Realist evaluation (RE) is increasingly adopted to assess the effectiveness of social programs. RE goes beyond measurement of outcomes, providing insight into how and why programs work by focusing on how participants experience and respond to programs within certain contexts. A RE was conducted on Healthy Start-Départ Santé (HSDS), an early…

Background: Let's Go! is a Maine-based, nationally recognized childhood obesity prevention program. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify specific program and school characteristics, policies, and practices associated with schools achieving Let's Go!'s priority strategies for increasing opportunities for healthy eating/active living…

The Mountain Plains Region (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming), in partnership with the Southwest Region (Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas), have combined efforts to produce the first cross-regional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed)…

Overweight and obesity are national epidemics affecting 42.4% of adults in the U.S.; with the southeastern region exhibiting higher obesity rates than most other regions in the U.S. (National Center for Health Statistics, 2020; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). Alabama ranks 3rd…

Adolescents with overweight and obesity are at risk for future health problems. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and initial efficacy of a weight management intervention to help adolescents develop healthy nutrition and physical activity behaviors and improve their anthropometrics. This study used a single-group repeated…

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is essential to improving the health and nutrition among low-income individuals. During Fiscal Year 2017, over 42 million people living in nearly 21 million households received SNAP in the United States. Within the Mountain Plains Region (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska,…

An extensive body of research demonstrates a higher prevalence of obesity among children with developmental delays (DD) versus children without delays. This analysis examined the effectiveness of a randomized controlled trial to promote healthy weight in a subsample of preschool-age children with DD (n = 71) on the adoption of quality nutrition…

The study purpose was to examine the impact of the Harvest of the Month (HOTM) program on fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, FV preferences, other eating behaviors, physical activity and other variables related to healthy eating. A clustered randomized controlled trial was employed in 28 elementary schools. After parental consent was obtained,…

Well-known disparities exist in rates of obesity and drowning, two public health priorities. Addressing these disparities by increasing access to safe swimming and water recreation may yield benefits for both obesity and injury prevention. "Everyone Swims," a community partnership, brought community health clinics and water recreation…

Parents' health and children's health are closely intertwined--healthier parents have healthier children, and vice versa. Genetics accounts for some of this relationship, but much of it can be traced to environment and behavior, and the environmental and behavioral risk factors for poor health disproportionately affect families living in…

Background: This study evaluated a school-based obesity intervention for elementary school children (N = 835) where health professionals assisted teachers with the integration of healthy messages into the school curriculum. Methods: Schools were randomized into a professional-facilitated intervention (PFI; N = 4) or a self-help (SH; N = 3)…

Physical activity is critical in healthy weight loss, yet there is still much to be learned about psychosocial mechanisms of physical activity behavior change in weight loss. A sequential mixed methods approach was used to assess the physical and psychosocial impact of a 12-week cognitive-behavioral weight management program and explore factors…

Individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome have hyperphagia, a characteristic eating disorder defined by a marked delay in the satiety response when compared to controls. This eating disorder has been particularly difficult to control. The authors taught and evaluated effectiveness of regular exercise alone, regular exercise plus healthy eating, and…

Obesity among children and adults has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. This condition has proven difficult to treat effectively, especially in terms of sustainable weight loss. The project described in this report embarked on multidimensional, community-based efforts to prompt a national discussion of the obesity issue and the…

Problem: Priority health-risk behaviors, which are behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among youth and adults, often are established during childhood and adolescence, extend into adulthood, and are interrelated and preventable. Reporting Period Covered: September 2010-December 2011. Description of the…