Background: About 20-30% of children worldwide report depressive symptoms. This study examined associations between children's depressive symptoms, life events, and family factors. Methods: Nationally representative data (n = 95,725) were drawn from the 2017 School Health Promotion Study in Finland. The respondents were 4th and 5th grade pupils…

There is now a wealth of research on obesity both from biomedical and socially critical perspectives. However, less research has focused on the lived experiences of young children and particularly those who are perceived as 'sedentary'. This paper critically examines the issue of obesity as related to children's experiences of physical…

This dissertation in practice sought to understand the major contributors to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in preadolescent children as described by health professionals in Washington state. Interview participants, made up of mental health therapists in private and public practice, emergency room personnel, school psychiatrists, and…

The urgent need to address the mental health needs of students in the United States has recently gained significant attention in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic and recent school shootings. Alarmingly, studies show that only one-third of the children suffering from mental health behaviors will receive mental health services, and 80% of…

This study assessed the reciprocal predictive relation between multiple domains of health and academic performance (AP) in elementary schoolchildren through autoregressive models. A school-based longitudinal observational study was carried out, with a baseline measurement in 2014 and a follow-up at 12 and 24 months, in an Argentine sample of 533…

Background: Outdoor education may positively impact the educational, physical, and emotional development of youth, but studies are sparse among urban children. Purpose: To investigate 1) physical activity (PA) levels in outdoor versus indoor education environments, 2) science learning gains during outdoor education, and 3) programmatic…

A number of states have taken steps toward promoting student wellness, with many of their state boards of education in the middle of the action. This article contains some examples of states leading on student wellness by addressing physical fitness, social and emotional learning (SEL), and mental health supports. The Every Student Succeeds Act…

The 35th edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's "KIDS COUNT"® Data Book examines the unprecedented declines in student math and reading proficiency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on education. The latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress reveals that between 2019 and 2022, fourth-grade reading…

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting stay-at-home orders created a need for assessing elementary, middle, and high school students' experienced stressors associated with the coronavirus situation. In collaboration with a school district wanting information about their students' well-being during the pandemic school shut-down, the current study…

Background: Public health concerns regarding childhood obesity and sedentary behavior make investigations of children's physical activity (PA) promotion crucial. School recess, a highly discretional time, plays a central role in shaping children's activity preferences. Methods: Participants included 40 children (30 girls, 10 boys) from fourth and…

The purpose of this research was to contribute to the childhood obesity mitigation literature by determining the PA preferences of obese/overweight (o/o) elementary students who participated in Club Fit!, a school-based PA program designed to engage the students in developmentally appropriate, moderate-vigorous PA and enhance their regard for PA…

The prevalence of obese children has tripled during the past three decades. While lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating have been the primary focus of public health efforts, media has a significant influence on food choices and food consumption. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine if a media literacy intervention would…

Background: Active commuting to school (ACS) is associated with increased physical activity and lowered risk of obesity. In observational studies, ACS was associated with child self-efficacy, parent self-efficacy, and parent outcome expectations, although few experiments have assessed changes in these behavioral constructs. Aim: This study…

Childhood obesity has become a national concern in the U.S. over the past decades. Offering quality physical education programs is one of the effective approaches of a variety of school-based physical interventions. To gain children's attention and their lack of interest in physical movement, physical education teachers have recently employed…

The Social Emotional Health Survey-Primary (SEHS-P) was originally developed to assess U.S. elementary students' positive psychological traits: gratitude, zest, optimism, and persistence, and the higher-order latent construct of covitality. The present study evaluated the validity of a Chinese version of SEHS-P with a sample of 653 Chinese…