Introduction Palestinian society is going through health transition that is associated with increase in chronic diseases due to poor dietary habits so adequate integration of nutrition information is important. Aims The aim of this study is to find the association between nutrition literacy and diet behavior among a group of Palestinian participants. Methods A sample of 101 Palestinian participants were recruited to participate in the study. An online survey was used to collect study data. Newest Vital Sign quiz was used to collect information on nutrition literacy and Short Format of the Diet Health and Knowledge Survey (SFDHKS) was used to collect information on diet behavior and USDA food security questionnaire was used to collect data on food security. Data was analyzed utilizing SPSS 21. Results This study included 101 participants, mean age 22.7 y ± 8.7 y, mainly females (females were 83.2% and males were 16.8%). 5.7% of the study participants were obese, 13.8% overweight and 10.3% were underweight. The prevalence of adequate nutrition literacy was 29%. There was minimal association between diet behavior and nutrition literacy, food security and BMI categories, but significant association with income and living in city relative to village (p < 0.05). Only 11 participants had some form of food insecurity. Conclusion There is low prevalence of adequate nutrition literacy. Nutrition literacy depends on social and economic aspects but further research is need to understand its relationship to diet behavior.

Background or Objectives: All humans by nature cope with stressors by using productive and non-productive coping strategies. Adolescents and students in particular experience stress mainly due to academic examinations but the strategies adopted by students in the West Bank/Palestine are largely unknown and understudied. This study examines stress-coping strategies adopted by general secondary school-aged students in government schools in Northern West Bank. Methods: This is a quantitative designed study of 334 students selected from 39 schools utilizing a stratified random sampling method. A self-reporting questionnaire composed of Brief Coping Orientation of Problems Experienced (COPE) was used to identify stress management methods among the students. A scale consisting of 14 domains representing 28 coping methods was created with the following 4-likert-scale response choices: 1) “I haven’t been doing this at all,” 2) “I’ve been doing this a little bit,” 3) “I’ve been doing this a medium amount,” and 4) “I’ve been doing this a lot.” Respondents reported their views scoring them from 1-4; the mean for each method was calculated and ranged from scores 2-6. Results: In all, religion (6.30±1.6,1) and planning (6.11±1.35) methods were the predominant domains of coping methods used by majority of the students. Problem-focused and emotion-focused coping methods were used more than the “less-useful” coping methods more among females than by their male counterparts. The “use of instrumental support,” “denial,” and “behavioral disengagement” were methods used more by students in the humanities than their counterparts in the scientific branches. Conclusion and Implications for Translation: Almost all of the students have different levels of stress with different effects. The useful (i.e., “problem-focused” and “emotion-focused”) coping methods were mostly used by students, and the “less useful” coping once were used a “little bit.” Religion and planning were the predominant coping methods used by students. It is recommended that schools should emphasize on the use of useful evidence-base coping methods to deal with their stress. Keywords: • Stress • Coping • Coping methods • Secondary schools • Students   Copyright © 2019 Al-Tell et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Introduction: MyPlate is an educational tool developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a replacement for an earlier approach called MyPyramid. It provides the US public with key messages on a healthy diet, but has not been studied in universities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Aims: We aimed to study the acceptance and utility of MyPlate in the teaching curriculum among Palestinian medical and allied health students by introducing the approach in the nutrition course which forms part of curriculum. Method: An electronic survey questionnaire was distributed via social media and university platforms to students in the schools of medicine, nursing and pharmacy at Najah University. The questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic variables, obesity, nutritional deficiencies, nutritional problems and the use of MyPlate. In addition, information about vegetable consumption and participation in physical activities was collected. Chi-square tests and Fisher’s exact tests were used to calculate differences between study groups. Results: A convenience sample of 106 students participated in the investigation. In all, 68% of the study group were women, 58.0% were medical students, 44.0% were nursing students, and the remainder were pharmacy students. In all, 89.0% of students reported knowing about MyPlate, 61% reported using MyPlate and 79.0% of website users reported that they found the use of application easy. The main reason for using the application was for calculating needed calories and planning a healthy diet. However, students reported low ability to change their lifestyle accordingly. There was no age difference between users and non-users (19.4 years ± 0.8 years versus 19.8 y ± 0.8 y) or BMI, (20.0 ± 4.6) kg/m2 versus (21.3 ± 5.8) kg/m2. MyPlate users were more physically active, but there was no differences in diet. Conclusion: MyPlate was accepted by the majority of students but follow-up is needed to improve adherence to a healthy lifestyle.