Utilizing instructor practice experience to promote critical thinking for program proposals in an undergraduate public health course.

To encourage the inclusion of research practice in instruction. The choice to bring existing research into a classroom to enhance student engagement and learning does not have to rest with one's own practice; however, those whose primary responsibility is to teach may be required to connect their research to teaching. This article describes one instructor's use of research to introduce evaluation concepts to undergraduate program planning students and suggests the value of sharing field experiences.

Authority of Pharmacists to Administer Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: Alignment of State Laws With Age-Level Recommendations.

Objectives: One strategy to increase the uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among adolescents is through the use of pharmacists. Our objectives were to (1) use a publicly available database to describe the statutory and regulatory authority of pharmacists to administer the HPV vaccine in the United States and (2) discuss how the current status of laws may influence achievement of the Healthy People 2020 goal of 80% HPV vaccination rate for teenagers aged 13-15.

Methods: Using information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Public Health Law Program database, we identified state laws in effect as of January 1, 2016, giving pharmacists authority to administer vaccines.

State Laws on Emergency Holds for Mental Health Stabilization.

Objective: Psychiatric emergency hold laws permit involuntary admission to a health care facility of a person with an acute mental illness under certain circumstances. This study documented critical variation in state laws, identified important questions for evaluation research, and created a data set of laws to facilitate the public health law research of emergency hold laws' impact on mental health outcomes.

Methods: The research team built a 50-state, open-source data set of laws currently governing emergency holds.

Prevalence and predictors of bicycle helmet use in a southeastern, US city.

Fatalities and head injuries from bicycle-related crashes remain a concern in the United States. Despite legislation in many states, helmet use remains low. This observational study examined the helmet use and related factors in a North Carolina city.

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.