Resources Needed for Education and Meal Programs by Urban Schoolteachers and Staff During the 2019 Coronavirus Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Adjustments in teaching resources and school meal programs are urgently needed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined teaching resources that would have been helpful when schools closed, and how school meal programs should be changed in the 2020-2021 school year. METHODS: In October 2020, a 27-item, cross-sectional, online survey was administered to 99 teachers and staff members in an urban, Midwestern school district. Data were analyzed using frequencies and proportions, and open-ended responses were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Online teaching was difficult for teachers and students, and training for online teaching, improved Internet access, and more time for grading or office hours would have been helpful when schools closed. Meal programs were offered by 86% of schools after closing, and many participants supported continuing meal programs for 2020-2021. Resources needed to continue meal programs included funding for meal reimbursement, transportation to the meal sites, and more staff. Suggested changes to meal programs included offering more variety or more food, and solving transportation issues. CONCLUSION: Addressing these concerns can improve school and community health. Findings will inform efforts to enhance online teaching and improve and continue school meal programs as the world continues to be affected by COVID-19.

College Classroom Instructors Can Effectively Promote Standing among Students Provided with Standing Desks.

Standing desks may reduce sedentary behaviors in college students. Students at one mid-size urban university in the Midwestern United States were randomized into intervention (n = 21) and control groups (n = 27) to assess standing time when given access to standing desks. The intervention group received visual and oral instructor prompts to stand, while the control received no prompts during a 50 min lecture. All students were provided with adjustable tabletop standing desks. ActivPAL accelerometers measured sitting and standing time. A brief survey assessed student preferences, including facilitators and barriers to standing. Mean standing time was greater in the intervention vs. control group (26 vs. 17 min, p = 0.023). Students tended to stand in the corners and edges of the room. Main facilitators for standing included to break up sitting, reduce back pain, and increase attention and focus; main barriers were not wanting to distract others or be the only one standing. In total, 87.5% of intervention group participants found five prompts to stand were adequate. Students increased standing time in class when provided with standing desks and instructor prompts to stand. Findings can inform the layout of classrooms and when and how to promote standing desks during lectures.

Fostering healthy lifestyles in the African American population.

Approximately 8.3% of the U.S. population (25.8 million people) is affected by type 2 diabetes. The burden of diabetes is disproportionately greater in the African American community. Compared with non-Hispanic Caucasian adults, the risk of diagnosed type 2 diabetes was 77% higher among non-Hispanic Blacks, who are 27% more likely to die of diabetes complications than either Caucasians or Hispanics. The purpose of this longitudinal community intervention was to promote healthy lifestyles among African American participants through multiple channels, including individualized point-of-testing counseling, and weekly exercise and nutrition classes led by trained community health mentors. Data collection procedures were guided by the World Health Organization's STEPS approach, which includes gathering demographic and health information, collecting anthropometric measurements, and analyzing biochemical blood work. Changes in body mass index were assessed from in-person measurements and changes in blood lipids and glucose were examined by biochemical analyses. A total of 157 individuals participated in this study. Results showed that weight gain during the intervention was prevented, glucose levels decreased (-10.88 mg/dL), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased (-8.8 mg/dL), while high-density lipoprotein increased (+3.2 mg/dL). Lifestyle interventions and point-of-testing counseling can be successful in reducing risk factors for type 2 diabetes among the African American population. The results of this intervention indicate that the use of community health mentors and point-of-testing counseling may be effective in fostering healthy lifestyle changes, which can halt the progression of type 2 diabetes among non-Hispanic Black populations.