Objective: The aims of this pilot study were--first, to assess the impact of a brief classroom-based mindfulness program on students' reported levels of mindfulness, well-being, and stress; and, second, to understand students' experiences of participating in the program. Participants: Students at a private midwestern research-intensive university,…

Background: Stakeholders increasingly recognize the role of policy in implementing Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) frameworks in schools; however, few tools are currently available to assess alignment between district policies and WSCC concepts. The purpose of this study was to expand the Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT)…

Healing Presence is an innovative program designed to support health professions students at a small university in developing the personal resource of resilience in order to reduce and prevent burnout. Healthcare providers experience high rates of burnout which negatively impacts individual health and wellbeing as well as patient care quality,…

The FNS Research Corner provides a continuing series to summarize recently completed and current research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in the area of child nutrition. Summaries of recently completed research projects and in-progress research are provided in this article.

Secondhand smoke (SHS) is caused by burning tobacco products that emit up to 7000 chemicals and over 70 carcinogenic compounds. Thirdhand smoke (THS) is solid residue remaining on furniture and carpets, including suspended particles derived from a burned tobacco product. Exposure to these compounds occurs through inhalation, oral ingestion, or…

Youth with autism spectrum disorders frequently experience significant symptoms of anxiety. Empirically supported psychosocial interventions exist, yet access is limited, especially for families in rural areas. Telehealth (i.e. videoconferencing) has potential to reduce barriers to access to care; however, little is known about the feasibility or…

The prevalence of overweight children and adults has been increasing steadily over the past three decades. Behaviors related to diet and nutrition are often established in early childhood. Toddlers most often develop healthy eating habits through parent modeling. Due to the steady increase in obesity in children, there is a clear need for…

The number of obese children has nearly tripled in the past 30 years. Research has identified a clear connection between parental income, education, ethnicity, and the risk for obesity. Recent research demonstrates that parenting style may also impact the ability to establish healthy eating environments. This article reviews a program, currently…

The Boston Middle School Corner Store Initiative (CSI) brought together schools, businesses, and community partners to develop, implement, and evaluate a multicomponent pilot program designed to promote healthier beverage purchasing at corner stores among 3,500 middle school students living in Boston, Massachusetts. Healthy drinks were defined for…

Context: Obesity is a chronic disease of epidemic proportions in the United States. Primary care providers are critical to timely diagnosis and treatment of obesity, and need better tools to deliver effective obesity care. Purpose: To conduct a pilot randomized trial of a chronic care model (CCM) program for obesity care in rural Kansas primary…

There is a need to investigate novel interventions that promote worksite physical activity and wellness. Objective: The authors' purpose in this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week walking program supplemented with a pedometer, computer educational program, and weekly e-mails. Methods: College faculty and staff participated in a…

In this study, the authors evaluated the effectiveness of the "Energize Your Life!" social-marketing campaign pilot study to improve knowledge, attitudes, and fruit intake among community college students. The authors used a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental, pre- and posttest design. They randomly selected community college students…

Describes pilot test of survey of grocery store product displays to measure the amount of health education information provided and the proportion of the display devoted to "healthier" products. Finds that inter-rate reliability ranged between 0.73 and 0.78 for the healthiness indices and between 0.30 and 0.67 for the health education measures.…

In Michigan, a school-based bicycle helmet intervention program has been developed to increase the prevalence of helmet use among middle/junior high school students. The intervention involved approximately 3,100 students and their parents. The school-based intervention component of the project is the focus of this report. A two-tier intervention…