This study assessed the effectiveness of the TRACK Rx program. Track Rx is a program for healthcare professionals to counsel and prescribe outdoor physical activity (PA) to children. The program was implemented by a school nurse to increase children's time spent outdoors, increase a child's nature-based PA, and increase parents' intention for…

Increasing youth behavioral health needs in the United States have underscored the essential role school nurses can play in mitigating them. In response, the District of Columbia Department of Health developed the Behavioral Health Referral Process (BHRP) as a standardized guide, integrating school nurses into multidisciplinary teams and improving…

Education is associated with improved health outcomes. However, fewer non-Hispanic Black Americans earn high school diplomas, baccalaureate, or advanced degrees than White Americans, placing them at higher risk for poor health outcomes. Racial disparities in education have been linked to social injustice and structural racism. Through the…

Schools can play an important role in addressing growing concerns about adolescent mental health. Mental health of high school students has predominantly been the focus in literature with less emphasis on younger adolescents. This review identified articles published in the last decade that described evaluations of middle school-based mental…

Despite increasing reliance on licensed practical nurses (LPNs) to provide health services in schools, we do not know whether this is a cost-effective prevention strategy against student absenteeism. Therefore, we evaluated the costs and effectiveness of an LPN-based school nursing program for improving attendance and chronic absenteeism at a…

There are effective prevention strategies to combat increasing rates of youth e-cigarette use. This study assessed the outcomes of an e-cigarette prevention program with teachers and parents/guardians across a three-county rural area. Researchers assessed teachers' and parent/guardians' increased knowledge and confidence in implementing vape…

Despite declines in teen pregnancy, pregnant teens remain at risk for poor health and educational outcomes due to a lack of care coordination and access to resources. The purpose of this project was to develop and launch a care coordination toolkit to provide resources to pregnant and parenting youth (PPY) at a large urban school district. School…

Child trafficking poses a momentous public health threat to students in public schools. Although school nurses are exceptionally positioned to identify and respond to trafficking, most lack training and resources in this critical area. This project aimed to evaluate the impact of a multifaceted intervention on school nurse preparedness and…

Being bullied is associated with anxiety, depression symptoms, and long-term negative health outcomes. The aim of this qualitative pilotstudy was to explore bullied children's experiences of support groups and how participating in a group affected the children. The sample consisted of 24 children aged 11-13 years. Four of them were bullied, while…

Utilization of telehealth in school-based health centers (SBHCs) is increasing rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study used a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effect on school absences and cost-benefit of telehealth-exclusive SBHCs at 6 elementary schools from 2015-2017. The effect of telehealth on absences was estimated compared…

Despite increasing reliance on licensed practical nurses (LPNs) to provide health services in schools, we do not know whether this is a cost-effective prevention strategy against student absenteeism. Therefore, we evaluated the costs and effectiveness of an LPN-based school nursing program for improving attendance and chronic absenteeism at a…

Chronic absenteeism is a widespread and troubling phenomenon affecting high school students nationwide. Existing research identifies an inverse link between student health and chronic absenteeism. Illness is a top cause of student absence, suggesting that school-based health services may play an important role in mitigating chronic absenteeism.…

The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of time elementary and middle-school students spend away from the classroom and clinic time required to administer vaccines in school-located vaccination (SLV) clinics. We conducted a time study and estimated average time away from class and time to administer vaccine by health department (HD),…

School-based vaccination programs in the United States are a vital component of public health strategy, offering a practical and equitable means of reaching diverse child and adolescent populations. As key sites for immunization delivery, schools have historically contributed to the success of vaccine initiatives while also reflecting the social,…

Asthma morbidity disproportionately impacts children from low-income and racial/ethnic minority communities. School-supervised asthma therapy improves asthma outcomes for up to 15 months for underrepresented minority children, but little is known about whether these benefits are sustained over time. We examined the frequency of emergency…