My Quest, a Community-Based mHealth Intervention to Increase Physical Activity and Promote Weight Loss in Predominantly Rural-Dwelling, Low-Income, Alabama Women.

Rural-dwelling, overweight/obese, limited-resource individuals and women have the lowest leisure-time physical activity rates among Americans. This community-based, single-group pre- posttest study sought to increase physical activity, step counts, and promote weight loss in 104 low-income women (84% rural). Analyses included nonparametric and repeated-measures analyses of variance to determine physical activity behaviors, step counts, and weight loss.

Multilevel Faith-Based Public Health Initiative in Rural Alabama, 2017.

Recent shifts in public health approaches to reduce and prevent chronic disease encourage interventions to include multiple levels of the social ecological model. The objective of this 1-group pretest-posttest study was to determine differences in faith community policies and environments; interpersonal support; and individual behavior before and after Live Well Faith Communities, a 9-week, faith-based health promotion initiative. The study included a convenience sample of faith communities and participants.

My Quest, an Intervention Using Text Messaging to Improve Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors and Promote Weight Loss in Low-Income Women.

Objective: To evaluate changes in dietary and physical activity behaviors and weight after implementation of a 12-week text messaging initiative (My Quest).

Design: The researchers conducted a 1-group, pre- to posttest study design to determine changes after implementation of a text messaging initiative developed using the tenets of the Social Cognitive Theory.

Setting: A total of 55 Alabama counties (84% rural) with high rates of poverty, overweight/obesity, and chronic diseases.

Changes in fruit and vegetable consumption of third-grade students in body quest: food of the warrior, a 17-class childhood obesity prevention program.

Objective: To increase fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption of youth in Body Quest: Food of the Warrior (BQ), a childhood obesity prevention program.

Design: Quasi-experimental.

Setting: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education eligible schools (n = 60).

School gardens: an experiential learning approach for a nutrition education program to increase fruit and vegetable knowledge, preference, and consumption among second-grade students.

Objective: To examine the effects of a school garden on children's fruit and vegetable knowledge, preference, and consumption.

Design: Self-report questionnaires, interview-style taste and rate items, lunchroom observations.

Setting: An elementary school.

Effects of a nutrition education program on the dietary behavior and nutrition knowledge of second-grade and third-grade students.

This research investigated the effects of a nutrition education program on dietary behavior and nutrition knowledge among elementary school-aged children participating in a Social Cognitive Theory-based nutrition education program. Participants included 1100 second-grade and third-grade students selected by convenience-type sampling from public schools in Alabama. A preassessment and postassessment control group design assessed dietary behavior and nutrition knowledge using Pizza Please, a specially designed interactive evaluation tool.