Impact of a Thought Process Coaching Offering on Habitual Patterns of Thinking and Behavior: A Preliminary Report.

Objective: Individual's thought processes shape reactions to life circumstances, impacting motivation, well-being, and work performance. We examined the ability of a novel assessment and short-term coaching tool (Px-12) to favorably change thought processes.

Methods: We used a convenience sample from 2013 to 2015 of 119 employees who completed the Px-12 before and after receiving personalized coaching to assess the effects of coaching on changes in thought process scores.

A Scoping Review of Economic Evaluations of Workplace Wellness Programs.

Objective: Debates about the effectiveness of workplace wellness programs (WWPs) call for a review of the evidence for return on investment (ROI) of WWPs. We examined literature on the heterogeneity in methods used in the ROI of WWPs to show how this heterogeneity may affect conclusions and inferences about ROI.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review using systematic review methods and adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Return on Investment of Workplace Wellness: Evidence From a Long-Term Care Company.

Background: Workplace wellness programs (WWPs) are increasingly promoted by businesses and governments as an important strategy to improve workers' overall health and well-being and to reduce health care and other organizational costs. Few studies have evaluated WWPs in small businesses to provide evidence on the potential return-on-investment (ROI) that WWPs might yield. This study aimed to fill this gap by presenting a quasi-experimental, ROI analysis of a WWP in a small company.

Tracking Changes in US Organizations' Workplace Health Promotion Initiatives: A Longitudinal Analysis of Performance Against Quality Benchmarks.

Purpose: To examine changes in organizations' workplace health promotion (WHP) initiatives over time associated with repeated self-assessment using the Well Workplace Checklist (WWC).

Design: Well Workplace Checklist data include a convenience sample of US organizations that selected to assess their performance against quality WHP benchmarks.

Setting: Workplaces.

Association Between the Characteristics of Organizations and Their Profile of Performance Against Quality Benchmarks for Workplace Health Promotion.

Objective: This study explored subgroups of performance profiles measured by organizations' Well Workplace Checklist (WWC) benchmark scores and examined company characteristics associated with performance subgroups.

Methods: The sample included 3728 US organizations that completed the WWC in 2008 to 2015. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to extract distinct subgroups of organizations based on benchmark performance.

Performance Against WELCOA's Worksite Health Promotion Benchmarks Across Years Among Selected US Organizations.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify the performance of organizations' worksite health promotion (WHP) activities against the benchmarking criteria included in the Well Workplace Checklist (WWC).

Design: The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) developed a tool to assess WHP with its 100-item WWC, which represents WELCOA's 7 performance benchmarks.

Setting: Workplaces.

Does providing nutrition information at vending machines reduce calories per item sold?

In 2010, the United States (US) enacted a restaurant menu labeling law. The law also applied to vending machine companies selling food. Research suggested that providing nutrition information on menus in restaurants might reduce the number of calories purchased.

Factors related to the number of fast food meals obtained by college meal plan students.

Objectives: This study tested whether days on campus, financial access through a meal plan, and health consciousness were associated with number of meals that college students obtained from fast food restaurants.

Participants And Methods: In April 2013, all students currently enrolled in a meal plan were invited to participate in an online survey (N = 1,246). Students were asked to report the total number of meals eaten in the past week and where they obtained them.

Predictors of uncontrolled hypertension in the Stroke Belt.

Inadequate control of high systolic blood pressure in older adults has been largely attributable to poor control of overall hypertension (HTN). The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) guidelines emphasize the importance of controlling isolated systolic HTN in older adults. The study examined demographics, self-reported health information, and clinical measures as predictors of uncontrolled HTN among individuals taking antihypertensive medications.

Predictors of congruency between self-reported hypertension status and measured blood pressure in the stroke belt.

Background: Few studies have comprehensively investigated the validity of self-reported hypertension (HTN) and assessed predictors of HTN status in the stroke belt. This study evaluates validity self-reporting as a tool to screen large study populations and determine predictors of congruency between self-reported HTN and clinical measures.

Methods: Community Initiative to Eliminate Stroke project (n = 16,598) was conducted in two counties of North Carolina in 2004 to 2007, which included collection of self-reported data and clinical data of stroke-related risk factors.

Untapped resources: refugee employment experiences in central North Carolina.

Objective: The objective of this study was to elucidate a comprehensive understanding of the pre-migration expectations and current realities of refugees resettled in the United States (U.S). Employment expectations and the current work situations experienced by African refugee populations recently resettled in Greensboro, NC are examined.

A university system-wide qualitative investigation into student physical activity promotion conducted on college campuses.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine college student physical activity promotion.

Design: A cross-sectional approach to qualitative research was used.

Setting: Southeastern state university system.

Ethnic and racial differences of baseline stroke knowledge in a "stroke belt" community.

Acute stroke is often a treatable condition; however, intervention is time dependent and typically should ensue within 3 hr from onset of symptoms. The ability of individuals to understand stroke risk factors to reduce individual risk and to recognize warning signs and symptoms of stroke as signals to initiate medical care is paramount to decreasing stroke-related morbidity and mortality. This descriptive study presents ethnic and racial differences of baseline stroke knowledge among residents (n = 1,904) of two North Carolina counties situated in the Stroke Belt.

Public health educators' participation in teams: implications for preparation and practice.

Collaboration among public health organizations is essential to ensuring the health of the public. Much of the day-to-day work of public health educators is done in groups or teams or in consultation with others. This study examined the extent of health educators' work in teams as a proxy for collaboration.

Factors associated with misperception of weight in the stroke belt.

Background: Understanding the reasons for overweight and obesity is critical to addressing the obesity epidemic. Often the decision to lose weight is based as much on one's self-perception of being overweight as on inherent health benefits.

Objective: Examine the relationships between self-reported health and demographic factors and measured health risk status and the misperception of actual weight status.

All-hazards preparedness in an era of bioterrorism funding.

Objectives: All-hazards preparedness was evaluated in North Carolina's 85 local health departments (LHDs).

Methods: In regional meetings, data were collected from LHD teams from North Carolina's LHDs using an instrument constructed from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's preparedness indicators and from the Local Public Health Preparedness and Response Capacity Inventory.

Results And Conclusions: Levels of preparedness differ widely by disaster types.

A profile of public health educators in North Carolina's local health departments.

The purpose of this study was to provide a profile of the public health education workforce in North Carolina. A survey was administered to all practicing health educators at local health departments (LHDs) in North Carolina. The study specifically attempted to answer four questions: (1) Who functions as health educators in LHDs in North Carolina? (2) What is the educational background and professional training of North Carolina LHD health educators? (3) What are the characteristics of health educators' positions in North Carolina? and (4) How do these characteristics of health educators (demographics and education) as well as their titles, job responsibilities, and supervisory relationships differ according to the size of the LHD? The study showed that most public health educators in North Carolina are white females; most do not have Certified Health Education Specialist certification; that younger health educators are more likely to have health education degrees; and that almost two thirds of public health educators have administrative responsibilities.

Assessment of public health educator practice: health educator responsibilities.

This study presents a method for better understanding how practicing health educators in local health departments spend their time. The purpose of this study was to document the daily practice of health educators in the 10 areas of responsibility as defined by a competency-based framework for graduate-level health educators. The results of the current study present the average percentage of time health educators spent carrying out each area of responsibility and the percentage of health educators that did not carry out activities related to a specific area of responsibility.