Background: Over 1 in 3 children in US schools is overweight or obese; thus, most teachers believe physical education and activity are necessary K-12 components. One potential avenue to infuse physical activity (PA) in educational settings is integrating in classrooms based on learning objectives and academic outcomes. In this study, we examined…

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a worldwide socio-sanitary crisis, continuing to impact societies worldwide. With many school systems shifted to online education, the current study presents a unique opportunity to investigate relevant phenomena related to serious health issues during the schooling and later in life, cyberbullying and…

Background: Schools have a long history of delivering health services, but it is unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic may have disrupted this. This study examined changes in school-based health services and student needs before and during the pandemic and the factors important for delivering school-based health services. Methods: A web-based survey…

Background: School-based COVID-19 testing is a potential strategy to limit COVID-19 transmission among youth in congregate settings such as schools, sports programs, and summer camps. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of frequent rapid antigen testing at a supervised distance-learning setting for elementary…

Background: There is evidence of school-level variability in children's active behaviors. This study investigated the associations between school environments, policies and practices, and children's physical activity (PA) and active school transportation (AST), in a school ecology context. Methods: We recruited children (N = 1699, age = 10.2 ± 1.0…

Background: Shifts from in-person learning to virtual and hybrid learning modes in response to the coronavirus pandemic potentially impacted children's physical, emotional, social, and academic development. This study examined the association between virtual, in-person, and hybrid learning modality with parent-reported quality of life among US…

Background: Many school-based recess interventions have been shown to be effective in increasing physical activity but their relative efficiency compared to other school-based programs are unknown. This study examined the cost-effectiveness of Ready for Recess, a program designed to increase students' physical activity in 2 elementary schools.…

Background: Parental engagement in nutrition education programs often focuses on direct communication with parents. While this is an important component for the success of nutrition education, the role that students can play in connecting the program to their home is often overlooked. Methods: Feedback from students participating in a nutrition…

Background: Strategies used by wellness teams (WTs) to foster local wellness policy (LWP) implementation have been documented, yet there remains a need to better understand how WTs respond to district-level LWP requirements, particularly when bundled with additional health-related policies. This study's goal was to explore how WTs implement…

Background: "Test-to-stay" (TTS) is an effective approach for keeping students in school post-exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To prepare for school-based SARS-CoV-2 testing, we implemented formative research to gather perspectives on school-based testing among school personnel, as well as…

Background: The school environment, consisting of the physical environment and social-emotional climate (SEC), plays a crucial role in both student and employee health; however, there is a lack of recent literature synthesizing school environment interventions in K-12 settings. We describe updated evidence about school environment interventions to…

Background: In the United States, approximately seven million students are chronically absent from school each year. Students with disabilities are more likely to be chronically absent than students without a disability. Using the bioecological systems theory, this study examined the impact of individual developmental disabilities and disability…

Background: We present results of the development and feasibility testing of CATCH Healthy Smiles, a school-based oral health program, among children in grades K-2 in Houston, Texas. Methods: Study design was cross-sectional (N = 2 schools; N = 125 parent-child dyads; 31 kindergarteners, 42 first graders, and 52 second graders). CATCH Healthy…

Background: Mode share is an important metric for active school travel programs. Common methods for measuring mode share include Hands Up surveys and family surveys, but these require teacher and parental involvement. We used these methods as part of an evaluation of a school-based bicycle training program, and added a novel observational count…

Background: At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools closed across the United States. Given the impact of virtual learning and lost access to school resources, schools eventually reopened with COVID-19 mitigation protocols in place. This qualitative study sought to understand parental perceptions of school-based COVID-19 mitigation…