: While moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has been widely accepted as a major factor in promoting optimal health, emerging research specific to sedentary behavior suggests that MVPA alone may not be enough. This integrative literature review examines the evidence on sedentary behavior as an independent health risk for cardiometabolic health conditions, certain cancers, and all-cause mortality. In so doing, it reveals new insights into high-volume sitting and prolonged uninterrupted sitting and their relationship to adverse health conditions in order to increase awareness of sedentary behavior as an independent health risk factor, examine the potential effects of displacing sedentary time with light-intensity physical activity, and encourage nurses to advance the overall reduction of sedentary behavior.

While much has been written about the effects of extended work hours on quality of nursing care, nurse burnout, and job attrition, the potential adverse effects of acute and chronic sleep loss on the overall health and well-being of nurses has received little attention. The author describes the acute and chronic effects of sleep loss on nurses, strategies nurses can use to increase the quantity and quality of their sleep, and institutional policies that can promote adequate rest and recuperation between work shifts for nursing staff.

Although children residing in impoverished rural communities located along the Texas-Mexico border are at disproportionately high risk of unhealthy eating, limited resources may prevent devoting sufficient attention to school-based nutrition education. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the teaching effectiveness of graduate nursing students on fourth-grade student learning about healthy eating. Purposive sampling was used to select 213 predominately Hispanic fourth-grade students enrolled in one of three low-socioeconomic status underserved elementary schools located in rural South Texas. Ten graduate nursing students implemented the Creating Healthy Eating Choices for Kids Nutrition Curriculum to approximately 40 fourthgraders per group who attended weekly 45-to 50-minute sessions for 6 weeks. The MyPlate standardized tests were administered before and following the intervention. Results showed a significant improvement in learning on all program modules for fourth-graders from each school (p ¼ .000). Results support the value of creating a strategic partnership between a university school of nursing and key community leaders as a feasible method of providing nutrition education for fourth-graders enrolled in schools with limited resources.

The author has disclosed that she has no financial interest to any commercial company related to this educational activity.

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