In the United States, 54 million young people attend school for about six hours of class time approximately 180 days per year.1 Schools are therefore in a unique posi- tion to help improve the health status of children and adolescents throughout the United States. In 1995, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with state and local education and health agencies, developed the School Health Profiles (Profiles) to measure health education practices and some school health policies. During the past 10 years, based on input from education and health agencies, Profiles has evolved to provide a more comprehensive assessment of school health policies and programs.
