The authors suggest a model where the school counselor acts as a liaison to ensure the coordination of education about self-injury for students, parents, and school staff and as a conduit to refer students to therapists in the community.

The comprehension of numerical concepts that appear in written health educational materials is an important aspect of health literacy. Health materials that include many advanced numerical concepts may place high demands on readers, especially those with low health literacy levels. The purpose of this study was to examine and document the types of numerical concepts that appear in passages selected from written diabetes educational materials that varied in their type of content. Readability of the passages was also analyzed. One hundred and fifty passages of 100 words each were selected from 50 diabetes-related educational documents, produced by major health organizations. Passages were coded for type of numerical concept, SMOG Reading Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, and features that elaborated the numerical concepts, such as pictures or explanations. Findings indicate that passages containing general information about diabetes and its prevention contained significantly more advanced numerical concepts, the highest reading grade level, the lowest reading ease scores, and the lowest frequency of elaborative features, relative to many other types of content. Recommendations are made for enhancing the presentation of numerical concepts in written diabetes educational materials.

Different views of the causes of health disparities are discussed, particularly in light of cultural competency training and other efforts to ameliorate health disparities.

The Speak UP! Salon Project trained 126 hair stylists from 60 salons as lay health educators to increase knowledge about contraceptives and inform clients about financial support for long-acting reversible contraceptives at local family planning clinics. Stylists' informal social support system, combined with the rapport built with clients over time, make them excellent candidates for lay health educator projects. This 3-year salon-based intervention was implemented in nine counties in a Midwestern state. Results from a subsample of participants who completed an online questionnaire (n = 177) indicate that hair stylists are a feasible method to link target populations to health information and to the health care system. The benefits and challenges of collecting data in a salon environment are also discussed.

Beauty salons are unique settings to provide community-based health education. The Speak UP! Salon Project trained hair stylists to deliver health messages related to reducing unintended pregnancy to female clients in the 18-30-year age range. The project ran from 2009 through 2011. Midway through the project, we held focus groups with stylists and administered a questionnaire as concurrent process evaluation measures. Forty-seven of the ninety-three stylists then active in the project attended one of eleven focus groups. The focus groups included questions about stylists' experiences and their reflections on their role as lay health educators. Using Krueger's qualitative methodology, we systematically analyzed the focus group transcripts. Six themes emerged from the focus groups, including stylists' ability to deliver lay health education, increased comfort levels, stylists' self-monitoring, support materials, messaging outside the target audience, and intangible benefits to the stylists. The questionnaire included twenty-six items and provided quantitative support for identified themes. Findings indicated that stylists were a strong and willing community partner for delivering health education, they received substantial positive feedback from clients, and their efforts reached individuals far beyond the target audience; however, professional health educators must provide substantial training and support to ensure the program's success.