According to the CDC over 41 million American adults get 6 or less hours of sleep per night, causing concerns related to sleep deprivation. More alarming is the fact that only about 9% of teens get the recommended 8 ½ - 9 ¼ hours of sleep each night, leading to a myriad of chronic physiological, [...]
Screening is a critical tool that is used to promote a lifestyle change, to reduce the risk of a chronic disease, and to detect an illness early so that it can be treated effectively.1 Although screening has been used for mostly physical conditions, health professionals have seen screenings to be beneficial for mental health and [...]
Do you have an Instagram account or know somebody who does? Maybe you have Facebook, Twitter, or Snapchat? You may hear kids or teens say, “Do it for the gram!”, “How many likes did you get on that photo?”, “Did you see that tweet?”, or “Is this Insta-worthy?” [...]
By: Kaitlyn Bedard Mental health is an issue that requires our attention and priority. Mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders (MBDD) do not discriminate against class, gender, age, ethnicity, race or educational background. In the US, mental illnesses rank third on the list of causes for hospitalization in 18-44 year olds (Data, 2018). Among adolescents, 12-17 [...]
Schools strive to help students reach their highest academic potential. The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) School Health NJ Project, administered by the NJ Department of Health (NJDOH), is in its 8th year of promoting healthy schools. The WSCC model, shown below, is an expansion and update of the CDC's Coordinated School Health [...]
Can you remember the first time you were exposed to alcohol? It probably wasn’t in a dark alley by a stranger in an overcoat or even behind the bleachers at a football game. For many of us, our first exposure was actually in the comfort of our own homes typically by a trusted adult. This [...]
Thanks again to all of you who participated in the “Innovative Approaches to Health & Wellness” session at the May 4th School Health NJ Summit. Your ideas are listed below and are grouped in one or more of the components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model. Resources are identified to help [...]
Our recent article featured the CDC school health activities currently underway by the Department of Health’s (DOH) in the Community Health and Wellness Services unit. The funding cycle for these activities end June 2018. However, the Child and Adolescent Health Program in the Department’s Maternal and Child Health Services unit, with funding support from the Maternal [...]
The Department of Health (DOH), Division of Family Health Services oversees the administration of two projects that are coordinating work to improve school health. This month features the work being accomplished by Community Health and Wellness Services, with the funding support of a CDC 1305 cooperative agreement. Next month will feature the school health project [...]
Social media is a huge facet of today’s youth culture. From expressing their love of photography via Instagram to producing and promoting their latest singles on YouTube; teenagers usage of social media has far surpassed any generation. In fact, studies reveal that teens spend 300% more time in front of the screen compared to teens [...]