Short-term, multi-faceted, point-of-selection marketing of healthful foods in university dining halls may be beneficial for improving college students' perceptions and selections of targeted healthful foods in the dining hall and may improve overall eating behaviors of college students.

Background: Good nutrition is crucial. School-aged children battle social and health issues such as poor nutrition, childhood obesity, and minimal nutrition knowledge. This study was a quasi-experimental design analyzing the effects of the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) nutrition curriculum with a Farm to School program to assess nutrition knowledge of 3 rd grade students, and to increase fruit and vegetable consumption behavior.Methods: Third grade boys and girls (n = 65) participated in this study. The intervention consisted of two nutrition education classes and a farm tour. Data were collected at baseline and postintervention. Surveys assessed nutrition knowledge, fruit and vegetable consumption behavior, and awareness of farms and farmers. Chi-squared tests of independence were performed to examine the relation between the baseline and postintervention responses.Results: Significant differences were found concerning knowledge of fiber ( p < 0.001). Knowledge of vitamins and minerals, reported vegetable consumption behavior at school, and farm exposure were also significant ( p < 0.05).Conclusions: These findings suggest that CATCH nutrition education and farm tours can positively affect school-aged children's nutrition knowledge and fruit and vegetable consumption behavior.

Findings from this study indicate a need for continued education, development, and training to better prepare school food service purchasers in southern Illinois for how to buy more local foods to meet the 2020 legislation requiring schools to purchase at least 10% locally.

School nurses play an important role in identifying students who are at risk for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Few studies have screened Caucasian students, and none have targeted rural, low-income, elementary children. The five noninvasive risk factors used for this study were family history, high body mass index (BMI) for age/sex, racial/ethnic background, hypertension, and acanthosis nigricans. Two thirds of those screened (n = 299) had at least one of the five risk factors for T2DM. Seventeen students (5.6% of those screened) had three or more of the five risk factors and were considered at risk for T2DM. Fifteen percent (n = 43) had hypertension or prehypertension, and 18% (n = 53) were morbidly obese. Hypertension and acanthosis nigricans were significantly associated with being at risk in morbidly obese students. School nurses play an important role as frontline health professionals who are aware that risk factors for T2DM exist in all schools, regardless of students' age, size of community, or ethnic background.

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