Research has recommended centering health disparities to make science instruction relevant to students from minoritized racial and ethnic groups. While promoted as a recent innovation, the repurposing of science instruction to improve the health of demographic groups has a longer history traceable to segregated and colonial schooling. Using a…

Much of Western media has promoted the idea that we are facing an epidemic of mental illness and psychiatric emergencies in contemporary Western society and worldwide, and that young people are a particularly vulnerable group. Schools have become a prominent site of concern and focus for this discourse as mental health problems are said to start…

The Cooperative Extension system is uniquely positioned to lead rural community efforts to prevent obesity in early childhood. This article explores best practices in promoting healthy weights among young children and shares examples and resources relevant to Extension programming. The West Virginia (WV) Healthy Children Project aims to improve…

We take a look back to 1995 when Conoley and Gutkin shared their vision for an adult-focused practice of school psychology with a primary focus on developing health-promoting systems for schoolage children. We then look to the present to what has happened and not happened to substantiate their vision. We found very encouraging developments and…

Developmental psychology and brain research can support campus leaders as they work together with students to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on college campuses and in the surrounding communities. This rapid expert consultation presents research-informed habit-promoting and communication strategies to encourage the adoption of behaviors that can…

A general consensus exists among Member States that gaining academic knowledge on its own is not enough for young people to play a role as active citizens and face the socioeconomic realities in their lives, in order to avoid inequity, poverty, discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion. In the 21st century, education needs to go beyond narrow…

Obesity is a global health challenge, with 39% of the adult population considered overweight and 13% considered obese as measured in 2016 (World Health Organization (WHO), 2018). The obesity rate in Bermuda was 34.4% in 2014. It is associated with many comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 Diabetes mellitus, musculoskeletal…

Opiate abuse in the United States is on the rise among the college student population. This public health crisis requires immediate action from professionals and stakeholders who are committed to addressing the needs of prospective, current, and recovering opiate users using comprehensive prevention methods. Such approaches have been used to…

Physical inactivity (and unhealthy nutrition) has distorted body composition and, in turn, reordered the proportions of myocyte and adipocyte insulin receptors. Insulin acting on adipocyte receptors produces less glucose uptake than does comparable interaction with myocyte receptors. Accordingly, in individuals with disproportionate muscle/fat…

After more than a year of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, much experience has been accumulated by countries around the world. There have been many failures, and there have been some things that have gone well. Adult learning and education in some form has played a significant role in public health since, without the ongoing continuing…

In this paper, I explore multilingual preventative public health messages against the spread of COVID-19 in Taiwan between January and April 2020. Based on empirical data, the symbolic and substantive content of multilingual top-down and bottom-up public health strategies was analyzed and discussed. Findings suggest that the voices of indigenous…

Globally, the number of children and adults being diagnosed with a mental health condition is rising (Bor et al., 2014), leading to mental illness being described as a global burden (Vos et al., 2015). Governments around the world have been developing visions, policies and practices to reduce mental ill health through preventive measures and…

Depressive adolescents are a challenging and vulnerable group in schools. Specific developmental features such as irritability and comorbid behavioural disorders complicate the recognition of their emotional problems for peers, teachers and even parents. Our research shows that teachers tend to overlook depressive feelings in adolescents; however,…

Though many studies have examined the level of physician obesity prevention counseling among the general population, little is known about how homeless patients are advised about healthy eating and physical activity by their health care provider. The homeless are an at-risk population with whom physicians and other health professionals can play a…

Awareness of the history of health education efforts is important for health educators. The VD Radio Project, developed in the middle of the 20th century, was a cooperative effort of the United States Public Health Service and Columbia University designed to encourage people to be tested for sexually transmitted infections. How the campaign came…