Social entrepreneurship and public health nursing knowledge: Opportunities for innovating nursing education in population health.

Unlabelled: Public health nursing (PHN) competencies are fundamental for addressing population health inequities. Few pathways exist for employing these competencies in the United States (US). Social entrepreneurship in nursing education might provide opportunities for innovating engagement in population health.

Advocacy for Equitable Access to Nature and Outdoor Recreation.

Background: Recent research highlights disparities in access to nature and green space, a determinant of mental and physical health. The aim of this report is to describe the process of park auditing as an innovation in nursing education.

Method: Teams of baccalaureate nursing students used a practice guideline and park auditing tool to examine the amenities of recreational parks and green space in an urban metroplex in the southern United States.

Nature-based therapeutics: A collaborative research agenda promoting equitable access and environmental stewardship.

Background: Given the duration and intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic, with strict emphasis on social distancing, many individuals and families are experiencing social isolation. The need to explore effective strategies for health promotion and wellness is clear.

Aim: The purpose of this report is to highlight evidence supporting the health benefits of nature-based therapeutics and to describe the exploratory and translational research agenda for a nurse-led program entitled RxPLORE: Prescribing Life Outdoors and Real Exploration.

School Garden Benefits: Health Promotion and Environmental Conservation.

Garden-based learning promotes environmental awareness, health, and wellness across the school community and beyond. In this article, we review the literature on the benefits of school gardening and describe firsthand experiences for garden success. By sharing lessons learned, our aim is to inspire school nurses to join forces with like-minded teachers and staff or take the lead to build capacity in their school for gardening and a green culture dedicated to the conservation of natural resources.

Improving Food Literacy and Access Among Young Adult Cancer Survivors: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study.

Background: The links between nutrition and chronic disease are well established, but consumption of fruits and vegetables is low among young adult childhood cancer survivors (YACS) worldwide. Ensuring equitable access to fresh produce is a significant, persistent public health challenge.

Objective: The purposes of this report are to describe patterns of access to fresh produce, daily intake of fruits/vegetables, and nutrition education preferences among a sample of YACS and to highlight early development of a mentored gardening intervention.

Evaluation of Mental Health Effects of a Mindfulness Workshop with Health Professions Students.

Our interprofessional team examined the mental health effects of a pilot mindfulness meditation workshop for college students (n = 39) from 4 health professions. A mixed-methods survey examined students' self-compassion (short form; SCS-sf), perceived stress (PSS-10), and self-reported mindfulness behaviors pre-workshop and at 2 months. The survey captured attitudes, beliefs, and intentions to continue mindfulness practices over time and perceived barriers to mindfulness practice.

Engagement in Physical Activity Among Young Adult Childhood and Adolescent Cancer Survivors: Integration of Nature Technology.

This report addresses physical activity (PA) levels and education preferences in young adult cancer survivors (YACS) and outlines strategies for the design of successful interventions. A cross-sectional design was used to assess PA in 124 YACS, using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form. Recommended levels were reported by 20.

Supporting food literacy among children and adolescents: Undergraduate students apply public health nursing principles in clinical practice.

Effective public health nurses excel in partnership building and program planning to address priority health concerns, such as childhood obesity and disordered eating. Worldwide, children are at risk for low food and nutrition literacy with associated patterns of low fruit and vegetable consumption. This report focuses on the application of public health nursing principles by undergraduate nursing student teams in the design and delivery of food literacy interventions among a population of children and adolescents.

Poor Performance of Children Age 7 to 13 Years on the Newest Vital Sign.

Valid and reliable instruments are needed to assess health literacy in children. Although the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) has been well established for use in adults, reports of its use in children have only recently received attention in the literature. Whereas some researchers have reported successful use of the NVS in children as young as age 7 years, others have suggested it is best used in children age 10 years and older.

Improving health in at-risk youth through Photovoice.

Photovoice is a practical method to allow at-risk youth to express the environmental influences in their lives at school, at home, and in their community. This project emerged from an interprofessional collaboration between social work and nursing that focused on school health. The purpose was to explore the factors influencing the mental and emotional health using photographs by students in a largely Hispanic middle school.

Waterborne Disease Case Investigation: Public Health Nursing Simulation.

Background: The lack of safe drinking water is a significant public health threat worldwide. Registered nurses assess the physical environment, including the quality of the water supply, and apply environmental health knowledge to reduce environmental exposures. The purpose of this research brief is to describe a waterborne disease simulation for students enrolled in a public health nursing (PHN) course.

Yoga for Self-Care and Burnout Prevention Among Nurses.

The promotion of self-care and the prevention of burnout among nurses is a public health priority. Evidence supports the efficacy of yoga to improve physical and mental health outcomes, but few studies have examined the influence of yoga on nurse-specific outcomes. The purpose of this pilot-level randomized controlled trial was to examine the efficacy of yoga to improve self-care and reduce burnout among nurses.

Academic-practice collaboration in nursing education: service-learning for injury prevention.

Teams of senior-level baccalaureate nursing students at a private, urban university complete a population-focused public health nursing practicum through service-learning partnerships. Recently, students collaborated with local service agencies for Safe Communities America, a program of the National Safety Council in affiliation with the World Health Organization. This article describes the student-led process of community assessment, followed by systematic planning, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based interventions to advance prescription drug overdose/poisoning prevention efforts in the community.

"More than I expected": perceived benefits of yoga practice among older adults at risk for cardiovascular disease.

Objective: This study was conducted with participants from trials examining the effects of an Iyengar yoga program on cardiovascular disease risk. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the perceived benefits of yoga in a population of older, predominantly overweight adults participating in a gentle 8-week yoga program.

Design: This study used a constructivist-interpretive approach to naturalistic inquiry.

A new educational film control for use in studies of active mind-body therapies: acceptability and feasibility.

Objectives: The study objectives were to ascertain whether a novel educational film class is an acceptable and feasible comparison group for a randomized controlled trial regarding the effects of an active mind-body therapy on cardiovascular disease risk in postmenopausal women.

Methods: Seventy-five (75) participants attended a baseline assessment visit and were randomly assigned to either a yoga group or an educational film (control) group. Both groups attended two 90-minute classes/week for 8 weeks, followed by a second assessment visit.

"I could move mountains": adults with or at risk for type 2 diabetes reflect on their experiences with yoga practice.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe firsthand experiences with yoga as shared by adults with or at risk for type 2 diabetes and to examine their beliefs regarding maintenance of yoga practice over time.

Methods: In this qualitative study, 13 adults with or at risk for type 2 diabetes described their experiences with yoga and their beliefs regarding maintenance of yoga practice over time. Semistructured interviews occurred 16 to 20 months after completion of an 8-week yoga-based clinical trial.

Culture brokerage strategies in diabetes education.

The purpose of this article is to describe the elements of culture brokerage as applied in a recent educational pilot study among rural African Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Culture Brokerage is a nursing intervention consisting of mediation between the traditional health beliefs and practices of a patient's culture and the health care system. The intervention of Culture Brokerage holds particular relevance for clinicians who work with chronically ill patients, including those with diabetes.

Contextualizing the effects of yoga therapy on diabetes management: a review of the social determinants of physical activity.

This article provides a review of literature both to identify the effects of yoga-based therapy on the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus and to examine the social context of physical activity. Findings from the review indicate that yoga has a positive short-term effect on multiple diabetes-related outcomes; however, long-term effects of yoga therapy on diabetes management remain unclear. The context of the social environment, including interpersonal relationships, community characteristics, and discrimination, influences the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors such as physical activity, including yoga practice.