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Objective: To examine the effect of weekly nurse facilitated 5000 m running at Parkrun on markers of health in vulnerable adolescents from a high deprivation area. Design: A matched pair randomized control trial. Sample: Twenty‐five adolescents aged 13–18, 90% identifying as Māori/Pasifika ethnicity. Intervention: The intervention (INT) group participated in 6–10 Parkruns within 10 weeks, and a control group (CON) participated in one Parkrun only. A nurse facilitated the intervention offering support and encouragement at each Parkrun. Measurements: Pre‐ and post‐intervention testing sessions for cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), glycated hemoglobin, body mass index (BMI), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), body fat, and hand grip strength (STR) were conducted. Results: Parkrun improved CRF (F = 5.308, p = 0.035) and 5000 m time (t = 2.850, p = 0.019) by 5.5 ± 4.9 min (11.2%). Parkrun conferred a large beneficial effect on CRF (η2 = 0.249) a moderate beneficial effect on glycated hemoglobin levels (η2 = 0.119), and small beneficial effects upon SMM (η2 = 0.037) and body fat (η2 = 0.017). Conclusion: A weekly dose of nurse facilitated Parkrun can be recommended as a simple, accessible intervention that confers multiple beneficial effects on markers for health in adolescents from a high deprivation area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study sought to examine the drivers of weight change in first-year university students. The study examined the moderating role of self-compassion in the relationship between stress, eating and weight change. Specifically, we expected that students low in self-compassion would respond to stress with unhealthy eating resulting in weight gain. We expected students high in self-compassion to be buffered from the negative effects of stress (moderated mediation model). First-year university students in New Zealand (N = 136) completed measures of healthy and unhealthy food intake and BMI at the beginning and end of the academic year. Self-compassion was measured at baseline only, and perceived stress was averaged over four time points across the year. Students gained a significant 1.45 kg (SD 3.67 kg) of body weight. Self-compassion moderated the relationship between stress and changes in: (a) unhealthy (but not healthy) food intake, and (b) body weight. For those with low self-compassion, perceived stress was significantly related to an increase in BMI and, unexpectedly, to a decrease in unhealthy food intake. Changes in food intake did not explain changes in BMI. Wellbeing interventions for university students to reduce negative effects of stress should incorporate concurrent training in self-compassion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]