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Objective: We sought to understand the relative impact of fielding mode on response rate among public health alumni. Methods: As part of the 2021 Career Trends Survey of alumni from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, we designed a fielding mode experiment to ascertain whether a paper survey, a postcard with a custom survey link ("postcard push-to-web"), a mobile telephone call or text (mobile), or an email invitation would garner the highest response rates. Invitations were randomly assigned from available contact information. Results: Of 8531 alumni invited, 1671 alumni (19.6%) completed the survey. Among the initial fielding modes, the paper survey had the highest response rate (28%), followed by mobile (19%), email (10%), and postcard push-to-web (10%). More robust recent engagement with alumni relations, paper survey invitation or mode switch, and recent graduation were all significantly associated with a higher likelihood of response. Conclusions: Paper and mobile invitations had the highest response rates to our survey among public health alumni. Findings from this fielding mode experiment are relevant to schools and programs of public health seeking to capture similar information among their alumni, especially given current trends in investment in the public health workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Community college transfer pathways are critical for advancing gender equity in STEM. Yet, community college students are often ignored within studies of women's participation in undergraduate computing. In a first effort to address this gap in the literature, this paper explores the composition of transfer-intending computing students over time (Study One) and gender differences in the characteristics and experiences of transfer-intending computing students (Study Two). Methods: This descriptive paper uses Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) survey data. Study One relies on a sample of nearly 30,000 transfer aspirants in computing across the United States between 2011 and 2019, allowing us to explore trends over time. Study Two examines a subset of over 9,000 students from the most recent survey cohort, providing a more nuanced snapshot of transfer-intending computing students. Descriptive statistics were used to examine how student experiences differ by gender and race/ethnicity. Results: Study One findings show that women's representation among transfer-intending computing students has declined over time. Study Two results reveal that, relative to men, women spend more time caregiving, commuting, studying, in student groups, and utilizing advising services, pointing to unique demands on women's time. We also identify significant differences in how Black and Indigenous women financed their college, relative to other women. Conclusions: While women are underrepresented among transfer-intending computing students, they represent a diverse group to support. We point to recommendations for policy and practice to support transfer-intending women in STEM and future research that considers intersectional identities among this diverse group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines empathetic behavior in the United States, a strongly individualistic country, as contrasted with Hungary and Ethiopia, which are moderately individualistic and strongly collectivistic respectively. It suggests that empathy may have a wider than originally perceived application in diverse settings to combat factors of ethnic bias and discrimination that adversely impact health. Models that distinctly focus on the development of healthcare provider empathic care are needed to enable the needs of resource scarce regions of the world to be met, including pockets of the U.S. More investigation is warranted on how empathic behavior can positively impact health outcomes and disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background -- Limited work has been done to integrate ethical leadership and anti-racist school leadership practice. Through narrative ethics, this paper links caring with race-consciousness to form a foundation for critical praxis. Purpose -- The authors address the limitations of caring leadership by arguing for a race-conscious narrative ethics that promotes communal responsibility for students, with specific attention to racialized and marginalized students. Research Design – This conceptual paper draws on caring theory, feminism, womanism, and culturally responsive leadership. The paper considers racism within a United States context, drawing from theory developed in additional contexts. Analysis – The paper builds from the limitations of caring theory and seeks alternative caring ethics from critiques and African-American historical struggles for sustainable and anti-racist praxis. Results -- The authors argue that predispositions toward caring among teachers and school leaders are insufficient for the project of anti-racist education because of uncritical assumptions of sameness, misplaced empathy, and the evasion of race and racism. The resulting impersonal caring reproduces racist power relations and reinforces standardized and competitive notions of responsibility for children, forestalling opportunities for collective action. Conclusions -- As an alternative to impersonal caring, the authors explore the possibilities of deepening leaders' engagement in race-conscious caring through the significance of experience, the quality of caring relations, and the value of narrative ethics. A key implication is that race-conscious caring is necessary but insufficient for the work of anti-racism unless it informs changed practices, structures, and systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Times of national and international crisis are often unifying events which lower levels of division within the public and between political elites. Yet, COVID-19 pandemic responses in the United States have been viewed as markedly polarized. Using a comprehensive dataset of over four million social media posts sent by local, state, and federal level political officials between January 2020 and September 2022, this paper explores the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic was a rhetorically unifying or divisive event, and whether rhetorical responses differed across levels of government. The results show that federal level officials were less likely to message about COVID-19 and were more likely to do so in a polarizing fashion compared to state and local officials. Temporally, in the early stages of the pandemic there was indeed a collective rhetorical de-polarization across all levels of government. However, as the pandemic progressed, COVID-related messaging became more polarizing, especially among Republicans. Evidence also emerges of dynamic responsiveness from elected officials, with relativeness attentiveness to COVID increasing and polarizing rhetoric decreasing during time periods when local case counts were relatively high. These findings suggest that rhetorical unity is still possible, even in times of high political polarization, but that this unity is also short-lived and tempered by political and electoral considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, the United States implemented a nationwide law requiring chain restaurants with more than 20 units to post calorie counts next to each of their menu items. Previously, individual cities, counties, and states had passed such laws, and certain chains had voluntarily posted calorie counts. Despite the widespread nature of this practice, the effect of calorie counts on restaurant outcomes is still not well understood. This paper estimates the impact of restaurant menu calorie labels on four important outcomes: 1) restaurant revenue; 2) restaurant profit; 3) the labor time of kitchen staff; and 4) patrons' support for calorie labels. We estimate these impacts by conducting a randomized controlled experiment in two full-service restaurants. The results indicate that posting calorie counts on menus has no detectable negative impact on restaurants – the impacts on revenue, profit, and labor time are indistinguishable from zero. Moreover, exposure to the labels increases patrons' support of restaurant menu calorie labels by 14.3% and reduces their opposition to them by 27.1%. Altogether, these results suggest that posting calorie counts does not harm restaurants, and are appealing to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last three decades, a little-noted change has taken place in state lotteries. This change is an increase in the average payout rate, the share of sales that is returned to players in the form of prizes. Because it reduces the rate of implicit taxation on lottery purchases and its accompanying welfare loss, this change has inadvertently made lotteries better, or at least less objectionable. This paper reviews the normative case for reducing the implied tax, documents the rise in payout rates across the United States, offers an explanation for that rise, notes the starring role played by instant games, illustrates its effect on the regressivity of lottery finance, and documents the surprising correlation between the price of instant games and their payout rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Training to improve high school sport coaches' and athletic directors' knowledge, skills, and competencies to address and respond to rising mental health concerns is more important than ever. High school student-athletes are at increased risk for mental health concerns, given the pressures of balancing sport, school, and other responsibilities. This paper describes a community-based participatory research (CBPR) study that guided two years of public impact and social change efforts to improve coach education and training in one large Midwestern state in the United States. Our collective goal was to empower coaches and athletic directors to coach "beyond the Xs and Os." Using a CBPR framework, we describe the decision-making process that led to the co-development and implementation of a mental health training program piloted with 147 high school coaches and athletic directors. We also describe intermediate outcomes associated with our collective change efforts demonstrating the value of using a CBPR approach. Our "Coach Beyond" processes and outputs showcase how CBPR can lead to transformative action and social change to reorient sport as a context focused on the holistic health, wellness, and development of student-athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The school nurse has a crucial role in the United States and the United Kingdom and has their own expertise dedicated to school assistance for children, families, school staff, and the community. This study aims to identify the role and skills of the school nurse and understand the effects of COVID-19 on nursing skills in the following countries: The United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy. A Scoping Review was conducted following the JBI methodology for scoping reviews, following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Three databases were consulted: PubMed, Cinahl, and Scopus. In all, 58 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included. 93.1% of the studies were carried out in the United States, 5.2% in the United Kingdom, and 1.7% in Italy. 34.5% of the articles were published in 2020, 15.5% in 2021, 31% in 2022, and 19% in 2023. 22.4% of the studies included in the review concerned health promotion and education. Regarding the methodology of the studies, 41.5% of the studies were commentary papers, 15.5% were observational studies, and 12% were cross-sectional studies. Considering the effects of the school nurse in the United States and the United Kingdom, it is possible to reflect on how the systematic presence of a nurse could also have benefits in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated incidences of domestic violence (DV). The framing of DV within media sources contributes to the public's understanding of DV. Using critical discourse analysis (CDA), this paper explores representations of safety within newspapers' reporting of DV during the pandemic. The sample included newspaper articles (n = 31) from U.S. newspapers. The analysis involved multiple rounds of coding and employing "structured questions." These articles depicted limited courses of action for DV survivors and represented safety as unattainable. Safety was constructed in four ways: homes are unsafe, social services are overburdened, government failures, and the elusiveness of safety. These discursive formations provide insight regarding "idealized" social responses to DV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]