Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Human Nutrition / Sara Rosenkranz / This dissertation examined the impact of wellness-promotion interventions on health-related behaviors in youth, including dietary intake and physical activity (PA) levels. Additionally, the impact of wellness-promotion interventions on health-promoting opportunities for youth in an out-of-school setting was investigated. In study 1 (Chapter 2), the feasibility and preliminary impact of a 12-week, home-based wellness coaching intervention for changes in behavioral, psychosocial, and biomedical outcomes in normal-weight female children was evaluated. The two intervention conditions included a general health education condition, and one that implemented skills-building components in the areas of PA and healthy eating. Results showed that both intervention conditions were feasible and well-accepted by participants. There were no changes in the behavioral outcomes of PA levels or fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, but girls who received the skills-building coaching condition showed an increase in emotional quality of life and a reduction in body fat percentage. Findings suggested that a home-based wellness coaching intervention was feasible and was potentially effective for impacting psychosocial and biomedical outcomes in normal-weight female children. Study 2 (Chapter 3) examined the impact of Girl Scout leader wellness training on implementation of wellness-promoting practices and opportunities for girls during troop meetings. This study compared the effectiveness of in-person versus online leader wellness training, specifically assessing opportunities for wellness-promoting behaviors, including FV consumption and PA during meetings. Study results indicated that leaders who received the wellness training in person increased their implementation of wellness-promoting practices significantly more than those who received the wellness training in an online format. Analyses regarding dissemination revealed that adoption of wellness-training principles occurred in approximately 43% of troop leaders, and that lower-income leaders were more interested in receiving the wellness training, as compared to higher-income leaders. Overall, results indicated that in-person wellness training was effective for improving wellness-promoting opportunities for girls, but a more cost-effective and further-reaching training method was needed for a larger public health impact. Therefore, study 3 (Chapter 4) evaluated the impact of online, video-based wellness training on Girl Scout leaders’ wellness-promotion self-efficacy, intention, and knowledge. These factors are established determinants of behavior change, including offering opportunities in the areas of PA and FV consumption. Results showed that leaders who received the video-based wellness training had a significant increase in self-efficacy for overcoming barriers related to PA and FV practices, as well as increased self-efficacy for offering vegetables during troop meetings. Both groups showed increased intention for offering both fruit and vegetable opportunities during upcoming meetings. These results showed that online, video-based wellness training was effective for impacting determinants of behavior change in Girl Scout troop leaders, which may improve the wellness opportunities for girls during troop meetings. Overall, the findings from this dissertation collectively contribute to the existing literature by providing evidence regarding effective interventions for improving wellness-promoting opportunities and experiences for youth. If disseminated and implemented widely, evidence-based interventions and practices similar to those discussed within this dissertation may lead to improvements in health-related behaviors among youth, increased wellness-promoting opportunities, and ultimately have a positive impact on population health.

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PSYCHOLOGY IN THE FACULTY OF ARTS at the UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, 2010. / The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a Wellness Promotion Programme on the “overall development of a group of students with disabilities at the University of Limpopo.” The literature research that was conducted led to the following conclusions:  students with disabilities at tertiary institutions experience a variety of problems, including physical, psychological and socio-cultural ones.  the problems that students with disabilities experience can be addressed in a systematic and programmatic manner to enable these students to be more effective and successful in their studies and their lives. This is really the raison d’être of this study. Two groups of students with disabilities at the University of Limpopo were used in this study, namely, the treatment and control groups. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the groups. A combination of Pre-test- Post-test and Post-test only, group design was used in the study. Both the treatment and control groups did the pre-test and post-test. The treatment group participated in a three-month Wellness Promotion Programme which served as the treatment. Changes in the developmental level of the two groups were measured by means of the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes (SSHA), the Life Skills and Competencies: General Questionnaire on Life Competencies and Skills (GQLCS) and the Self-Directed Search Questionnaire(SDSQ). Two versions of the t-test, one for correlated data and the other for uncorrelated data were used in the processing and analysis of the data. The treatment group, unlike the control group, made significant pre- to post-test gains on all the three tests used in this study. The findings, therefore, led the researcher to conclude that the Wellness Promotion Programme that was presented to the treatment group enhanced the overall development of the students who were exposed to it. It was, therefore, recommended that the programme for students with disabilities be introduced at the University of Limpopo and at other tertiary institutions in South Africa. (

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xiii, 126 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Given the staggering prevalence of 12-22% of school children with mental health problems and the paucity of effective mental health services available, it is essential that professionals examine alternative methods for providing social and emotional support to children (Greenberg, Bumbarger, & Domitrovich, 2001). Rather than continuing with a service delivery approach that is reactive, fragmented, and inefficient, professionals are called to consider a more preventive approach that ensures the health of all children. A public health model of intervention can provide a conceptual framework for mental health service delivery in its aim to serve an entire population and to provide multi-tiered support (universal, targeted, indicated) that increases in intensity based on the needs of individual persons (Coie et al, 2000). Members of the Oregon Resiliency Project, a research effort at the University of Oregon, have spent the last several years developing one such set of SEL curricula, appropriate for children in grades pre-k-12, the Strong Kids programs, Strong Start: K-2 , (Merrell, Parisi, & Whitcomb, 2007), is a component of Strong Kids , developmentally applicable to kindergarten through second grade students. The purpose of this study was to implement a pilot or feasibility study that examined the impact of Strong Start on first grade students' social-emotional knowledge skills, with a particular emphasis on emotion knowledge, social behavior and affect. Pretest data collection of Strong Start began in Fall 2007 in 4 classrooms in a suburban, northwestern school district. Implementation of the intervention occurred in Winter 2008 and posttest data were gathered in Spring 2008. Results indicated that Strong Start was implemented with integrity, and that significant increases in students' knowledge about emotion situations and significant decreases in students' internalizing behaviors were associated with exposure to the program. Limitations of this study as well as directions for future research are discussed. / Committee in charge: Kenneth Merrell, Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Cynthia Anderson, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Elizabeth Stormshak, Member, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; John Seeley, Member, not from U of 0; Sara Hodges, Outside Member, Psychology

Work-related injuries and illnesses may lead to absenteeism, which affects the level of productivity. The purpose of this study was to determine the success of an employee workplace training program on work-related injury and illness rates at selected federal districts within a federal organization. Newman's model, which describes internal and external factors that may have an effect on an individual's health, was the framework that guided this project. A pre-post design was used to compare data from 2 publically available data sets, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Illness and Injury and the Voice of the Employee Survey, for the years 2013 and 2014, before and after a wellness training program. According to a descriptive analysis of 91 illness and injury events that occurred during the 2-year period, the greatest number of employees who reported illnesses were mail handlers and mail processing clerks. Slips/trips and falls, strikes by machine/equipment or other objects, and repetitive motion were the top 3 types of injuries. After training, the total number of illness and injury days away from work and days of limited duty were decreased, indicating a positive impact of this workplace wellness program and a need for future training for these workers. This project has the potential to affect social change by supporting the benefits of workplace wellness in improving employee health and reducing workplace injuries at federal agencies.