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Southern Arizona Heat Planning Summit What: Over 110 representatives from grassroots, nonprofit, government, private sector, labor unions, utilities, and academic organizations in Southern Arizona convened and coproduced a list of gaps and opportunities to improve community heat resilience. When: 3 February 2024 Where: Tucson, Arizona KEYWORDS: Emergency preparedness; Heat wave; Heat islands; Planning; Resilience, 1. Introduction Extreme heat events in the U.S. Southwest have become more frequent, longer, and intense over the last few decades (EPA 2023; USGCRP 2023), mirroring global patterns (IPCC 2023; [...]

Mental health disparities exist between rural and metro areas of the United States. Differences in dietary intake may contribute to these disparities. We examined differences in dietary intake and mental health between those 50 years and older (n = 637) living in rural counties to those living in metro counties in North Dakota and the relationship between dietary intake to days with depression or anxiety. A survey was conducted throughout North Dakota. Items were modified from other surveys, such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System questionnaires and the National Health Interview Survey Cancer Control Supplement Dietary Screener Questionnaire. Comparing medians, individuals more likely to be unable to perform normal daily activities due to mental health (p = 0.009) resided in rural areas instead of metro areas. Those living rurally also ate more processed meats (p = 0.005), while trending toward less lean protein intake (p = 0.056). Multinomial regression analyses controlling for covariates revealed that lean protein intake and fruit intake were inversely associated with days with depression and anxiety (all p < 0.05), whereas processed meat intake was positively associated with anxiety (p = 0.005). Clinicians working with older adults residing in rural areas should emphasize substituting lean proteins for processed meats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foodborne illness and food safety risks pose health threats to everyone, including international college students who live in the United States and encounter new or unfamiliar foods. This study assessed the prevalence of self-reported foodborne illness among international college students by cultural regions and length of time in the United States. Eight land grant institutions were contacted for participation. Directors of international students and scholars (ISS) programs at participating institutions agreed to forward a link containing an online survey to international students enrolled at their respective universities. Cross-tabulations were used to determine percentages of self-reported foodborne illness and other food safety risks among respondents by cultural regions and length of time lived in the U.S. Results indicated that 28.6% respondents self-reported they have been sick due to foodborne illness within the past year in the U.S., 10.1% have sought medical attention, and 3.2% have reported a suspected foodborne illness, 30.8% and 29.8%, respectively, have avoided particular restaurants or foods for fear of foodborne illness. Foodborne illness may be a concern among international college students in the U.S. International students in cultural regions with high percentages of self-reported foodborne illness such as Latin America, Africa, Ex-Communist, Catholic Europe, Confucian, and South Asia were more at risk of foodborne illness than other population groups. The self-reported percentage of foodborne illness was higher among international students who had lived in the U.S. for 3 years or more, than those who had lived in the U.S. for 2 years or less. Health educators could focus efforts on reaching international college students with appropriate food safety messages during their early stages of acculturation to mitigate risks of foodborne illness. (Contains 4 tables.)

Research shows that collaborative work promotes student learning and improves social skills, but teachers are still exploring how to best support problem-solving in a small group context, particularly in the science classroom. This study builds on prior research to characterise teacher interactions with small groups in secondary science and analyses how those interactions affect a collectively constructed space -- the triple problem solving space (TPSS) -- in which group members collectively understand a task (content/cognitive dimension), manage social interactions (social/relational dimension), and co-construct the emotional life of the group (affective dimension). Results of two biology teachers' interactions with students in small groups working on inquiry and engineering design activities show that most interactions were administrative and had little influence on the group's TPSS. Teacher interactions that engaged students in monitoring their problem-solving process, however, did have the capacity to increase cognitive work of the group, which subsequently impacted the students' group affect and social dimension. These findings suggest that interactions focused on cognitive processes have the potential to support all aspects of a group's TPSS. Though this research is only a first step in understanding the impact of teacher interactions on small group work, implications for teaching practices are discussed.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service has been developing and refining webinar delivery practices since 2012. On the basis of a review of existing literature and our own experiences, we have established methods for necessary planning, organization of content and people, and effective delivery of high-quality webinars. We have distilled those methods into a collection of best practices. By using those best practices, which we identify in this article, Extension educators can deliver virtual learning experiences that are engaging and enjoyable for all parties involved.

There are conflicting ideas about how to develop effective research partnerships between tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) and research institutions. Central to this conflict are considerations about who benefits when partnerships are developed and how to create collaborations that center on the needs of the Native communities they are intended to serve. Traditional research partnerships developed between mainstream universities, TCUs, grassroots organizations, and Indigenous community members have historically privileged the mainstream institutions while devaluing the contributions of the others (Smith, 2012). Moreover, research partnerships across Indian Country tend to be extractive, taking knowledge from tribal communities for the benefit of predominantly non-Indigenous serving institutions (Wilson, 2008). In response to these realities, two doctoral students enrolled at North Dakota State University (NDSU), formed a partnership to address these imbalances while advancing the role of Indigenous knowledge within traditional education paradigms. These students, one Native and one non-Native, endeavored to bridge understanding related to Indigenous knowledge and worldviews with the goal of developing a partnership between NDSU and United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) where one of the students is employed. From this initial partnership emerged a planning team that sought to address these imbalances and to reimagine what partnerships in tribal communities might accomplish when TCU values, relationships, and reciprocity are at the heart of institutional partnerships. Determining where to begin when attempting to co-construct meaning about relationship-based partnerships among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people poses challenges, including the degree of shared contextual understanding about what it means to work from and within an Indigenous perspective. From this premise, faculty, staff, and students from UTTC and NDSU, along with community members such as consultants from Indigenous grassroots organizations, began a journey of learning, reflection, and discussion in the form of a book study focused on Indigenous research methodology as a starting point to foster a shared learning space.

This article describes a program for prevention of diabetic retinopathy (DR) that was designed for Extension in collaboration with optometrists. The program was created to increase knowledge and awareness about risk factors for DR and included a game and take-home materials. Participants were asked to play a game similar to Wheel of Fortune. A total of 89% of questions were answered correctly. A telephone survey was used to track retention of knowledge and revealed that participants had used increased knowledge to make positive lifestyle changes. Of individuals who participated in the interactive game, measurable improvements in knowledge and awareness occurred. [This project was partially funded by a Healthy Vision Community Award from the National Eye Institute in collaboration with the North Dakota Optometric Association.]