Poor accessibility to affordable healthy foods is associated with higher rates of obesity and diet-related chronic diseases. We present our process evaluation of a youth-targeted environmental intervention (Baltimore Healthy Eating Zones) that aimed to increase the availability of healthy foods and promote these foods through signage, taste tests and other interactive activities in low-income Baltimore City. Trained peer educators reinforced program messages. Dose, fidelity and reach-as measured by food stocking, posting of print materials, distribution of giveaways and number of interactions with community members-were collected in six recreation centers and 21 nearby corner stores and carryouts. Participating stores stocked promoted foods and promotional print materials with moderate fidelity. Interactive sessions were implemented with high reach and dose among both adults and youth aged 10-14 years, with more than 4000 interactions. Recreation centers appear to be a promising location to interact with low-income youth and reinforce exposure to messages.

Research ObjectivesThe Nutrition and Health Awareness (NHA) program aims to educate and cultivate positive attitudes towards health and wellness in a school-based setting. Education on physical activity, diet, and oral hygiene were emphasized.  The study’s purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum on increasing physical activity and health knowledge.Study Design/Methods A team of medical students developed and administered lessons to 93 eligible 4th-grade students at Superstition Springs Elementary School on topics such as physical exercise, nutrition groups and labels, sugar metabolism, heart disease, and oral hygiene. At baseline (Week 0), participants were randomly assigned anonymized ID numbers and Fitbit Flex 2TM accelerometers, and completed a pre-intervention questionnaire evaluating their knowledge, health literacy and attitudes. Accelerometers were used to monitor activity levels throughout the duration of the six-week program. Five lessons were provided once weekly during Weeks 1–5. One week after lessons concluded, participants were again assessed using the questionnaire.Principal Findings and Quantitative/ Qualitative Results Ninety-three students participated in this research. Paired pre/post questionnaires (n=81) suggest students are more likely to exercise daily (p=0.021) and know more about their health (p=0.029). Students also scored higher on questions testing their cognitive ability to correctly identify healthy foods, portion sizes, importance of exercise, dental hygiene, and risk factors of diabetes and heart disease. Fitbit accelerometers recorded activity levels (n=84) as average steps students walked every week. Due to technical difficulties, no baseline (Week 0) average activity was established. Average activity levels over 5-week period did not differ due to inconsistent data collection.Conclusions/Impact on Health CentersApplication of the NHA program showed noteworthy improvements in health literacy, specifically in understanding of individual health, which suggests the curriculum’s potential to be used in an educational setting. Furthermore, by using a tool, such as the NHA questionnaire, to screen for health literacy in pediatric patients, healthcare providers can deliver personalized health education and care. Future research should focus on how to effectively measure activity levels, as well as how to involve the whole family in health and wellness improvement. Additionally, future research should be aimed at assessing long term retention of health knowledge.

Executive compensation is a major strategy being employed by deposit money banks to achieve steady growth in their customer acquisition efforts. The banks face series of challenges including inability to achieve consistent service excellence which had negatively impacted on new customer acquisition. The study examined the effect of executive compensation package on customer acquisition of selected deposit money banks in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study employed cross sectional survey research design where four hundred and twenty-nine copies of the research instruments were administered to purposively selected respondents who were senior and executive staff of the selected banks. The result of multiple regression analysis revealed that base salary (B = 0.217, p = 0.000) and recognition (B = 0.123, p = 0.012) have positive and significant effect on customer acquisition while supplementary benefits (B = 0.017, p = 0.568) and executive bonus (B = 0.044, p = 0.175) have positive, but insignificant effect on customer acquisition. The study concluded that executive compensation has positive effect on customer of selected deposit money banks in Lagos State, Nigeria. It was recommended that attractive compensation management should be instituted to ensure that executive staff are adequately remunerated to facilitate their performance with less distractions.