cerned in these health measurements are as follows:
1)Compared with other industrialized nations, life expectancy in the United States at birth in 1986 ranked 20th for men and 15th for women.
2)Infant mortality rates in the United States are more than double those for whites.
3)Cancer death rates continue to increase.
4)Accidents remain the leading cause of death among children and youth.
5)Illicit drug use remains a major health problem.
6)The incidence, prevalence, and number of deaths from AIDS have been increasing rapidly.
Rice states that various risk factors have been identified to prevent or to control many diseases and to promote good health. There has been an increase in recent years in knowledge of the importance of health promotion and disease prevention in reducing unnecessary illness, disability, and deaths in the United States. This has become a major focus of activity for the Public Health Service. A report by the Surgeon "General of the United States in 1979 found that many major health problems facing Americans were rooted in life-style or environmental factors that would be amenable to change. The Surgeon General then delineated broad national goals for improving the health of Americans, with a listing of fifteen areas encompassing 226 specific objectives. In 1987, a report was issued (National Center for Health Statistics) which shows a patchwork of successes, serious failures, and health status areas falling in between success and failure. Continued measurement is necessary to ascertain changes that have taken place, to pinpoint areas where further work is needed, and to determine if there are any new health risks which need to be addressed.
The measure of health risk has been addressed in the school setting from more than a physical standpoint, and it is recognized that attitude plays an important role that needs to be examined and considered. This is shown by Scott and Cabral (1988) i...