Fruits and vegetables (F&V) are an important component of a healthy diet, but few children are meeting the recommended number of servings. Children from families with limited resources may be least likely to meet the recommendation. This study was designed to understand the strategies and priorities of families with low income related to purchasing F&V. We conducted qualitative, in-depth telephone interviews with low-income parents of elementary school-aged children as part of a random sample of parents participating in a telephone survey who agreed to be contacted for an in-depth interview. Interview transcripts were coded based on predetermined codes that were informed by the research questions. F&V were not considered staples by parents and cost was one of the main concerns. Parents equated F&V with fresh F&V. Interventions encouraging F&V purchasing by families with low income need to find new ways to address the issue of cost, including advocating for F&V in all forms (fresh, frozen, canned, and dried).

Extension was forced to rapidly adjust its efforts and program delivery methods to respond to clientele needs during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. The pandemic presents a range of unique challenges to Extension including revisions to resource allocations and shifts in programmatic focus. Guided by a needs assessment framework, this paper assesses the rapid response of Utah State University (USU) Extension to meet residents needs during COVID-19. This correlational study gathered data from 199 Extension professionals (n = 199) at USU Extension. Findings show Extension professionals had good capacity to implement outreach activities related to online education, engaging residents, and external partnerships. Further, Extension took rapid actions in several areas in response to COVID-19, including providing online learning activities for youth, and conducting online classes in place of traditional face-to-face classes. Findings show professionals’ outreach capacity was positively related to the total number of actions taken in response to COVID-19. Extension professionals addressed COVID-19 topics such as telehealth, temporary homeschooling kids, and stress management. This study demonstrates the adaptability of Extension to an unpredictable event and provides a framework to assess response. Findings are geared towards effective resource allocation to support Extension’s role in meeting residents’ needs during COVID-19.

School-based interventions can play an important role in improving childhood and adolescent nutrition and preventing obesity. Schools offer a unique opportunity to implement policy, systems, and environmental interventions targeting healthy eating behaviors. An intervention was piloted in six middle schools featuring behavioral economics–based changes to the lunchroom, communication training, and communicate cues for food service staff. The pilot study employed a multicomponent evaluation with students and food service directors and staff including a lunchroom assessment, online surveys, production records, and interviews. Five schools increased their scores on the lunchroom assessment tool, and four schools increased the number of servings produced of healthy food items. Interviews with food service directors indicated the interventions was feasible and well received. School-based policy, systems, and environmental interventions targeting healthy eating behaviors may play a role in preventing obesity in children and adolescents.

Interventions targeting school meals have been used to combat obesity in rural youth. Parents play a powerful role in childhood nutrition; however, we know little about parents’ perceptions of school meal programs. This study aimed to understand parents’ perceptions of school meal programs. Surveys were administered to middle school parents ( n = 576) at six schools in a rural state. We conducted univariate and multivariate analyses to measure parents’ overall perceptions of the school meals program and to identify differences in perceptions by their children’s participation in the Free and Reduced Price School Meals (F&RM) program. Parents had largely negative views of school meals but agreed that they met students’ needs. Results of the multivariate analysis revealed differences in perceptions by participation in F&RM including the relative importance of meal components. Including parents in meal-related experiences and decision making could improve their perceptions and increase children’s participation in school lunch programs.

Stigma towards substance use continues to exacerbate the opioid crisis and its detrimental effects, claiming tens of thousands of lives each year. Reducing substance use stigma through evidence-based techniques is crucial to overcoming and eliminating stigma's imposed barriers. This study, conducted in the USA, employed semi-structured interview transcripts of 32 adults with lived experience of opioid use disorder (OUD), professionals, and family members were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach to identify overarching themes for OUD stigma reduction strategies. Utilizing this lived-experience framework revealed methods to address stigma through interpersonal communication and social interactions. Specifically, using less stigmatizing language, addressing perceptions of persons who experience OUD, employing open communication about OUD to change narratives and beliefs through incorporating messages of hope and recovery, and replacing stigma with empathy and compassion to support recovery. Utilizing individuals with lived experience of OUD offered first-hand insight to identify potential solutions, advance existing literature, and ultimately combat the opioid crisis.