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Despite national guidelines for regular physical activity, most adolescents are not physically active. Schools serve an estimated 60 million youth and provide an educational environment to meet the current physical activity guidelines. The obesity epidemic and chronic disease comorbidities associated with physical inactivity are not likely to be reversed without a strong contribution from local schools. This article describes how a structured peer-mentoring method provides a feasible, flexible, and tailored means to meet the current guidelines for best practice in a school setting. Structured peer mentoring using trained high school mentors to support behavior change in younger peers is an innovative method to meeting the School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Through structured peer mentoring, adolescents are provided consistent social support in a caring and personalized manner. This support builds skills and competencies enhancing self-efficacy to sustain a lifetime of physical activity behavior., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2016.)

Purpose: This study tested a mentoring model that paired trained teens with younger children in an after-school setting to deliver a curriculum aimed at promoting healthier patterns of dietary intake and physical activity., Design and Methods: Using a pretest-posttest design, group comparisons were made. Descriptive, independent, and paired t-test analyses with Bonferroni corrections were conducted in a sample of 72 children., Results: Group differences were noted with the intention to eat healthfully. Mentored children demonstrated greater improvement in knowledge, attitudes, efficacy, perceived support, and body mass index (BMI)., Practice Implications: Teen mentors can effectively impact children's intention to improve health behaviors, which is foundational to normalizing BMI., (© 2010, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Appalachian youth are highconsumers of added dietary sugar and are very sedentary. "Mentoring to be Active" trains teens to deliver a theoretically based program to promote home-based physical activity (PA) and reduce dietary sugar among rural Appalachian youth. For this pre-test/post-test pilot study, 52 seventh graders from two Appalachian schools participated as mentees. Twenty-two 10th grade students served as peer mentors. The study estimated sedentary activity, and physical activity by accelerometers and dietary sugars (snacks, beverages) during 'out of school' time. Descriptive statistics and effect sizes (ES) were calculated. When the pre-post standard deviations differed, Hedge's g were reported. Sedentary activity decreased 36.7% (ES = 0.798). Moderate activity levels increased 16.5% (ES = 0.359). Vigorous activity increased 88% (ES = 0.359). Sugary-beverages declined over 4 ½ servings. Sugary snacks declined 2 ¼ servings. Peer mentoring is a strategy to promote social support for healthier behaviors among youth at risk for obesity and co-morbidities. Accelerometers rigorously assessed physical activity during 'out of school' time in rural youth. [Written with Ms. Jeffrey.]

Despite national guidelines for regular physical activity, most adolescents are not physically active. Schools serve an estimated 60 million youth and provide an educational environment to meet the current physical activity guidelines. The obesity epidemic and chronic disease comorbidities associated with physical inactivity are not likely to be reversed without a strong contribution from local schools. This article describes how a structured peer-mentoring method provides a feasible, flexible, and tailored means to meet the current guidelines for best practice in a school setting. Structured peer mentoring using trained high school mentors to support behavior change in younger peers is an innovative method to meeting the "School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity." Through structured peer mentoring, adolescents are provided consistent social support in a caring and personalized manner. This support builds skills and competencies enhancing self-efficacy to sustain a lifetime of physical activity behavior.

Background: Peer mentoring can be a powerful complement to health instruction. Mentoring has been used to change health behaviors and promote sustainable lifestyle patterns in adults and, more recently, among adolescents. Purpose: This article reviews the use of peer mentoring to promote health practices and describes how this approach can be used in school settings. Methods: A systematic review of the literature identified evaluation studies on the effectiveness of peer mentoring for promoting health behavior change is presented. Results: A growing literature supports peer mentoring as an effective approach to health behavior change. Peer mentoring allows for the incorporation of skill-building activities; reinforcement of self-regulation activities; engagement in individual and group activities; and social support to meet personal health goals. Translation to Health Education Practice: With peer mentors, the promotion of health behavior change can be tailored to personal interests, talents, and the contextual environment. Mentoring programs can benefit schools by establishing social networks using positive role models of health behaviors as mentors.

Aims: To explore how emerging adult‐aged women self‐manage their sexual and reproductive health and to generate a grounded theory of these self‐management processes. Design: Grounded theory methods using a constructivist approach. Methods: Between September 2019 and September 2020, 18‑ to 25‐years‐old women (n = 13) were recruited from a 4‐year university, a 2‐year community college, and neighbourhoods surrounding the institutions of higher education. Individual interviews were transcribed verbatim and qualitatively analysed using a constant comparative method and inductive coding. Results: The theory purports that core processes of sexual and reproductive health self‐management used by the women in this study included both passive and (re)active processes. These processes expanded upon and/or maintained the women's accessible sexual and reproductive health knowledge, behaviour and beliefs, defined as the sexual and reproductive health repertoire. The processes appeared to be cyclical and were often initiated by a catalysing event or catalyst and resulted in conversations with confidantes, or trusted individuals. A catalyst was either resolved or normalized by expanding or maintaining the sexual and reproductive health repertoire. Conclusion: The resulting theory, EMeRGE Theory, offers insight into the complex and cyclical processes emerging adult‐aged women use to simultaneously develop and adapt their foundational sexual and reproductive health knowledge, behaviours and beliefs. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care: This explication of emerging adult‐aged women's sexual and reproductive health self‐management processes can be used by nurses and nurse researchers to better address this population's unique health needs. Impact: The EMeRGE Theory provides valuable guidance for future exploratory and intervention research aimed at improving the health and well‐being of emerging adult‐aged women. Reporting Method: The authors adhered to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative studies (COREQ) in preparation of this publication. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study compares the efficacy of a behavioral skills mentoring program (Mentored Planning to Be Active [MBA]) to a teacher‐led program (Planning to Be Active [PBA]) for increasing physical activity in Appalachian teens on health outcomes (weight loss, body mass index (BMI), and body fat). Methods: Secondary analysis of a larger group‐randomized controlled trial was conducted in 20 rural Appalachian schools. Descriptive Pearson correlations and multivariate analyses with between‐subject effects were conducted. Effect sizes (ES) using Cohen's d and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Findings: The obese MBA group lost 77.5% more weight by T3 compared to the PBA group; T2 was (F = 8.51, P =.000) and T3 was (F = 7.62, P =.000). ES was 0.34. OR = 1.45 (95% CI: 0.558‐3.792) at T2 and OR = 3.32 (95% CI: 1.103‐9.978) at T3. Extremely obese in the MBA group lost 80.0% more weight compared to the PBA group; T2 was (F = 5.23, P =.025) and at T3 (F = 6.33, P =.015) ES was 0.58. OR = 4.36 (95% CI: 0.981‐19.34). Extremely obese females lost more weight compared to males (F = 4.75, P =.034). BMI and body fat had similar results; youth in the MBA group had the most improvement. Conclusions: Rural Appalachian youth are disproportionately extremely obese. BMI does not capture adiposity or cardiovascular risk. BMI, BMI percentile, raw weight, fat mass, and percent body fat are more complete analyses of adiposity and cardiovascular risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Sugar-sweetened beverages ( SSBs) are the largest source of added sugar in the US diet. In adolescents aged 12-19, these drinks account for 13% to 28% of total daily calories. Compared with other adolescents, those residing in Appalachia have the highest consumption rates of SSBs. METHODS Using a Teen Advisory Council (TAC), a student-designed and student-led intervention was conducted at 2 high schools in a rural Appalachian county. Using repeated-measures models design with Bonferroni correction, data were collected on daily and weekly consumption of SSBs and of water at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 30 days post-intervention. Vending machine surveys were completed. RESULTS The 186 participants reported purchasing SSBs from school vending machines (41.4%), cafeteria (36.5%), and school stores (7.7%). Daily SSB servings decreased from an average of 2.32 ( SD = 2.14) to 1.32 ( SD = 1.29) (p < .001). Weekly consumption decreased from an average of 4.30 ( SD = 2.40) days/week to 2.64 ( SD = 1.91) (p < .001). Water consumption increased 19% from baseline to immediately post-intervention. CONCLUSIONS Student-directed efforts to support behavioral change are feasible and effective at affecting individual lifestyle behaviors. Small and manageable changes may lead to net improvements in lifestyle behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Column Editor: Bonnie Gance-Cleveland Family-Centered Care provides a forum for sharing information about basic components of caring for children and families, including respect, information sharing, collaboration, family-to-family support, and confidence building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]