Evaluating a Multicomponent e-Cigarette Prevention Program in the Rural Northwest: Teacher and Parent/Guardian Program Outcomes.

There are effective prevention strategies to combat increasing rates of youth e-cigarette use. This study assessed the outcomes of an e-cigarette prevention program with teachers and parents/guardians across a three-county rural area. Researchers assessed teachers' and parent/guardians' increased knowledge and confidence in implementing vape prevention after receiving evidence-based trainings. Pre- and post-surveys demonstrated that teachers had a statistically significant increase in knowledge gain across all eight vape-specific domains assessed as expected. The parent/guardian pre- and post-survey results also show that knowledge and confidence increased significantly across seven domains. Findings suggest that multicomponent e-cigarette education and prevention programs better prepare teachers and parents/guardians to intervene with youth e-cigarette use and initiation, including being more likely to talk to youth about the risks of tobacco and vaping. Recommendations for school nurses are discussed and include educating youth, families, and staff for positive impacts.

Understanding stigma through the lived experiences of people with opioid use disorder.

BACKGROUND: Stigma toward substance use disorders reduces treatment seeking and recovery efforts of persons who could most benefit from services. This is particularly true for opioid use disorder (OUD) stigma, which in recent years has likely fueled the overdose epidemic. Understanding the stigma surrounding OUD and stigma reduction efforts that can be implemented are needed to enhance treatment and recovery efforts. This project explores the lived experiences of persons who were in recovery from OUD or a family member of someone with OUD with a focus on stigma. METHODS: We utilized a qualitative method to examine secondary data of published transcripts where people's (N = 30) experiences with stigma emerged through storytelling. RESULTS: Thematic analysis found three overarching types of stigma that were described by participants, 1) Social stigma: misconceptions contributing to social stigma, labeling and associative stereotypes, persistence of stigma throughout recovery; 2) Self-stigma: internalized feelings due to stigma, concealing and continuing substance use, inadequacies of navigating recovery; and 3) Structural stigma: treatment and recovery resource barriers, challenges of reintegration. CONCLUSIONS: The experiences described by participants highlight the multifaceted impact of stigma on the individual as well as society and add to our understanding of the lived experience of stigma. Future recommendations are discussed to improve the experience of individuals with lived experience of OUD; including implementing evidence-based strategies to reduce stigma such as using stigma-free or person first language, dispelling common myths, and supporting comprehensive recovery pathways.

What Do Parents Think About School Meals? An Exploratory Study of Rural Middle School Parents' Perceptions.

Interventions targeting school meals have been used to combat obesity in rural youth. Parents play a powerful role in childhood nutrition; however, we know little about parents' perceptions of school meal programs. This study aimed to understand parents' perceptions of school meal programs. Surveys were administered to middle school parents (n = 576) at six schools in a rural state. We conducted univariate and multivariate analyses to measure parents' overall perceptions of the school meals program and to identify differences in perceptions by their children's participation in the Free and Reduced Price School Meals (F&RM) program. Parents had largely negative views of school meals but agreed that they met students' needs. Results of the multivariate analysis revealed differences in perceptions by participation in F&RM including the relative importance of meal components. Including parents in meal-related experiences and decision making could improve their perceptions and increase children's participation in school lunch programs.

Middle School Students' Perceptions of the Lunchroom: Implications for Future Interventions.

The National School Lunch Program provides nutritious and inexpensive lunches, but low participation and food waste are challenges in many schools. Interventions aim to improve participation in the program, but little is known about how students' perceptions affect their participation. This study explored how middle school students in a rural state perceive school food service staff, food served, and lunchroom atmosphere. An online survey was administered to middle school students at six schools participating in a larger lunchroom intervention. Mean perception scores were calculated for all measures. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between perceptions and consumption. Overall perceptions of staff, food, and atmosphere were positive, and students classified as school lunch eaters had more positive perceptions in all three areas than noneaters. Interventions to increase participation in school lunch programs and promote consumption of healthy food items should address multiple factors that contribute to school lunch participation.

Formal and Informal Neighborhood Social Organization: Which Promotes Better Resident Health?

Neighborhood social organization captures how neighborhood residents differently organize to exert social control and enact their vision of their community. Whereas structural aspects of neighborhoods have been found to predict the health of neighborhood residents, we know less about whether neighborhood social characteristics, like social organization, matter for resident health. In their study, authors tested whether two types of social organization-formal and informal-were more predictive of resident self-rated health in a diverse sample of Chicago residents. They used multilevel models with survey weights, ordered dependent variables, and multiple imputation. They found that one measure of formal social organization, organizational participation, was significantly associated with self-rated health even when controlling for other types of social organization and individual participation. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for macro social work practice to address social determinants of health and improve community health.