Objective: The growing prevalence of obesity among college students is a major public health issue, as over one-third are overweight or obese. This study used gender-stratified multivariate analyses to examine psychological distress and social contextual factors as key determinants of obesity. Participants: Students of a large public university in…

This article reports on a 3-year longitudinal study focused on the impact of cross-sector, collective impact approaches to creating cultures of campus health. The study sought to understand the integration of health and well-being concepts into university operations, including business practices and policies, as well as the contribution of public…

As educators reconsider higher education's public good mission, community colleges face a monumental task. These colleges still serve a student population that includes many low-income, traditionally underrepresented, first-generation college students with family and job responsibilities that demand their attention. For community colleges, the…

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the roles of risk perceptions and efficacy beliefs play in predicting emerging adults' health insurance information seeking behavior based on the risk perception attitude (RPA) framework. In addition, the current study tests a role of worry to elucidate an underlying mechanism of their health…

In the past decade concern about the mental health of university students has been growing worldwide. Yet epidemiological data and intervention research on student mental health comes predominantly from high income western countries in the Global North, with a relative scarcity of studies from sub-Saharan Africa and other countries in the Global…

Objective: To explore U.S. college students' experiences during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Students at a Northeastern public university. Methods: Participants were interviewed via videoconference between April 1 and May 31, 2020. Interviews were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed; analyzed using deductive and…

Promoting staff well-being has been a challenge for many residence life departments long before the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decrease in the mental well-being of the general population as well as in residence life staff. The stressful work environment and demanding work hours in residence life have been linked to burnout and intentions to leave…

The evidence overwhelming suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic, its associated public health measures, and the consequences of these measures negatively affected the mental health and well-being of postsecondary students; however, few studies have examined which subsects of this population were most adversely affected on a global scale. This study…

We surveyed 60 undergraduates who were enrolled in a capstone course at a large research university on the west coast to explore the impacts of required internships on college student mental health. Levels of flourishing, positive emotions, negative emotions, and overall affect balance were measured in relation to each student's internship…

College students are an important priority population, and higher education is an opportune setting for chronic disease prevention and health promotion. Yet many people do not understand why enhancing the well-being of college students is of value. In this commentary, we address 3 common misperceptions about college health promotion: (1) College…

The purpose of this capstone project is to provide an innovative solution to address major public health and social problems known on college campuses in relation to "Ensuring Healthy Development for All Youth," one of the 12 Grand Challenges of Social Work. This project uses conceptual socioecological frameworks of prevention and health…

Patu™ Aotearoa (Patu™) is a social enterprise that is dedicated to the holistic health and wellbeing of local communities. Developed in consultation with the Patu™ whanau, the Meke Meter is an indigenous, image-based, holistic self-reflection tool that has minimal text, designed to capture an individual's perception of their wellbeing. This pilot…

This study explored substance use trajectories and associations with mental health among an ethnically/racially diverse college student sample before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We combined repeated cross-sections and panel data from a total of 3,247 college students assessed with an online survey in 2018, 2019, and in three waves in 2020.…

The spread of COVID-19, which happens easily in a campus setting, raises critical questions about what educational institutions can and should do. The raised issues are remarkably varied and call for all those involved in running institutions to approach these concerns thoughtfully and quickly, given the speed with which the virus is spreading,…

This paper describes and evaluates the "Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) in Schools" project; which was designed as a public health intervention to explore the extent to which focusing on schools as community assets can promote well-being for pupils, their school and the local community. The paper reviews the literature in…