The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth 17 broad goals that we should pursue globally to ensure the health of the planet and of humankind. Within each goal, several targets are identified. This article explores the overarching framework of the SDGs as a guide to ensuring human and planetary health. The one goal, Goal #3:…

Background: Asthma is one of the leading causes of school absenteeism. Schools can play an important role in coordinating asthma care. The purpose of this study was to assess the implementation of asthma-related school health policies and practices across states and how they have changed over time. Methods: Data were analyzed from 36 states that…

Susceptibility to peer influence among adolescents is associated with a variety of negative interpersonal and psychosocial outcomes. Although proper sleep is crucial for adolescent development and well-being, no study to date has examined the influence of sleep problems on susceptibility to peer influence. We assess this relationship using two…

Abstract Schools and centres for education are increasingly positioned as playing a vital role in the promotion of young people's mental health and well-being. Drawing on the example of Ireland's reformed Junior Cycle curriculum (ages 12-15), we ask if the curriculum is the best means of nurturing positive mental health and well-being in schools.

Background: Childhood obesity affects around 7-8% of children in Ireland and is associated with increased risks of health complications. Data on healthcare resource use and the related costs for children with obesity are important for research, future service-planning, efforts to reduce the burden on families, and care pathways. However, there is…

There is a significant need for eating disorder support on college campuses. Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) are providing specialized support for students in recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs) but struggle to support students with eating disorders, despite the high co-occurring rates of SUDs and eating disorders. This is a brief…

Personal hygiene is critical for preventing the spread of infection. One important component of personal hygiene is handwashing. This review summarizes research on behavioral strategies to address handwashing in children, offers areas for additional research, and suggests a treatment package to teach handwashing to young children.

Objective: Over the past three decades, cultural competence has been widely promoted in the health disciplines, including in health education and promotion, as a tool to address health disparities and promote health equity among diverse populations. Cultural intelligence (CQ), or the individual's capability to adjust to cultural situations based…

Diverse approaches to the treatment of depressive disorders are necessary to improve evidence-based practice and maximize treatment outcomes. As a result, a range of behaviors and other factors associated with the onset and course of depressive disorders should be examined more comprehensively. Behavioral activation (BA) is a treatment approach to…

The leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States is tobacco product use. The 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, which was completed in 2022, showed that the e-cigarette epidemic among youth continues to remain a public health threat. The survey revealed that over 2.5 million middle and high school students…

Most college students do not engage in adequate physical activity. Physical education requirements (PERs) are often viewed as a potential solution to physical inactivity within this population as these courses provide opportunities for students to be physically active and/or become educated about healthy lifestyles. The potential benefits of these…

Nature-based health interventions (NBHIs) are utilised to treat a range of physical and mental health conditions, and this rapid review sought to describe the breadth of instrumentation utilised to measure the effectiveness of NBHIs on the different domains of health and wellbeing. A total of 14,385 records were extracted from three databases, and…

Sleeping difficulties among adolescents constitute a pressing public health issue, and it is of the utmost importance that these are approached from a health-promotion perspective. This study explores adolescents' suggestions on how their sleep could be supported. Data were collected via eight focus group interviews with 43 adolescents aged 15-16,…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how urban physical educators' experiences influence their motivations toward vocational persistence emphasizing health and fitness. Methods: Participants included 16 urban physical educators who participated in semistructured interviews about their experiences teaching in urban settings. For…

Objective: To assess the efficacy of utilizing dining hall napkins as a novel health messaging strategy to promote mindfulness. Participants: Undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university. Methods: Utilizing a place-based promotional strategy, mindfulness messages were printed on over 8-million napkins at dining halls. Surveys (N = 573)…