Building the capacity of schools to improve the health of the nation. A call for assistance from psychologists.

During the past several years, about two dozen major reports have called for the nation to reconceive and regenerate its school health programs. Proposals to reform health, education, and social services have included means to improve such programs. This article (a) identifies the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the United States, (b) delineates 6 categories of behavior established during youth that contribute to these causes, (c) outlines ways in which a modern school health program might prevent such behaviors and address critical health and social problems among students, (d) describes practical research and development strategies that are being established to help schools implement effective school health programs, and (e) suggests how psychologists might help improve these programs.