Starting family life & sex education programs: a health agency's perspective.

PIP: Focus is on the ways school districts can develop sex education programs with minimal funds, utilizing existing teachers and building on existing support among students, parents, faculty and administrators. In 1978, Planned Parenthood, funded by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, implemented the Family Life Education Program Development Project. This was a statewide research and demonstration project that worked with 13 diverse California school districts to develop programs. Within each district, an administrator and a designated district trainer were initially trained. After community and administrative involvement and support were ensured, teacher training was conducted, and programs were successfully implemented in 12 of 13 selected districts. Preliminary evaluation findings based on observation and interviews with participating district staff identified 4 key factors critical to program success: 1) community involvement and support; 2) administrative involvement and support; 3) effective and acceptable curriculum; and 4) teacher training with impact. These factors are reviewed in detail, and suggestions are presented related to each. In most communities there is existing support for family life and sex education. What is needed is to involve the community in the creation of the local program, for this ensures support. Mechanisms to ensure involvement include advisory and specialized committees, broad community input, and community orientation workshop, school boards, and parent preview sessions. Unless the school administration is solidly behind a program, its chances for successful and continued implementation will remain low.^ieng

Serum acetaminophen assay using activated charcoal adsorption and gas chromatography without derivatization.

A quantitative assay of acetaminophen in serum has been developed. The drug, together with an internal standard 2-acetamidophenol, is adsorbed on activated charcoal and then extracted into a mixture of ethyl acetate and isopropanol. This extract is then analyzed, without any derivatization, by gas chromatography. The isothermal analysis yielded a good, highly reproducible separation. The drug peak was symmetrical and without any tailing. The peak height response ratio was found to be linear with concentrations ranging from 25-500 ng/L. No interference was observed with the various drugs or metabolites which are commonly encountered in human serum.