Study shows health aide
program is effective
Varner: 'May unrest will not help . .
Continued from Page 1 While admitting Nebraska
A three-year study of the ef
fectiveness of health aides as
educators has recently been
completed by the University
Health Center.
The report concluded that
peer education, as represented
by the health aide program, is
a "relevent and effective
alternative (to formal educa
tion) in the health education
field," realizing that its ef
fectiveness depends the in
dividual educator and his rela
tionship to those in his living
unit.
Results of the study show
that while -all of the health
aides were relatively effective
in imparting health informa
tion, not all were able to
change their peer groups' at
titudes toward smoking.
The health center staff rated
the health aides according to
how much shift in behavior was
noted among the student
groups. The largest change in
smoking behavior was noted in
groups having more effective
health aides.
One fact obtained from the
survey, according to Dr. S. I.
Fuenning, project director, was
that while a close friend was
most often influential in
starting the subject to smoke, it
was the subject's mother who
had the most influence in get
ting him to stop.
THE HEALTH AIDES pro
gram, instituted by the Health
Chancellor appoints
administrative assistant
With improved communica
tions high on the list of
University priorities, Chan
cellor Durward Varner has
recently appointed a 1970
graduate as his administrative
assistant.
The Chancellor's new assis
tant Is Mrs. Mary Lynn James,
formerly Miss Mary Lynn
Nelson of Albion, Nebraska.
Mrs. James describes her
function as being "the other
eyes and ears" of the Chan
cellor." The unique aspect about the
new assistant is that she is the
only woman graduate student
holding a n administrative
position in Ue University.
As part of her new job Mrs.
'James will be travelling around
the state and making presen
tations explaining the functions
and rewards of school ad
ministration. Before ending her one year
term with the chancellor next
summer, Mrs. James has con
siderable work to do.
Currently, she is organizing a
student advisory council for the
chancellor, working on the
University budget as well as
the never-ending job of keeping
the avenues of communication
open between students and ad
ministrators. Talks and Topics
meet Thursday
An open meeting of the Union
Talks and Topics committee is
planned Thursday to choose
speakers for this year's Union
speaker series, according to
committee member Bob Rus
sell. The meeting is scheduled for
7 p.m. in the Centennial Col
lege Pumpkin Room, he said.
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Center in 1957, is composed of
one individual from each living
unit on campus. The program
is designed to make health in
formation more readily
available to students.
To implement the study, tests
were taken of a sampling of
University students to
determine knowledge of the
health implications of smoking,
attitude toward smoking, and
smoker behavior. The surveys
were taken in the fall and then
in the spring of each year.
The sample population was
divided into two groups. The
control group was not exposed
to any information on smoking
other than that with which they
normally would come in con
tact. The experimental group
underwent a smoking education
program presented by their
living unit's health aide.
The research project was
undertaken with the coopera
tion of the United States Public
Health Service.
AAU schools in library
holdings.
Nebraska provided less
support for higher education
than 7 of 9 neighboring states
measured on a basis of ap
propriation per $1,000 personal
income.
has not yet made the commit
ment to quality in the
University, Varner said the
State can support a first-class
university since its per capita
personal income is now higher
than that of eight adjacent
states.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1970
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
PAGE 7
