The purposes of the study were to: 1) evaluate health knowledge competencies, 2) assess health skills, and 3) determine interrelationships among health knowledge, health skills, and self-reported behavioral demographic variables for Oregon entry-level college freshmen who had graduated from Oregon schools. An instrument, the "Health Education Survey," was developed with the assistance of two Delphi panels, consisting of (1) nationally known health educators and (2) recognized Oregon health educators. The first panel contributed to the health knowledge competency part of the survey, including issues of community health, consumer health, environmental health, family life, mental and emotional health, injury prevention and safety, nutrition, personal health, prevention and control of disease, and substance use and abuse. The second panel contributed to the health skills part of the survey, including safe-living, stressor/risk-taking management, physical fitness, and nutrition, as defined by the Oregon Department of Education. Based upon health information derived from the first two parts, the third survey section considered various demographic and behavioral variables, including substance use, eating habits, and physical fitness. The data derived from administration of the survey were evaluated by criterion- referenced and empirical (analysis of variance, t-test, chi-square) measurements at the .05 alpha level of significance. Data analysis disclosed that: 1) the subjects did not meet the 85% mastery standard for criterion-referenced measures for any of the health knowledge competencies or essential health skills; 2) there were significant differences among the subjects for the content areas of consumer health and the health skills of safe-living, physical fitness, and nutrition, as well as the behavioral areas of marijuana use, fitness level, and wearing auto seatbelts; and 3) gender differences existed for the content areas of family life and nutrition. From analysis of the research findings, it was recommended that there is need for additional collaboration among secondary school health educators, education and health agencies, and appropriate higher education personnel to improve the health knowledge and skill needs of Oregon students. It was suggested that cooperative efforts at the secondary and university level to form coordinated, on-going evaluation and research projects would be one means to achieve this goal. / Graduation date: 1992