Depression is a mental health diagnosis that affects many children and adolescents each year. While traditional methods of treatment include therapy and medication, physical activity could also be used as an additional tool to help combat depressive symptoms. A total of 51 articles were found to address the possible benefits of physical activity…

Childhood obesity has become a global epidemic, with long-term implications for the physical and psychological well-being of individuals. Elementary schools serve as a crucial environment for addressing this issue by providing physical education (PE) programs. However, barriers to implementing quality PE curricula can impede efforts to fight…

Introduction: Education is a social determinant of health, and its intersection with incarceration is a powerful nexus for well-being of students. Whether policies specific to student well-being are associated with exclusionary discipline, a documented risk factor for incarceration, is unknown. This study has three aims: (1) to identify whether…

Background: Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in America, affecting millions of children from early childhood to adolescence. Childhood obesity rates have tripled in the last three decades (CDC, 2016b). Additionally, the obesity epidemic is reaching our nation's youngest children; it was recently reported that over 20% of 2- to 5-year-old…

This dissertation evaluates the impact of elementary school policies on child health behaviors and obesity in the United States. Two chapters address nutrition policies, two chapters address physical activity policies, and a final chapter estimates the health care cost savings associated with a decline in childhood obesity prevalence. The use of…