Health education specialists play a major role in promoting a healthy lifestyle, preventing, and managing diseases. This study aimed at identifying the needed skills and knowledge of health education specialists with an interest in disease prevention and the transformation of healthcare in Saudi Arabia. This study employed a qualitative case study…

Introduction: Rating the quality of a body of evidence is an increasingly common component of research syntheses on intervention effectiveness. This study sought to identify and examine existing systems for rating the quality of a body of evidence on the effectiveness of health and social interventions. Methods: We used a multicomponent search…

Emerging research indicates that chronic illnesses exacerbated by obesity begin in childhood. While research continues to show that consumption of fruits and vegetables can lower rates of obesity, children in the United States often fall short of consuming the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Youth nutrition education and cooking…

Recognizing the need for education that addresses social emotional and mental health issues faced by adults, Extension developed two different types of programs. Michigan State University (MSU) Extension developed the RELAX: Alternatives to Anger program (RELAX) to address anger management, and West Virginia University (WVU) Extension created…

The Outdoor Adventure Leadership Experience (OALE) is an outdoor health promotion initiative primarily designed for youth. This program was developed through community-based participatory research in a First Nations Community in northern Ontario: Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. It is a 9- or 10-day intensive program involving a wilderness canoe…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a school nurse-led mindfulness program in a public school. Elementary students in an urban public school system are exposed to many stressors including poverty, family disturbances, and mental health conflicts. Previous research suggests that mindfulness interventions given by teachers…

Monitoring, evaluation, and research activities generate important data, but they often fail to change policies or programs. In addition, local program staff and partners often feel disconnected from these activities, which undermines their ownership of data and results. To bridge the gaps between monitoring, evaluation, and research and to give…

This article presents an analytic approach to assessing the relationship between policy advocacy activities and outcomes for discrete episodes of advocacy, using a holistic array of factors that affect the relationship between advocacy and policy change. The factors pertain to not only advocacy organizational structure and strategies, but also the…

The Childcare PhysicaL ActivitY (PLAY) policy was an evidence-informed, eight-item institutional-level policy document targeting children's physical activity, outdoor play, and sedentary time. Nine childcare centers in London, Ontario, participated in this cluster, randomized controlled trial. Early Childhood Educators allocated to the…

Social marketing campaigns are effective in promoting health behavior changes in individuals and communities. Mississippi State University Extension Service's (MSU Extension) Office of Nutrition Education launched a statewide social marketing campaign branded HappyHealthy to target nutrition and healthy lifestyle-related behaviors of Supplemental…

There has been an emphasis on schools to promote healthy lifestyles and many intervention programmes have attempted this. Most programmes are evaluated at the time and/or shortly afterwards. This is a review of the impact and sustainability of the Health for Life programme 2--5 years after the initial phase. It captures the experiences of the…

Background: The study objective was to determine impact of a Farm-to-School intervention on low-income, diverse elementary school students' nutrition-related attitudes, self-efficacy, behaviors, and locally grown vegetable choices. Methods: Six elementary schools within 1 US school district were equally assigned to 1 of 3 conditions--Local…

The Fit Family Challenge, a web-based healthy lifestyle program, was developed to motivate families to participate in more physical activity by tracking their behaviors and by providing them with educational materials and community events to attend with their families. This article is an account of the steps taken and the efforts needed to make a…

Introduction: In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded the American Heart Association to implement policy, systems, and environment-focused strategies targeting access to healthy food and beverages, physical activity, and smoke-free environments. Method: To understand factors affecting implementation and variations in success…

Purpose: This study presents a novel methodology/process for assessing inclusion of theoretically-based implementation factors within available adoption-ready health promotion programs. Methods: Classroom-based physical activity (CBPA) programs were used as an example to describe the process. Our team selected an implementation science framework…