women rely on; Cost of the increased morbidity and mortality rate from osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a chronic disease that increases the risk of fractures. There are demonstrated ethnic differences in the risks and consequences of osteoporosis. Body shape, defined as either android or gynoid, might be linked to the physiological changes that are associated with menopause, which are a time of worsening bone loss and increased risk for osteoporosis. This study investigated the associations between self-reported body shapes and clinically measured hip neck and lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) in a group of peri-menopausal African-American women. Data from 71 women (N = 71) were gathered from a previously conducted parent study on the risks for osteoporosis and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). A multivariate regression model demonstrated that there was a positive association between self-reported android body shape and a higher hip neck BMD among study participants. The multivariate regression model was adjusted for demographics and for other risk factors.