The Scholarship of Wellness and Mindfulness to Support First-Year Nursing Students' Response to Stress.

ABSTRACT: An educational innovation centered on mindfulness was developed to support the well-being of first-year nursing students at a large public university. Students participated in a week-long experiential learning program before their first semester. They then enrolled in a one-credit course that fostered well-being through research and evidence-based mindfulness practices. The course was highly ranked because of the quality of learning, environment, and theories presented, indicating that supportive wellness initiatives are acceptable and feasibility for future implementation.

The influence of diet quality on health-related quality of life in undergraduates.

Objective: Explore the relationship between fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in undergraduates. Participants: Undergraduates (N = 655). Methods: Using the Centers for Disease Control's Healthy Days Core Module and National Cancer Institute's (NCI) FV screener, differences in HRQOL between students who had consumed above the sample's average FV intake and their counterparts were evaluated. Multiple regression analyses assessed behaviors that predicted HRQOL. Results: Differences existed between HRQOL of students who consumed above average FV (M = 2.2 1.3) and peers, F(9,602) = 509, p < 0.001, Wilk's Δ = 0.116, partial n2 = 0.884. Predictors explained 30.0% of the variance in days per month feeling healthy (r2 = 0.29, F(4, 549) = 58.6, p < 0.001): perceived stress (ß = 0.46, p < 0.001), body mass index (BMI) (ß = 0.11, p < 0.01), FV intake (ß = 0.16, p < 0.001), and sleep duration (ß = 0.08, p < 0.05). Conclusions: FV intake and modifiable behaviors influenced HRQOL, suggesting that multifaceted interventions could improve HRQOL in this population.

Development of Master Chef: A Curriculum to Promote Nutrition and Mindful Eating among College Students.

Research suggests that success in improving undergraduates' diet quality can benefit from a multifaceted approach, incorporating nutrition education, mindful eating, and culinary skill-building. The current study aimed (1) to review the development of Master Chef, a mindful eating curriculum, and (2) assess its feasibility through an online expert review. Expert reviewers were recruited through an online mindful eating course. Survey questions included both Likert-style and open-ended questions. Quantitative survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Two independent researchers coded qualitative data, which then underwent inductive thematic analysis. Reviewers (N = 7) were experts in the fields of nutrition, psychology, and mindful eating. Master Chef's overall feasibility was rated highly. The overall curriculum was perceived positively. However, it was recommended that the program include more mindfulness. Master Chef was identified as a feasible program for improving the health behaviors of college students. Pilot dissemination and analysis will be necessary to assess the program's effectiveness in supporting disease prevention among undergraduates.

Wellness in Nursing Education to Promote Resilience and Reduce Burnout: Protocol for a Holistic Multidimensional Wellness Intervention and Longitudinal Research Study Design in Nursing Education.

BACKGROUND: The United States faces a nursing shortage driven by a burnout epidemic among nurses and nursing students. Nursing students are an integral population to fuel the nursing workforce at high risk of burnout and increased rates of perceived stress. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to describe WellNurse, a holistic, interdisciplinary, multidimensional longitudinal research study that examines evidence-based interventions intended to reduce burnout and increase resilience among graduate and undergraduate nursing students. METHODS: Graduate and undergraduate nursing students matriculated at a large public university in the northeastern United States are eligible to enroll in this ongoing, longitudinal cohort study beginning in March 2021. Participants complete a battery of health measurements twice each semester during the fourth week and the week before final examinations. The measures include the Perceived Stress Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, the Brief Resilience Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Participants are eligible to enroll in a variety of interventions, including mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindful eating, fitness training, and massage therapy. Those who enroll in specific, targeted interventions complete additional measures designed to target the aim of the intervention. All participants receive a free Fitbit device. Additional environmental changes are being implemented to further promote a culture that supports academic well-being, including recruiting a diverse student population through evidence-based holistic admissions, inclusive teaching design, targeted resilience and stress reduction workshops, and cultural shifts within classrooms and curricula. The study design protocol is registered at Open Science Framework (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/NCBPE). RESULTS: The project was funded on January 1, 2022. Data collection started in March 2022. A total of 267 participants have been recruited. Results will be published after each semester starting in December 2023. WellNurse evaluation follows the Rapid Cycle Quality Improvement framework to continuously monitor ongoing project processes, activity outcomes, and progress toward reducing burnout and increasing resilience. Rapid Cycle Quality Improvement promotes the ability to alter WellNurse interventions, examine multiple interventions, and test their effectiveness among the nursing education population to identify the most effective interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Academic nursing organizations must address student burnout risk and increase resilience to produce a future workforce that provides high-quality patient care to a diverse population. Findings from WellNurse will support evidence-based implementations for public baccalaureate and master's nursing programs in the United States. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/49020.

Development and Validation of the Young Adult Nutrition Literacy Tool.

OBJECTIVE: To create a tool to measure college students' functional, interactive, and critical nutrition literacy. DESIGN: (1) Focus group: item generation, (2) expert review, (3) exploratory factor structure analysis, (4) item refinement and modification, (5) factor structure validation, and (6) criterion validation. SETTING: Two land-grant college campuses. PARTICIPANTS: College students aged between 18 and 24 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Survey data was used to assess nutrition literacy. ANALYSIS: Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), item response theory (IRT) analyses, and correlations. RESULTS: One-hundred and twenty-three items were generated and tested in an online survey format. Items were eliminated on the basis of face validity, expert feedback, exploratory factor analysis, and CFA/IRT. The 3 measures (functional, interactive, and critical) were analyzed separately. All 3 measures showed reasonable model fit in the CFA/IRT models. Criterion validity showed small to medium effect sizes between measures and fruit/vegetable intake. Reliability estimates met reasonable standards for each measure. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The Young Adult Nutrition Literacy Tool is a novel instrument that measures all 3 domains of nutrition literacy. Strengths include a rigorous 6-step development process, reasonable psychometric properties, and a large breadth of items.

College Students' Views on Functional, Interactive and Critical Nutrition Literacy: A Qualitative Study.

This research aimed to uncover how the nutrition literacy domains (functional, interactive, critical) influence the dietary decisions of young adults in college. For this qualitative study, undergraduate college students aged 18-24 years old (n = 24) were recruited to participate in focus groups. The focus group transcripts were independently coded for primary and secondary themes using a grounded theory approach and a basic thematic analysis. Four focus groups with 5-7 participants per group were conducted. The three domains of nutrition literacy emerged in the focus groups with two themes per domain. Themes within functional nutrition literacy included 'food enhances or inhibits good health' and 'components of a healthy diet'; themes within interactive nutrition literacy included 'navigating the college food environment' and 'awareness of food marketing on dietary behavior'; themes within critical nutrition literacy included 'critical appraisal of nutrition information' and 'awareness of societal barriers to good health'. Understanding how the different nutrition literacy domains relate to college students' food choices can inform future researchers on how to appropriately assess nutrition literacy and design programs aimed at improving dietary behaviors of college students.