Background: Associations between school participation in an academic medical center-supported school-based wellness initiative and programmatic components implemented with change in average student body mass index (BMI) over time were examined. Methods: This was an observational study of 103 K-12 South Carolina schools over school years 2014-2018,…

Background: In Spartanburg County, SC, nearly 33.7% of children are overweight or obese. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in eating behavior of youth by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Methods: Students (N = 997) in 4th to 5th grades completed the School Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. School databases…

College students often experience and report feeling stressed within the context of their daily lives. This empirical study examines the effect of personal stress on academic performance in an introductory economics course at a representative regional university. 105 students were surveyed and completed a standardized psychometric instrument…

Background: A 2010 publication showed a positive relationship between children's body mass index (BMI) and energy intake at school-provided meals (as assessed by direct meal observations). To help explain that relationship, we investigated 7 outcome variables concerning aspects of school-provided meals: energy content of items selected, number of…

Background: The Junior Doctors of Healthq (JDOH) program was developed from a collaboration between a large medical university, school district, and community organization to address obesity-related behaviors in children through education, skill building, and mentoring. Purpose: Evaluate the impact of the JDOH program on self-efficacy for and…

Sedentary behaviors contribute to the obesity epidemic in this country and physical educators can play an important role in the battle to improve the quality of life of our citizens. Motor skill competency is a substantive factor in a person's decision to be active or not, and a quality physical education program can tip the balance in favor of…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether or not students in fifth grade who meet the healthy fitness zone (HFZ) for aerobic capacity on the fall 2013 FITNESSGRAM® Test scored higher on the math portion of the 2013 fall Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test, than students that failed to reach the HFZ for aerobic capacity…

State and national organizations recently developed policies focused on increasing physical activity (PA) in afterschool programs (ASPs). These policies emphasize "activity friendly" environment characteristics that, when present, should lead to higher levels of PA and reduce the amount of time children spend sedentary during an ASP.…