Background: Obesity continues to afflict adolescents in underserved communities. It is difficult to understand how adolescents perceive empowerment over their health and the health of their communities. The purpose of our study was to describe the impact of the Healthy Heart Ambassador program on adolescents' perceived empowerment through the…

In 2000, the Government of Manitoba initiated an inter-sectoral policy strategy referred to as Healthy Child Manitoba. This article reports on a research project that studied the success and challenges of this horizontal policy strategy. The research suggests that while this policy approach--which places education within the broader context of a…

Background: Policymakers are focusing increased attention on the role of schools to promote and support children's mental health, and evidence-based models of good practice are in demand. Pyramid Club is a school-based, socio-emotional intervention, demonstrably effective with primary-aged pupils. Aims: This study extends previous Pyramid Club…

In this study, we examine if school physical education (PE) policy initiatives are related to body image among adolescents. Problems with body image often peak during adolescence, and it is important that there are ways of improving body image among youth. This cross-sectional study used data from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children…

This edition of "The State of the World's Children" report examines children, food and nutrition. It seeks to deepen understanding around the causes and consequences of children's malnutrition in all its forms and to highlight how governments, business, families and other stakeholders can best respond. Chapter 1 examines the changing…

Obesity rates, mental illnesses, and emotional health and well being pose a significant problem for today's youth. Family and community involvement have been shown to improve school readiness, academic achievement, and graduation rates. The Whole School Whole Community Whole Child (WSCC) is a ten-component model designed to work synergistically to…

Child inactivity, overweightness, and obesity are recognized problems in the United States. Despite characterization as an "epidemic," children continue to fall short in meeting physical activity recommendations necessary to maintain proper health. Relevant literature indicates that after-school programs (ASPs) are viable options for…

COVID-19 has caused considerable disruption to education around the world. Disadvantaged and marginalised learners are being particularly hard hit. Naturally, throughout the pandemic, the focus of much attention has been on how to open schools safely with a preoccupation with the hygiene and social distancing considerations. A shift is noticeable…

This booklet compiles 10 good practices of the Happy Schools activities from different countries in Asia-Pacific. As part of the Happy Schools Campaigns organised in 2019 and 2020 to celebrate the International Day of Happiness under the theme: "Share Happiness, Share Your Happy School Activities" for 2019 and "Happiness for all,…

In 2019, Child Trends partnered with the Institute for Health Research and Policy of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC-IHRP), EMT Associates, Inc., and the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) to publish the first comprehensive policy analysis (see ED613844) to explore codified state statutes and regulations covering…

In the fall of 2019, at the University of Southern California (USC), nine students died of causes that included suicide and drug use. The campus community was shaken by grief and called for action to support student mental health. As educators confront the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racial justice issues, addressing student well-being is more…

The purpose of this reflective essay is to encourage the discussion of community-engaged scholarship (CES) that does not progress as planned. Insufficient attention is given to lessons gleaned from missteps and outright failures experienced by scholars in the field, which results in a paucity of documented cases and recommendations for…

Background: Youth of color from low-income urban communities are crucial participants in research, as their involvement can shape effective, culturally responsive interventions and policy to promote youth health and well-being. These young people, however, are an often-neglected research population, due in part to perceived challenges associated…

Objective: This review investigated how the three-phase model of critical pedagogy, based on the writings of Paulo Freire, can be put into practice in health education. Design: The study considers literature related to the fields of health education, health promotion and critical pedagogy. Setting: The study is a scholarly review completed as part…

Smoking and obesity are chief causes of mortality, morbidity, and medical expenditure. However, few studies have investigated the linkage between subjective obesity status and smoking behavior. This study examines whether females in a normal body mass index range who perceive themselves as obese are more likely to smoke than those who do not…