Community Engagement in the BE SAGE Project: Reducing COVID-19 in Hispanic and Low-Income Preschoolers via Testing and Open-Air Garden-Based Education.

Objective: Back to Early Care and Education Safely With Sustainability via Active Garden Education (BE SAGE) involved COVID-19 testing and a free garden-based physical activity and nutrition program at early care and education centers with primarily Hispanic/Latino enrollment. This article describes the project community engagement plan, process, and outcomes focusing on deliberate and intentional staffing, an extensive online presence, and focused outreach.

Methods: BE SAGE purposefully hired bilingual (English/Spanish) and bicultural staff; developed and maintained a large bilingual online presence (website, newsletters, social media), and fostered community partnerships with community health workers (CHWs) and dedicated staff.

Qualitative Research on the Perceptions of Factors Influencing Diet and Eating Behaviors Among Primarily Latinx Seventh-Grade Students.

Background: Latinx youth are a population of concern, at elevated risk for chronic diseases and with poor adherence to dietary recommendations.

Objectives: To examine Latinx seventh-grade students' perceptions of the factors that influence their diet and eating behaviors.

Design: This qualitative research used focus groups and an inductive content analysis approach.