In this practice-based pedagogical paper, we, the university faculty of Education, Food and Nutrition, Sociology, and History in the U.S., describe how we started a Reflective Practice Teaching Circle at our institution for interdisciplinary dialogue about the effective use of social media (SM) for teaching and learning. Our discussions led to the design of the Social Media Entry Model that educators can use for decision-making. We begin this paper with a brief synthesis of scholarly literature describing students’ SM use and how higher education faculty use SM to support 21st-century skills development. Next, we describe the institutional, individual, and pedagogical barriers that prevent faculty from embracing SM as a teaching and learning tool. Based on our shared vision and praxis, we present the Social Media Entry Model and describe how educators can use it when deciding how to integrate SM into the formal or informal curriculum. Through our narratives, we illustrate how we use a variety of SM platforms and different entry points in the model to enhance students’ 21st-century skills. We also discuss the legal and ethical issues that educators must consider to ensure that university students use SM in a socially responsible manner.

Objective: This study explored how COVID-related mental health and well-being varied between undergraduate and graduate students. Relationships with physical health behaviors were also examined. Participants: Undergraduate (n = 897) and graduate (n = 314) students were recruited from three US universities between mid-April and late-May 2020. Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional survey self-reported perceived stress, financial stress, resilience, repetitive negative thinking, mood, anxiety, diet, sleep, and physical activity using validated instruments. Results: Undergraduate students reported more perceived stress, more repetitive negative thinking, less positive mood, and less support from professors than graduate students. Perceived stress, repetitive negative thinking, negative mood, and anxiety increased among all students (p < .05 for all). Correlations between mental health outcomes and physical health behaviors were weak to moderate (r = .08 to .49). Conclusions: College students, particularly undergraduates, perceived negative mental health impacts during COVID. Creative approaches for meeting student needs are necessary.

Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) is a qualitative data analysis approach that combines mind mapping with inductive analysis to condense data obtained from group interviews. One benefit of REM is the ability to identify unintended outcomes, or "ripples," of the intervention of interest. Ripples are visually represented by a mind map created during the REM session. Mind maps connect related concepts, typically with the main concept in the center of the map and supporting ideas radiating from a central node. This project applied REM to undergraduate course evaluation. The purpose of this study was threefold: to use REM to identify undergraduate student-perceived benefits of research projects, to assess whether REM could be used to confirm achievement of course learning objectives, and to compare the themes identified from the mind mapping component of REM to those identified by inductive analysis. Mind maps were generated with Xmind (Xmind Ltd., Hong Kong) during online sessions by two groups of students, those who completed a "mandatory" research project (n = 11) and those who chose to participate in an additional "optional" research project (n = 9). There was considerable overlap in identified themes between mind mapping and inductive analysis, with skills, relationships, career direction, and unexpected benefits identified by both techniques. Mind mapping identified several additional themes. Findings from both approaches were compared to course learning objectives, and both confirmed that all objectives were met. In situations where time is a limiting factor, mind mapping could be superior to the complete REM approach for course learning objective assessments.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study used Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) to identify undergraduate student-perceived benefits of research projects, to assess whether REM could confirm achievement of course learning objectives for a research project-based course, and to compare themes identified from the mind mapping component of REM to those identified by inductive analysis. Mind mapping confirmed achievement of course objectives and may be a better choice compared to inductive reasoning when time is limited.

The fashion industry is the world’s second major polluting industry. The degradation includes large amounts of textile waste filling landfills and use of chemicals. Sustainable designers use biodegradable textiles to bring their ideas to life. The purpose of this research was to construct a handbag made from biodegradable bacterial cellulose. With this product, the designer aimed to spread awareness about the negative impact of the textile industry on the environment and to promote sustainable textiles. Inspired by nature and its complexity, the designer experimented with geometrical shapes. The hexagon shapes were observed in beehives. The intricate configuration of hexagon patches were complemented with bees to mimic a honeycomb. The body and straps of the bag were made from bacterial cellulose grown in black tea and dyed with natural ingredients. This handbag was constructed to be unique and distinctive as it depicts elements of biomimicry, couture techniques, and sustainable textile dyeing.

Background: Obesity is a growing epidemic among university students, and the high levels of stress reported by this population could contribute to this issue. Singular relationships between perceived stress; engagement in restrained, uncontrolled, and emotional eating; sleep; dietary risk; and body mass index (BMI) have been reported in the current body of literature; however, these constructs interact with each other, and the complex relationships among them are infrequently examined. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the complex relationships between these constructs using mediation and moderation analyses stratified by gender. Methods: A cross-sectional study, enrolling university students from the United States (U.S.), the Netherlands, South Korea, Malaysia, Ireland, Ghana, and China, was conducted between October 2020 and January 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perceived stress; maladaptive eating behaviors including restrained, uncontrolled, and emotional eating; sleep duration and quality; dietary risk; and BMI were assessed using validated questionnaires, which were distributed through an online platform. Results: A total of 1392 students completed the online survey (379 male, 973 female, and 40 who self-identified as “other”). Uncontrolled and emotional eating mediated the relationship between perceived stress and dietary risk for both males and females; higher sleep quality weakened this relationship among female students but not males. Emotional eating mediated the relationship between perceived stress and BMI for both males and females, but higher sleep quality weakened this relationship only among females. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that students in higher education are likely to benefit from interventions to reduce uncontrolled and emotional eating. Programs that improve sleep quality, especially during highly stressful periods, may be helpful.

Background: The prevalence of mental health concerns among university students in the United States (U.S.) continues to increase, while current treatments, including medication and counseling, present shortcomings. Higher dairy and calcium intakes are associated with protective effects on mental health; however, previous studies have focused on investigating singular relationships between dairy and calcium intakes and mental health measures. A more complex exploration of these relationships is warranted to better examine whether increasing dairy and calcium intakes could serve as an intervention to improve mental health. The present study sought to further characterize the relationships between dairy and calcium intake, perceived stress, and a variety of mental health measures using linear regression and moderation analyses. Methods: The present cross-sectional study involved students studying at three large U.S. universities, and data collection occurred from April to May 2020 when students were learning remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey comprising validated tools was distributed among students to assess dairy and calcium intake, perceived stress, anxiety, negative and positive moods, rumination, and resilience, sleep quality and duration, dietary risk, and physical activity. Results: A total of 1233 students completed the study. Higher dairy and calcium intake was coincident with lower perceived stress and higher positive mood scores, while higher calcium intake was also coincident with lower anxiety, rumination, and higher resilience scores. Additionally, as calcium intake increased, the relationship between perceived stress and anxiety and the relationship between perceived stress and negative mood weakened. Dairy intake did not have this effect. Conclusions: Based on the results, and considering that calcium is a shortfall nutrient, universities should consider initiating programs and public health campaigns to promote dairy and calcium intake among this population.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the already high levels of stress that higher education students experience. Stress influences health behaviors, including those related to dietary behaviors, alcohol, and sleep; yet the effects of stress can be mitigated by resilience. To date, past research studying the connections between dietary behaviors, alcohol misuse, sleep, and resilience commonly investigated singular relationships between two of the constructs. The aim of the current study was to explore the relationships between these constructs in a more holistic manner using mediation and moderation analyses. Methods: Higher education students from China, Ireland, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and the United States were enrolled in a cross-sectional study from April to May 2020, which was during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic for most participants. An online survey, using validated tools, was distributed to assess perceived stress, dietary behaviors, alcohol misuse, sleep quality and duration, and resilience. Results: 2254 students completed the study. Results indicated that sleep quality mediated the relationship between perceived stress and dietary behaviors as well as the relationship between perceived stress and alcohol misuse. Further, increased resilience reduced the strength of the relationship between perceived stress and dietary behaviors but not alcohol misuse. Conclusion: Based on these results, higher education students are likely to benefit from sleep education and resilience training, especially during stressful events.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the landscape of higher education, forcing institutes across the globe to lock down campuses and shift instructional methods. To determine the impact of these changes on students, 644 currently enrolled higher education students across seven countries (USA, the Netherlands, Ireland, South Korea, China, Malaysia, and Taiwan) were asked to report their pandemic-related concerns. Qualitative responses were translated and indexed by theme, with students reporting major concerns in the areas of education, safety, mental health, employment stability/finances, future, and relationships. Minor themes of travel/getting out, politics, economy, and misinformation were also reported. The results of this study provide broadly endorsed international information on student needs for support and continuity of learning. These findings can be used by institutes of higher education to inform policy and procedure, including but not limited to mental health and risk communication, during the present pandemic and future emergency or disaster situations.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic worsened financial stress for higher education students in the U.S. Financial stress is associated with poor dietary behaviors; however, factors that might influence this relationship are not well characterized. The present cross-sectional study investigated the associations between financial stress and dietary intake and dietary risk scores among higher education students (undergraduate and graduate students) in the U.S. and examined whether poor sleep quality and short sleep duration mediated the relationship between financial stress and dietary risk score. Validated tools were used to assess financial stress, sleep quality, sleep duration, dietary intake, and dietary risk. A total of 1280 students from three large U.S. universities completed the study. Results indicated that higher financial stress was associated with lower vegetable, fruit, fiber, and calcium intake, higher added sugar intake from sugar sweetened beverages, and higher dietary risk score. Further, the positive relationship between financial stress and dietary risk score was completely mediated by poor sleep quality among students who reported poor sleep quality and by short sleep duration among students who slept less than 7 h per night. These findings suggest that students might benefit from both financial management training and sleep education services to reduce undesirable dietary behaviors.

BACKGROUND:Diet is a modifiable lifestyle factor linked with fertility in a growing number of studies. OBJECTIVE:The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between dietary energy density (ED), a summary measure of diet quality that estimates the amount of energy per unit food (kcal/g) consumed, and conception and pregnancy outcomes. METHODS:A prospective cohort study of couples planning their first pregnancy was conducted in the Northeast region of the USA. Dietary data were collected prior to conception via 3 unannounced interviewer-administered 24-h dietary recalls. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression (ORs and Cox proportional hazards models [RR] and 95% CIs) were estimated for continuous and categorical (tertile [T]) variables of dietary ED. RESULTS:The majority of women (n = 80; 61%) achieved clinical pregnancy. Median time to conception of a clincal pregnancy(TTC) for those who conceived was 4.64 mo with an IQR of 4.37 mo. ED modeled as a continuous variable was not associated with clinical pregnancy, live birth, or TTC after controlling for race, physical activity, and male partner's ED. When ED was categorized to consider nonlinear associations, 60%, 73%, and 50% of the participants in the tertiles (from lowest ED to highest) achieved clinical pregnancy. In multivariable logistic analyses with the middle group as the referent (ED = 1.37-1.60), membership in the highest ED group (ED >1.60) was associated with lower odds of clinical pregnancy (OR = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.81, P = 0.02). In Cox proportional hazards analyses, membership in the highest ED group was associated with significantly longer TTC compared with the middle category (HR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.21,0.82, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS:These results suggest that high dietary ED is associated with reduced fertility.This study evaluated associations between dietary energy density and the probability of conceiving clinical pregnancy, having a live birth, and the time to conception among couples planning pregnancy.

Higher financial stress (FS) is associated with undesirable dietary behaviors. However, the relationships are not well characterized among higher education students, and investigations into why these relationships exist are lacking. As FS influences sleep while sleep influences dietary behaviors, sleep may serve as a mediator in these relationships. The current study examined whether poor sleep quality and short sleep duration mediate the relationship between FS and overall dietary risk behavior (ODRB) among higher education students in the U.S during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study enrolled students at three large universities in the U.S. between April-May 2020. Eligible students filled out online surveys comprised of validated tools to assess FS, sleep quality and duration, and ODRB. ODRB was measured using the Starting the Conversation questionnaire, which measures eating frequencies of fast foods, fruits, vegetables, soda and sweet tea, high quality proteins, chips and crackers, dessert, and solid fat and provides a global score of ODRB. A higher score indicates more risk behaviors. Multivariate linear regressions were conducted for unadjusted and adjusted estimates, and mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS Macro in SPSS 26. A total of 1280 students completed the survey. Higher FS was associated with higher ODRB scores (P = 0.002). The mediation analyses revealed that higher FS was associated with poorer sleep quality (P < 0.001) and shorter sleep duration (P = 0.043). In addition, poorer sleep quality (P = 0.013) and shorter sleep duration (P = 0.005) were both associated with higher ODRB scores. Further, poor sleep quality (B = 0.012, 95% CI 0.002, 0.022) and short sleep duration (B = −0.011, 95% CI −0.007 to −0.0003) mediated the relationship between FS and ODRB scores. FS and ODRB scores were positively correlated, and this relationship was associated with poor sleep quality and short sleep duration. These results suggest that improving sleep quality and duration may serve as key components of interventions that reduce dietary risk behaviors among U.S. higher education students when experiencing high FS. The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Michigan AgBioResearch, and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Faculty Incidental Research Support award.

Health behaviors of higher education students can be negatively influenced by stressful events. The global COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique opportunity to characterize and compare health behaviors across multiple countries and to examine how these behaviors are shaped by the pandemic experience. Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in universities in China, Ireland, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands and the United States (USA) were recruited into this cross-sectional study. Eligible students filled out an online survey comprised of validated tools for assessing sleep quality and duration, dietary risk, alcohol misuse and physical activity between late April and the end of May 2020. Health behaviors were fairly consistent across countries, and all countries reported poor sleep quality. However, during the survey period, the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the health behaviors of students in European countries and the USA more negatively than Asian countries, which could be attributed to the differences in pandemic time course and caseloads. Students who experienced a decline in sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic had higher dietary risk scores than students who did not experience a change in sleep quality (p = 0.001). Improved sleep quality was associated with less sitting time (p = 0.010). Addressing sleep issues among higher education students is a pressing concern, especially during stressful events. These results support the importance of making education and behavior-based sleep programming available for higher education students in order to benefit students' overall health.

High levels of perceived stress and anxiety among university students are a global concern and are known to negatively influence sleep. However, few studies have explored how stress response styles, like psychological resilience and rumination, might alter these relationships. Using validated tools, perceived stress, anxiety, stress response styles, and sleep behaviors of undergraduate and graduate students from seven countries during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic were characterized in order to examine the relationships between these factors using mediation and moderation analyses. Students enrolled in universities in China, Ireland, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, the Netherlands, and the United States were recruited in May 2020. A total of 2254 students completed this cross-sectional study. Perceived stress and anxiety were negatively associated with sleep quality through the mediation of rumination. Increased psychological resilience weakened the relationships between perceived stress and anxiety on sleep quality. The majority of students reported that COVID-19 negatively influenced their mental health and sleep quality but not sleep duration. Based on these results, university students would likely benefit from sleep education and mental health promotion programs that include trainings to increase psychological resilience and reduce rumination, particularly during times of increased stress.

This article presents an example of how simulation can be used at the undergraduate level to foster collaboration and communication among members of health care teams by first gaining an understand of the roles of each discipline involved. Results demonstrate that an interprofessional simulation among nursing, nutrition, and speech-language pathology students may be an effective strategy for increasing understanding of the roles of health care professionals and medical nutrition therapy knowledge for nutrition students.

OBJECTIVE:Dietary quality (DQ), as assessed by the Alternative Healthy Eating Index for Pregnancy (AHEI-P), and conception and pregnancy outcomes were evaluated. DESIGN:In this prospective cohort study on couples planning their first pregnancy. Cox proportional hazards regression assessed the relationship between AHEI-P score and clinical pregnancy, live birth and pregnancy loss. SETTING:Participants were recruited from the Northeast region of the USA.Participants: Healthy, nulliparous couples (females, n 132; males, n 131; one male did not enrol). RESULTS:There were eighty clinical pregnancies, of which sixty-nine resulted in live births and eleven were pregnancy losses. Mean (sd) female AHEI-P was 71·0 (13·7). Of those who achieved pregnancy, those in the highest tertile of AHEI-P had the greatest proportion of clinical pregnancies; however, this association was not statistically significant (P = 0·41). When the time it took to conceive was considered, females with the highest AHEI-P scores were 20 % and 14 % more likely to achieve clinical pregnancy (model 1: hazard ratio (HR) = 1·20; 95 % CI 0·66, 2·17) and live birth (model 1: HR = 1·14; 95 % CI 0·59, 2·20), respectively. Likelihood of achieving clinical pregnancy and live birth increased when the fully adjusted model, including male AHEI-P score, was examined (clinical pregnancy model 4: HR = 1·55; 95 % CI 0·71, 3·39; live birth model 4: HR = 1·36; 95 % CI 0·59, 3·13). CONCLUSIONS:The present study is the first to examine AHEI-P score and achievement of clinical pregnancy. DQ was not significantly related to pregnancy outcomes, even after adjustments for covariates.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate physiological and cognitive changes following a 6-week lower-body resistance training protocol. METHODS: Eight healthy men volunteered to participate in a 6-week resistance training protocol using the back squat (BS) and conventional deadlift (DL). Each participant went through a 1-week pre-testing period consisting of anthropometric measurements, vertical jump performance, 1-repetition maximum (1RM) testing of BS and DL, maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max), cognitive performance, and total mood disturbance (TMD). Participants were then randomly placed into one of two experimental groups. The two groups were 90-seconds (90s) rest between sets (n= 5) and 3-minutes (3m) rest between sets (n= 3). Each group came into the lab for testing sessions twice per week, separated by at least forty-eight hours. In each session, the participants performed 3 sets of 5 repetitions using eighty-five percent of the previously determined 1RM for DL and BS. RESULTS: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a main effect of time for BS (p = 0.026), and main effect of group for vertical jump (p = 0.041). The 3m group increased BS performance (p = 0.020), while the 90s group improved vertical jump (p = 0.031). Group by time interactions were observed for two measures of cognitive performance: Interference score (p = 0.048) and Word-Color score (p = 0.050). Additionally, a group by time interaction was also observed for TMD (p = 0.004). Despite the trending increase of executive function in the 3m group, a worsened TMD score post-intervention was observed (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Minimal rest improved power within the 90s group while the 3m group significantly improved lower body strength. Cognitive function only appeared to improve in the 3m group. Despite no increase in strength for the 90s group, it appears minimal rest is advantageous for athletes looking to enhance power performance, although further research is necessary.

Pao Ying Hsiao,1 Tracy S Moreira-Lucas,2 Mary J Christoph,3 and Mary NR Lesser4,5 1Department of Food and Nutrition, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA; 2Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 3Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN; 4Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA; and 5Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Infographics have been described as compelling visual formats that can be quickly comprehended and used for presenting complex information. 1 Otten J.J. Cheng K. Drewnowski A. Infographics and public policy: Using data visualization to convey complex information. Health Aff. 2015; 34: 1901-1907 Crossref PubMed Scopus (74) Google Scholar Infographic design summarizing results from the review of research articles involves interpreting data and presenting it in a graphic format; however, infographics are more than static graphs. They are a complex compilation of connected images that convey an idea. 2 Davis M. Quinn D. Visualizing text: The new literacy of infographics. Reading Today. 2013/2014; 31: 16-18 Google Scholar Engaging visual processing has the potential to enhance learning, 3 Heath S.B. Seeing our way into learning. Camb J Educ. 2000; 30: 121-132 Crossref Scopus (54) Google Scholar because visual memory has been found to be superior to auditory memory. 4 Cohen M.A. Horowitz T.S. Wolfe J.M. Auditory recognition memory is inferior to visual recognition memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009; 106: 6008-6010 Crossref PubMed Scopus (127) Google Scholar Also, visual information is preferred by approximately 65% of the population. 5 McManus K. Help me see. IE. 2012; 44: 18 Google Scholar This may explain the popularity of infographics and their widespread use by advertisers, news organizations, nonprofits, government agencies, and professional organizations to communicate their messages. 6 Skau D. Harrison L. Kosara R. An evaluation of the impact of visual embellishments in bar charts. Comput Graph Forum. 2015; 34: 221-230 Crossref Scopus (37) Google Scholar

State that use of interprofessional simulations result in higher levels of satisfaction and confidence for undergraduate nutrition, nursing and speech-language pathology students.