Health & Fitness
The Birds, the Bees, Oh My!

Abstinence-only sex education programs have tied the hands of teachers in many districts, but educators can still play a role in helping kids make healthy choices.

As health educators go, many people might say Julie Colwell has it made. A veteran teacher at Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Illinois, Colwell plies her trade in a district that embraces a comprehensive approach to sex education. So every day, in a classroom environment where respect and discretion rule, she gets to field all sorts of sex-related questions from her students. And they are plentiful: Colwell says she could write a book about all the curious queries she's gotten in the 20 years she's been doing her work.

This is no puzzle, Colwell notes. Students want--and need--to know accurate answers to the plethora of questions that swirl around topics like sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and AIDS. Some 60 percent of American 12th graders now report they've had sex, and Colwell, like educators nationwide, say classes like hers help students sort through the maze of misinformation about these subjects.

But if Colwell is feeling upbeat about giving students the tools they need to make medically safe and healthy choices, her colleagues in other parts of the country are feeling hamstrung. That's because some 23 percent of U.S. school districts have adopted policies that require a singular, focused message about sexual activity: Forget about it until marriage.

Lured by more than $100 million in federal funds to schools and community groups, states adopting these programs are bound by strict rules prohibiting any discussion of contraception or AIDS prevention. The central message, according to the statute, must be that sexual activity outside marriage is not proper and is "likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects."

NEA, along with scores of medical experts and public health organizations, has long promoted an approach that embraces the teaching of both abstinence and potentially life-saving information about contraception. Educators on the frontlines say every day they go to school they witness why.

Janet Lomonico, a health teacher at J.P. Stevens High School in Edison, New Jersey, says even students who firmly declare they want to remain virgins until marriage are "hungry for knowledge to make healthy, self-protective decisions." She notes that teaching abstinence until marriage ignores the circumstances of gays and lesbians, who cannot legally marry in this country.

Lomonico adds that it's just not the students, but parents, who are grateful for the information she serves up. "At parent conferences, they always want to stay and talk more about this," she says. And national polls bear it out. According to recent surveys, 8 in 10 parents want schools to teach their children how to use contraception and how to negotiate contraceptive use with future partners.

What's troubling, says Jerald Newberry, executive director of the NEA Health Information Network, is that many parents in districts where abstinence-only policies have been adopted aren't even aware of the change. "They don't realize that schools are not giving their children information on how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies," he says.

Despite that, students should not have to go hungry for guidance, he says. Educators everywhere can play a role in helping students make wise choices. Newberry offers these tips for navigating the sensitive topic:

• Be aware of the sex education curriculum taught in your school, as well as the regulations in your district around what can and can't be discussed, by whom, at each grade level.
• If you're in an abstinence-only district, consider lobbying for use of abstinence-only funds for after-school community programs, so that schools can be free to teach a more comprehensive program.
• Encourage students to become involved in community events related to AIDS awareness or STD or teen pregnancy prevention. (NEA is partnering with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on their May 7th National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Visit www.teenpregnancy.org for ideas on how to promote the day in your community.)
• Connect young people with positive, caring adult role models who can be sounding boards and offer wise supports.
• Learn about appropriate, accurate resources that could help your students. Start by visiting www.cdc.gov and click on "Health Topics A-Z" for reliable information on a variety of sex education topics.

--Kandra Strauss
NEA Health Information Network

For more: Visit HIN's website at www.neahin.org and the website of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States at www.siecus.org.

What's Up at HIN?

Working to Breathe Better
Mark your calendars: May 6, 2003, is World Asthma Day. HIN is joining with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal and nonprofit organizations to sponsor asthma education events around the country. The goal is to raise awareness about the indoor and outdoor pollutants that trigger asthma episodes and how to avoid them.

Join HIN and the EPA by sponsoring an asthma awareness program to reduce indoor asthma triggers in homes and schools in your community. To find out how your school or local Association can sponsor an event, contact Jennie Young at jyoung@nea.org or 202/822-7481. For a free copy of EPA's World Asthma Day Event Planning Kit, call 800/438-4318 or log on to www.epa.gov/asthma. Working together, we can help families take control of asthma.

Parent Education Website
Visit HIN's re-designed parent-child communication website www.canwetalk.org! Can We Talk? is a parent education program that helps bridge the gap that often exists among schools, parents, and children around difficult topics. The program is organized into four modules: Self Esteem, Puberty and Sexuality, Mixed Messages, and Peer Pressure. Log onto the website today to see its new look and learn more about the program.

School Building Day 2003
HIN is promoting "School Building Day 2003" on April 11. Sponsored by the Council for Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI), this national event seeks to heighten awareness about facility problems facing our nation's schools and to highlight the benefits of developing and maintaining healthy, high performing, nurturing learning environments. The national event will include a Washington, D.C.-based architectural competition among middle and junior high school students, who will create what they believe are ideal learning spaces. For more information or to find out how you can host a "School Building Day" event in your school or district, contact Barbara Worth at barb@cefpi.org or visit www.cefpi.org.

[Working Out Our Stress]
The Wonders of H₂0

Drink it up, soak in it, splash it on--whatever you do, good ol' water almost always gives you a therapeutic treat.

You've long known that drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day is good for you, but do you really know why? Water, it turns out, is a healing wonder. Not only does it keep you alive, it can actually help cure. And while doing a "bottoms-up" routine throughout the day may be the most familiar route to therapeutic bliss, actually immersing yourself in water can have a remarkable impact, too.

As spring kicks into full gear, we tapped the experts for some advice on how to use water more effectively--and aggressively. Ready to flush the aches and pains?

Wide World of Water Sports
Don't cringe. Even if you're aqua-phobic, water sports may be the answer to your fitness quandary. Yes, there's swimming and diving, but in this new age of aquatic sports, they're just the tip of the iceberg.

"You can do just about any sport in the water," says Julie See, president of the Aquatic Exercise Association. "Water sports give you more buoyancy, reduces stress on the joints, and can give you the same results as regular aerobic activity." Water fitness programs, she says, have really advanced in the last few years. Forget about little old ladies bouncing around in a weekday class. Now there's water kickboxing, tai chi, yoga, stretching, and circuit training.

Some of these sports, says See, are actually more beneficial underwater, because water adds extra resistance, helps build muscle, and provides a higher intensity workout. Water also keeps you cooler, allows a free range of motion, and can be performed five days a week. Older people and arthritis sufferers can benefit particularly, as water relieves pain and reduces gravitational pull on the joints.

The good news for novices: Water exercises can be performed at any level and can help you burn up to 300 calories per hour. But See advises anyone performing aquatic exercise to learn how to swim and to practice water safety. "Always exercise with someone else, stay hydrated, and be careful of sun exposure," she says.

The Comfort Zone
After you've gotten a few good kicks, try a soak. Water is a relaxing way to alleviate stress and rejuvenate your body. Hydrotherapy treatments of all sorts invigorate the body by stimulating the lymphatic system to rid the body of toxins. Popular treatments include hydrotherapy baths, aromatherapy, and steam baths.

For ultimate relaxation, try a nice warm bath with Epsom salts and a few drops of essential oils. Not a bath person? Spend a few extra moments and make your shower a steamy retreat. The humidity opens pores and helps the body detoxification process.

Guzzling for Good Health
Just when you'd given up trying to gulp down eight glasses, consider these great reasons to keep a tumbler of water at your side. First, water is essential to maintaining metabolism, aiding digestion, ridding the body of wastes, regulating temperature, flushing the kidneys, and supporting the muscles, according to Wanda Brown, NEA's wellness coordinator. In addition to keeping the body moving, water prevents kidney stones, ulcers, gallstones, and other harmful toxins from taking root in the body.

Need help losing weight? Drinking a glass of water before a meal can suppress the appetite. Joint pains? Adding extra water after a workout can help lubricate aching muscles. Blotchy looking skin? Drink up bigtime; water does wonders for skin texture.

--Leah Lakins

Water 101

Not a fan? Getting in your 8-10 glasses is not as hard as you think. Here are some tips for getting it down with ease.

Use a big glass--consider a pint size--so you'll only need to drink six to seven of them a day.

Start before breakfast to meet your goal. Guzzle two while brushing your teeth, for instance.

Throw in an extra glass for every glass of caffeinated beverage you drink; coffee, tea, and sodas are dehydrating.

Replace some of those sugary beverages with water. It's a great way to "earn" extra calories to spend on food that's more substantive--and healthy.

Drink before, during, and after a workout, and drink more during hot, summer days.

Always keep a sports bottle of water in your car, and sip while in rush hour.

Add a squeeze of lemon or lime to your water to make it "tastier."

--Karen Pertschuck

Health Bites

Brown Baggin' It
How 'bout a Waldorf chicken salad with a flair? This one builds on the traditional version made with apples, grapes, celery, and walnuts.

For one serving: Toss one half cup of chopped, cooked chicken with one teaspoon of walnut or olive oil. (Time saving tip: you can order roasted or smoked chicken breast "thick sliced" from the deli, and then chop yourself.)

Chop one apple and toss with a teaspoon of sherry vinegar or lemon juice to prevent browning. Add a tablespoon of chopped walnuts (packed with special, healthful oils); a few seedless red grapes, quartered; and chopped celery, if you wish.

Mix ingredients, place on crisp lettuce leaves in your container, and keep chilled until lunch. Try it on whole grain bread or by itself. It goes well with an orange or banana, and, of course, a bottle of water.

Good Question!
Q: I heard about a connection between gum disease and heart disease. Is this true?

A: According to the American Academy of Periodontology, several theories have been projected to explain this supposed link. One theory is that oral bacteria can affect the heart upon entering the blood stream, attach to the coronary arteries, and cause blood clots. Another possibility is that inflammation from periodontal disease may contribute to swelling of the arteries.

While these theories are still under speculation, you can avoid these problems all together just by making sure you brush and floss your teeth twice daily.