The impact of fitspiration comments on adult women's body dissatisfaction and negative affect.

The present study examined the impact of writing different types of comments in response to fitspiration (fitness inspiration) images on women's body dissatisfaction and negative affect. Women (N = 256) from the general population (age range: 18 to 49) were randomized to write one of three types of comments on the same fitspiration images: appearance (comment on the woman's appearance), functionality (comment on what the woman's body can do), or background (comment on the image background). Participants completed measures of state body dissatisfaction and negative affect pre- and post-exposure and measures of appearance comparison and functionality appreciation post-exposure. After controlling for pre-body dissatisfaction due to a baseline difference among groups, there was no difference among groups in body dissatisfaction at post-exposure. Negative affect decreased from pre- to post-exposure across all groups, but there was no difference by group or interaction by time and group. The background group reported lower state appearance comparison than the appearance group. There were no group differences in functionality appreciation. Our results suggest that commenting on image backgrounds might decrease appearance comparison relative to making appearance comments and that writing comments on appearance, functionality, or the background in response to fitspiration may be beneficial for mood.

It appears on my feed! Differences in intentionality of fitspiration exposure by weight/shape concerns, disordered eating, and self-compassion in women.

Viewing fitspiration (fitness inspiration) has been found to increase body dissatisfaction and negative affect; however, minimal research has examined how body dissatisfaction and related variables differ based on intentionality of fitspiration exposure. This study's aim was to examine differences in levels of weight/shape concerns, disordered eating, and self-compassion according to type of fitspiration exposure. Participants included 234 female undergraduate students who completed online questionnaires. We created three groups of fitspiration exposure based on their self-report of Instagram exposure: unexposed (neither view nor post fitspiration; n = 43), incidentally exposed (report seeing fitspiration content unintentionally; n = 119), and intentionally exposed (intentionally view and/or post fitspiration; n = 72). Weight/shape concerns, disordered eating, and self-compassion were significantly worse in the intentionally exposed group and incidentally exposed group compared to the unexposed group. These results suggest that exposure to fitspiration, regardless of intention, may be problematic and should be limited.

Genetic diversity, population structure and anthracnose resistance response in a novel sweet sorghum diversity panel.

Sweet sorghum is an attractive feedstock for the production of renewable chemicals and fuels due to the readily available fermentable sugars that can be extracted from the juice, and the additional stream of fermentable sugars that can be obtained from the cell wall polysaccharides in the bagasse. An important selection criterion for new sweet sorghum germplasm is resistance to anthracnose, a disease caused by the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum sublineolum. The identification of novel anthracnose-resistance sources present in sweet sorghum germplasm offers a fast track towards the development of new resistant sweet sorghum germplasm. We established a sweet sorghum diversity panel (SWDP) of 272 accessions from the USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm (NPGS) collection that includes landraces from 22 countries and advanced breeding material, and that represents ~15% of the NPGS sweet sorghum collection. Genomic characterization of the SWDP identified 171,954 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with an average of one SNP per 4,071 kb. Population structure analysis revealed that the SWDP could be stratified into four populations and one admixed group, and that this population structure could be aligned to sorghum's racial classification. Results from a two-year replicated trial of the SWDP for anthracnose resistance response in Texas, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico showed 27 accessions to be resistant across locations, while 145 accessions showed variable resistance response against local pathotypes. A genome-wide association study identified 16 novel genomic regions associated with anthracnose resistance. Four resistance loci on chromosomes 3, 6, 8 and 9 were identified against pathotypes from Puerto Rico, and two resistance loci on chromosomes 3 and 8 against pathotypes from Texas. In Georgia and Florida, three resistance loci were detected on chromosomes 4, 5, 6 and four on chromosomes 4, 5 (two loci) and 7, respectively. One resistance locus on chromosome 2 was effective against pathotypes from Texas and Puerto Rico and a genomic region of 41.6 kb at the tip of chromosome 8 was associated with resistance response observed in Georgia, Texas, and Puerto Rico. This publicly available SWDP and the extensive evaluation of anthracnose resistance represent a valuable genomic resource for the improvement of sorghum.

The evolution of strictly monofunctional naphthoquinol C-methyltransferases is vital in cyanobacteria and plastids.

Prenylated quinones are membrane-associated metabolites that serve as vital electron carriers for respiration and photosynthesis. The UbiE (EC 2.1.1.201)/MenG (EC 2.1.1.163) C-methyltransferases catalyze pivotal ring methylations in the biosynthetic pathways of many of these quinones. In a puzzling evolutionary pattern, prokaryotic and eukaryotic UbiE/MenG homologs segregate into 2 clades. Clade 1 members occur universally in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, excluding cyanobacteria, and include mitochondrial COQ5 enzymes required for ubiquinone biosynthesis; Clade 2 members are specific to cyanobacteria and plastids. Functional complementation of an Escherichia coli ubiE/menG mutant indicated that Clade 1 members display activity with both demethylbenzoquinols and demethylnaphthoquinols, independently of the quinone profile of their original taxa, while Clade 2 members have evolved strict substrate specificity for demethylnaphthoquinols. Expression of the gene-encoding bifunctional Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) COQ5 in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis or its retargeting to Arabidopsis plastids resulted in synthesis of a methylated variant of plastoquinone-9 that does not occur in nature. Accumulation of methylplastoquinone-9 was acutely cytotoxic, leading to the emergence of suppressor mutations in Synechocystis and seedling lethality in Arabidopsis. These data demonstrate that in cyanobacteria and plastids, co-occurrence of phylloquinone and plastoquinone-9 has driven the evolution of monofunctional demethylnaphthoquinol methyltransferases and explains why plants cannot capture the intrinsic bifunctionality of UbiE/MenG to simultaneously synthesize their respiratory and photosynthetic quinones.

Gratitude, self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a chronic disease that can affect the physical, psychological, and social functioning of an individual. Minimal research has examined the relationship among positive psychological variables such as gratitude and self-efficacy and their relationship with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in this population. Gender analyses have also been limited. The aim of this exploratory, cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship among gratitude, self-efficacy, and HRQOL by gender in individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD). Participants included 102 individuals with PD (55 women; 42 men; 5 did not report gender) who completed questionnaires on gratitude (Gratitude Questionnaire-6), self-efficacy (General Self-Efficacy Scale), and HRQOL problems (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39). Although there were no gender differences between gratitude, self-efficacy, or health-related quality of life problems, there were key gender differences in how those variables were related. Gratitude was associated with more HRQOL problems for women than men, whereas self-efficacy was associated with more HRQOL problems for men than women. In addition, self-efficacy emerged as a more important predictor of HRQOL problems for women and men than gratitude. This research could lead to targeted interventions by gender aimed at improving HRQOL in individuals with PD, particularly in building self-efficacy.

The impact of a values affirmation intervention on body dissatisfaction and negative mood in women exposed to fitspiration.

Fitspiration (fitness inspiration) exposure on Instagram has been associated with body dissatisfaction, but minimal research has investigated interventions to protect against its negative effects. Values affirmation interventions, in which individuals reflect on a higher value to affirm their sense of personal worth, could be helpful in this context. This online study's aim was to examine the impact of a values affirmation intervention on body dissatisfaction and negative mood in women exposed to fitspiration images from Instagram. Participants consisted of 238 female college students (Age M = 19.89, SD = 1.25) in the U.S. who were randomized into three groups: Values Affirmation Intervention + Fitspiration (described importance of top value and viewed fitspiration images), Control Intervention + Fitspiration (described their daily activities and viewed fitspiration images), and Travel (control-viewed travel images only). State body dissatisfaction and negative mood were completed pre- and post-exposure for all groups. Body dissatisfaction and negative mood significantly increased in the Control Intervention + Fitspiration, did not change in the Values Affirmation Intervention + Fitspiration group, and decreased in the Travel group from pre-exposure to post-exposure. These findings suggest that a values affirmation intervention could partially protect college women from the negative effects of fitspiration exposure.

General and sport-specific weight pressures as risk factors for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating among female collegiate athletes.

Female collegiate athletes are a high-risk group for disordered eating. Petrie and Greenleaf's (2007) sociocultural model proposes that both general and sport-related weight pressures lead athletes to internalize unrealistic body ideals, ultimately resulting in body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. In this study, we used structural equation modeling to assess general and sport-specific weight pressures in relation to thin- and muscular-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating among 212 female Division I college athletes. General weight pressures from parents, peers, and the media were associated with disordered eating indirectly via thin- and muscular-ideal internalization. In contrast, sport-specific weight pressures were not associated with disordered eating in the full model. After controlling for weight pressures and body ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction was also not associated with disordered eating. These findings suggest that female athletes are vulnerable to weight- and appearance-related pressures from outside the sport context and that the mechanisms underlying the development of disordered eating may differ between athletes and non-athletes.

Kaempferol as a precursor for ubiquinone (coenzyme Q) biosynthesis: An atypical node between specialized metabolism and primary metabolism.

Ubiquinone (coenzyme Q) is a vital respiratory cofactor and liposoluble antioxidant. Studies have shown that plants derive approximately a quarter of 4-hydroxybenzoate, which serves as the direct ring precursor of ubiquinone, from the catabolism of kaempferol. Biochemical and genetic evidence suggests that the release of 4-hydroxybenzoate from kaempferol is catalyzed by heme-dependent peroxidases and that 3-O-glycosylations of kaempferol act as a negative regulator of this process. These findings not only represent an atypical instance of primary metabolite being derived from specialized metabolism but also raise the question as to whether ubiquinone contributes to the ROS scavenging and signaling functions already established for flavonols.

Lost in translation: College students' knowledge of HIV and PrEP in relation to their sexual health behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a notable public health problem among young adults. The present study examined college students' knowledge of HIV and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in relation to their sexual health behaviors. PARTICIPANTS AND METHOD: Participants included 1516 students who completed questionnaires on actual and perceived HIV knowledge, perceived PrEP knowledge, and sexual health behaviors. RESULTS: While knowledge of HIV was high, knowledge of PrEP was low. Approximately 73% of the sample reported not using condoms at all times, and 41% reported never having been tested for HIV. Women, students at public schools, upper-year students, and students with higher HIV and PrEP knowledge were more likely to get tested for HIV than their counterparts. Knowledge of HIV and PrEP did not relate to condom use. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the need for increased education about PrEP and strategies to help students translate knowledge about HIV to recommended sexual health behaviors.

Increasing Self-Compassion: Review of the Literature and Recommendations.

Depression is a common symptom among college students and is often accompanied by negative thoughts about oneself. Self-compassion is a technique students can use to combat those negative thoughts. Self-compassion is an emotion-regulation strategy in which the individual engages in self-kindness, particularly after a mistake, failure, and/or rejection. This paper reviews the concept of self-compassion, assessment of self-compassion, and interventions that have been shown to increase self-compassion. Self-compassion is associated with lower levels of psychopathology and higher levels of well-being. It is theorized to work by buffering against a self-critical ruminative process after a mistake, failure, and/or rejection. Self-compassion is most commonly assessed through a validated scale that measures overall self-compassion and its six subscales: self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification. Multiple self-compassion interventions have been shown to increase self-compassion and improve psychological health. These interventions are varied and contain strategies such as mindfulness meditation, loving kindness meditation, and changing self-talk. Details of those interventions and practical strategies that individuals, students, and professors can use to increase self-compassion are described. Overall, self-compassion is a valuable tool that can help individuals cope with mistakes, failure, and/or rejection.

The inheritance of anthracnose (Colletotrichum sublineola) resistance in sorghum differential lines QL3 and IS18760.

Anthracnose caused by the fungal pathogen C. sublineola is an economically important constraint on worldwide sorghum production. The most effective strategy to safeguard yield is through the introgression of resistance alleles. This requires elucidation of the genetic basis of the different resistance sources that have been identified. In this study, 223 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from crossing anthracnose-differentials QL3 (96 RILs) and IS18760 (127 RILs) with the common susceptible parent PI609251 were evaluated at four field locations in the United States (Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Puerto Rico) for their anthracnose resistance response. Both RIL populations were highly susceptible to anthracnose in Florida and Georgia, while in Puerto Rico and Texas they were segregating for anthracnose resistance response. A genome scan using a composite linkage map of 982 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) detected two genomic regions of 4.31 and 0.85 Mb on chromosomes 4 and 8, respectively, that explained 10-27% of the phenotypic variation in Texas and Puerto Rico. In parallel, a subset of 43 RILs that contained 67% of the recombination events were evaluated against anthracnose pathotypes from Arkansas (2), Puerto Rico (2) and Texas (4) in the greenhouse. A genome scan showed that the 7.57 Mb region at the distal end of the short arm of chromosome 5 is associated with the resistance response against the pathotype AMP-048 from Arkansas. Comparative analysis identified the genomic region on chromosome 4 overlaps with an anthracnose resistance locus identified in another anthracnose-differential line, SC414-12E, indicating this genomic region is of interest for introgression in susceptible sorghum germplasm. Candidate gene analysis for the resistance locus on chromosome 5 identified an R-gene cluster that has high similarity to another R-gene cluster associated with anthracnose resistance on chromosome 9.

A dedicated flavin-dependent monooxygenase catalyzes the hydroxylation of demethoxyubiquinone into ubiquinone (coenzyme Q) in Arabidopsis.

Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q) is a vital respiratory cofactor and liposoluble antioxidant. In plants, it is not known how the C-6 hydroxylation of demethoxyubiquinone, the penultimate step in ubiquinone biosynthesis, is catalyzed. The combination of cross-species gene network modeling along with mining of embryo-defective mutant databases of Arabidopsis thaliana identified the embryo lethal locus EMB2421 (At1g24340) as a top candidate for the missing plant demethoxyubiquinone hydroxylase. In marked contrast with prototypical eukaryotic demethoxyubiquinone hydroxylases, the catalytic mechanism of which depends on a carboxylate-bridged di-iron domain, At1g24340 is homologous to FAD-dependent oxidoreductases that instead use NAD(P)H as an electron donor. Complementation assays in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli demonstrated that At1g24340 encodes a functional demethoxyubiquinone hydroxylase and that the enzyme displays strict specificity for the C-6 position of the benzoquinone ring. Laser-scanning confocal microscopy also showed that GFP-tagged At1g24340 is targeted to mitochondria. Silencing of At1g24340 resulted in 40 to 74% decrease in ubiquinone content and de novo ubiquinone biosynthesis. Consistent with the role of At1g24340 as a benzenoid ring modification enzyme, this metabolic blockage could not be bypassed by supplementation with 4-hydroxybenzoate, the immediate precursor of ubiquinone's ring. Unlike in yeast, in Arabidopsis overexpression of demethoxyubiquinone hydroxylase did not boost ubiquinone content. Phylogenetic reconstructions indicated that plant demethoxyubiquinone hydroxylase is most closely related to prokaryotic monooxygenases that act on halogenated aromatics and likely descends from an event of horizontal gene transfer between a green alga and a bacterium.

A longitudinal study of weight and shape concerns and disordered eating groups by gender and their relationship to self-control.

PURPOSE: Weight/shape concerns and disordered eating are common among young adults. Minimal research has examined these variables longitudinally by gender and in connection to self-control. The present study examined the level of weight/shape concerns and disordered eating at the end of the first and fourth year of college separately by gender and explored differences in self-control. METHODS: Participants included 394 female and 157 male undergraduates (N = 551; 40% non-white) who were categorized into three groups using a cluster analysis by gender: low weight/shape concerns and low disordered eating (LowWS-LowDE group), high weight/shape concerns and low disordered eating (HighWS-LowDE group), and high weight/shape concerns and high disordered eating (HighWS-HighDE group). RESULTS: Approximately, 62% of women and 54% of men reported having weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating at the end of the first year of college, and around 51% of women and 44% of men reported having weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating at the end of the fourth year. Results indicated that those in the HighWS-HighDE group had lower self-control compared to those in the LowWS-LowDE group at the end of the first and fourth year in both women and men. Women, but not men, who worsened in weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating over time also reported significantly decreased self-control from their first to their fourth year. CONCLUSION: Findings support the role of self-control in the maintenance of weight/shape concerns and disordered eating for both women and men. LEVEL III: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.

It's complicated: The relationship between orthorexia and weight/shape concerns, eating behaviors, and mood.

Clean eating (i.e., eating healthy foods largely from nature) has become a recent popular lifestyle trend. Orthorexia is the term used to describe a pathological preoccupation with healthy eating which causes significant impairment in one's life. The present study examined orthorexia symptoms in relation to sample characteristics, weight/shape concerns, eating behaviors, and mood in a general population sample in the United States. Participants included 217 adults who completed surveys on weight/shape concerns, eating behaviors, and mood via the data collection site, Prolific. Men had higher orthorexia symptoms than women. Across all participants, orthorexia was not related to weight/shape concerns but was related to higher weight-related restraint eating behaviors. Orthorexia was not related to stress or negative emotions; however, it was related to having higher well-being. Multiple regressions revealed how the main variables predicted orthorexia symptoms separately by gender. Routine restraint, emotional eating, stress, and well-being were significant predictors of orthorexia for men. Weight/shape concerns, routine restraint, stress, and negative emotion were significant predictors of orthorexia for women. As such, it appears that orthorexia symptomatology has both advantageous and disadvantageous associations and differentially affects men and women.

Elucidating Anthracnose Resistance Mechanisms in Sorghum-A Review.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is the fifth most cultivated cereal crop in the world, traditionally providing food, feed, and fodder, but more recently also fermentable sugars for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. The hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen Colletotrichum sublineola, the causal agent of anthracnose disease in sorghum, is prevalent in the warm and humid climates where much of the sorghum is cultivated and poses a serious threat to sorghum production. The use of anthracnose-resistant sorghum germplasm is the most environmentally and economically sustainable way to protect sorghum against this pathogen. Even though multiple anthracnose resistance loci have been mapped in diverse sorghum germplasm in recent years, the diversity in C. sublineola pathotypes at the local and regional levels means that these resistance genes are not equally effective in different areas of cultivation. This review summarizes the genetic and cytological data underlying sorghum's defense response and describes recent developments that will enable a better understanding of the interactions between sorghum and C. sublineola at the molecular level. This includes releases of the sorghum genome and the draft genome of C. sublineola, the use of next-generation sequencing technologies to identify gene expression networks activated in response to infection, and improvements in methodologies to validate resistance genes, notably virus-induced and transgenic gene silencing approaches.

Genomic Dissection of Anthracnose (Colletotrichum sublineolum) Resistance Response in Sorghum Differential Line SC112-14.

Sorghum production is expanding to warmer and more humid regions where its production is being limited by multiple fungal pathogens. Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum sublineolum, is one of the major diseases in these regions, where it can cause yield losses of both grain and biomass. In this study, 114 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from resistant sorghum line SC112-14 were evaluated at four distinct geographic locations in the United States for response to anthracnose. A genome scan using a high-density linkage map of 3,838 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) detected two loci at 5.25 and 1.18 Mb on chromosomes 5 and 6, respectively, that explain up to 59% and 44% of the observed phenotypic variation. A bin-mapping approach using a subset of 31 highly informative RILs was employed to determine the disease response to inoculation with ten anthracnose pathotypes in the greenhouse. A genome scan showed that the 5.25 Mb region on chromosome 5 is associated with a resistance response to nine pathotypes. Five SNP markers were developed and used to fine map the locus on chromosome 5 by evaluating 1,500 segregating F2:3 progenies. Based on the genotypic and phenotypic analyses of 11 recombinants, the locus was narrowed down to a 470-kb genomic region. Following a genome-wide association study based on 574 accessions previously phenotyped and genotyped, the resistance locus was delimited to a 34-kb genomic interval with five candidate genes. All five candidate genes encode proteins associated with plant immune systems, suggesting they may act in synergy in the resistance response.

Positive Psychological Predictors of Psychological Health in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's Disease is associated with depression, anxiety, and stress; however, minimal research has examined positive psychological variables in this population. The present study investigated the relationship between positive psychological variables and psychological health in individuals with Parkinson's Disease. The sample included 140 adults with Parkinson's Disease who completed online surveys on self-compassion, optimism, posttraumatic growth, and psychological health outcomes. Participants reported moderate levels of self-compassion, optimism, and posttraumatic growth. Approximately 50% of participants reported depression and anxiety. Higher self-compassion was a significant predictor of lower depression, anxiety, and stress. Higher optimism was a significant predictor of lower depression and higher life satisfaction. Posttraumatic growth was not a predictor of psychological health. This research suggests that the psychological health of individuals with Parkinson's Disease can be improved, and self-compassion appears to be an important area of focus.

Impact of exposure to counterstereotypic causality of obesity on beliefs about weight controllability and obesity bias.

Individuals with obesity often report experiencing prejudice and discrimination due to their weight. Past research on obesity bias reduction strategies have yielded mixed results. The present study investigated the effectiveness of manipulating information about weight controllability in reducing obesity bias. Participants (N = 350) were randomly assigned into one of three conditions: counterstereotypic, stereotypic, or control. Each condition consisted of four short vignettes. The counterstereotypic condition provided an uncontrollable explanation of obesity (e.g., genetics) in each vignette describing a person with obesity, while the stereotypic condition emphasized lifestyle choices as the main cause of obesity. The control condition included a vignette in which weight was not addressed. Participants completed questionnaires about weight controllability and obesity bias pre- and post-exposure. There was a significant interaction between time and condition on beliefs about weight controllability and obesity bias. Participants in the counterstereotypic condition increased in belief about the uncontrollability of weight and decreased in obesity bias, while participants in the stereotypic condition decreased in belief about the uncontrollability of weight and increased in obesity bias. Obesity bias reduction strategies that utilize information about weight controllability can be effective. However, perpetuating stereotypic causes of obesity can worsen the problem.

The moderating role of self-compassion on weight and shape concerns and eating pathology: A longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: The present study employed a longitudinal design to examine the moderating role of self-compassion in the relationship between weight/shape concerns and the outcomes of eating pathology and stress in a diverse college student population. METHOD: Participants were 765 students who completed measures of self-compassion, weight/shape concerns, eating pathology, and stress over their first 2 years of college. We tested whether self-compassion attenuated the relation between weight/shape concerns at the beginning of college and eating pathology, and stress later in college. RESULTS: For the first year of college, self-compassion significantly moderated the relationship of weight/shape concerns and eating pathology. For participants who were low in self-compassion, there was a stronger relationship between weight/shape concerns and disordered eating; whereas, for individuals high in self-compassion, there was a weaker relationship between weight/shape concerns and disordered eating. However, these findings did not replicate for the second year of college. Self-compassion also significantly moderated the relationship between weight/shape concerns and stress for the first year of college, though the relationship was complex and warrants further research. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that high self-compassion may reduce the likelihood that undergraduate students with weight/shape concerns will engage in disordered eating behavior in the first year of college. They also highlight the influence of self-compassion on general stress.

Trends in Public and Global Health Education among Nationally Recognized Undergraduate Liberal Arts Colleges in the United States.

The prevalence of public health and global health (PH/GH) curricular offerings appear to be increasing in terms of undergraduate curricula and in the context of liberal arts education in the United States. Liberal arts colleges (LACs) represent stand-alone institutions, which exclusively focus on undergraduate education. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of PH/GH study pathways and PH/GH course offerings among LACs. All LACs identified through the US News and World Report (USNWR) college rankings were contacted with a survey about the following: formal majors, minors, or concentrations in PH/GH; independent study (IS) pathways for PH/GH; specific PH/GH courses offered; and the number of students graduating in 2016, 2017, and 2018 with formal and IS degrees in PH/GH. Demographic characteristics of the colleges came from the USNWR database. Almost half (43%) of all LACs in our sample offer a PH/GH major, minor, concentration, or IS pathway. Almost all (90%) colleges offer at least one course in PH/GH. Approximately 2,000 students attending these LACs pursued or are pursuing graduation with majors, minors, or concentrations in PH/GH for the years 2016-2018. The number of students pursuing formal PH/GH programs has increased by 25% from 2016 to 2018. Student interest in public health is rising in U.S. LACs, with more students seeking formal curricular or IS PH degree pathways. Public health messages are prevalent even among institutions without formal programs. Colleges without programs should consider integrating public health into their curriculum.