Often, students entering college find themselves in a transitional phase, gaining new independence and responsibilities, including purchasing food and beverages and making decisions that may not have been necessary before. Blue Raiders Drink Up (BRDU) is a grant-funded program by the Tennessee Department of Health, under the Project Diabetes…

Family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals support individuals in making good decisions about their well-being in order to achieve an optimal quality of life (AAFCS, n.d.). The Body of Knowledge (BoK) includes individual well-being as one of its core concepts and wellness as a cross-cutting theme (McGregor, 2022; Nickols et al., 2009).…

Books communicate information to children about social norms, including those associated with eating and foods. This, combined with concern about high rates of child obesity, was the impetus for this study. Information is presented on the food messages in a sample of contemporary popular books written for young children. Highly sweetened products…

Fathers of preschoolers (N 47) responded to six open-ended questions regarding snacks via Qualtrics to understand how fathers perceive snacks. Most fathers were White (85%), well educated (72% had bachelor's degree or higher), and married (98%). Content analysis was applied to survey responses, and themes were identified. Three overarching themes…

This cross-sectional study examined the association between added sugar consumption and levels of depression in adult women (N=74). The 97-item online survey included Patient Health Questionnaire-9 depression scale, Block Fat/Sugar/Fruit/Vegetable Screener, added sugar knowledge questions, and a question regarding nutrition education referral…

Cooking attitudes and behaviors among college students--and related implications to dietary quality--are largely unexplored. This study assessed the relationship between college students' fruit and vegetable intakes and cooking attitudes, confidence, and frequency (N = 448) using a cross-sectional survey. Hierarchical linear regression models…

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore factors that influence intentions to adopt healthy dietary behaviors among university students. Five hundred twenty-five university students participated in this study. A questionnaire that included items on intention to adopt healthy eating behaviors, exposure to nutrition, media, parental…

The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced many aspects of life and wellbeing. Eating behaviors and food habits among college students--many leaving campus and returning home mid-semester--were of particular interest for this qualitative study. Reflections from 33 students across 3 courses were analyzed using content analysis. Five major themes emerged…

In the United States, Hispanics are disproportionately affected by diet-related health issues. As part of improving health outcomes, it is important to have healthcare professionals--such as registered dietitians--from Hispanic backgrounds so that they can use their cultural knowledge to improve the healthcare deliverables. Currently, more than…

This study explored relationships between health-related practices and performance of 10 positive personal finance practices. Data came from a 20-question online quiz that provides a simultaneous assessment of individuals' health and financial practices. The sample included 8,128 persons who completed the survey instrument from July 2015 through…

COVID-19 has affected consumers' wellness-related behavior and lifestyle choices. Online survey respondents were asked about changes in their health and wellness perceptions and behaviors--overall wellbeing, diet, physical activity, and sleep--due to the pandemic. Age was related to changes in all four wellness areas, with older respondents…

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The purpose of this study is to examine breakfast-eating behaviors of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students in conjunction with their breakfast awareness and eating habit satisfaction. A self-administered survey was distributed in fall semester 2016 (N 289 students). Results show…

The purpose of this research project was to explore coverage of obesity-related topics in the early years of "Journal of Home Economics (JHE)." Utilizing HEARTH, a Boolean search for obesity-related terms and topics was used to analyze volumes beginning with 1909, continuing to 1910, and every five years to 1940. Coverage of the obesity…

Obesity has been increasing in all age groups worldwide for the past several decades. Yet for hundreds of years before the last quarter of the 20th century, obesity was not an issue. The etiology and the cure for the obesity epidemic have been elusive. Weight reduction diets and behavior therapy have not produced the desired results. Perhaps…

Material, bodily, and social well-being are three of the basic human needs. This study investigates consumers' social feelings after reading the food labels and consuming six leading snack foods. Our hypothesis: snack choice is associated with feeling social. Consumers were provided leading snack brands that varied in nutritional value and…