Team science is essential for publishing in peer-reviewed journals and advancing health behavior research. As such, it is important to demystify considerations for authorship and co-authorship in terms of inclusion, order, expectations, and transparent communication. Authorship disagreements are a common source of conflict within writing teams and, if not addressed appropriately, can threaten trust and future collaborations. This commentary introduces a four-step framework for navigating authorship decisions with forethought, transparency, and fairness. The framework aims to reduce misunderstandings, strengthen teamwork, and foster the development of early-career researchers. Developing competence in authorship negotiation is an essential skill for all researchers. For trainees, this framework offers guidance for approaching authorship within collaborative projects, while for mentors, it serves as a practical tool for modeling and teaching best practices.

Restaurants are the largest private sector employers in Texas. Yet only 48% of Texas restaurants have enough employees to support existing demand. The shortage of restaurant employees is an opportunity to develop culinary training programs for individuals that need employment, such as adults experiencing sheltered homelessness. Prior to program development it is important to understand their baseline knowledge of nutrition and food safety and potential attendance barriers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among adults experiencing sheltered homelessness in Houston, Tx (October 16, 2024-November 13, 2024). Among 91 participants, on average, adults were 42 years old (SD = 12.98), 67% female, and 60% Black. Nutrition knowledge was low on 2 survey items (12% and 34% correct) and moderate on another 2 items (64% and 66% correct). Regarding food safety, 93% of the participants were able to answer 1 of the 5 items correctly. In terms of potential barriers, 82% of the sample experienced food insecurity. Seventy-seven percent of participants that had a car expressed not having money for gasoline and not making repairs to their car because of the expense. Forty-seven percent of the participants had children under the age of 18 and 44% of them needed childcare assistance in order attend a program. Curriculum associated with the culinary training program must include nutrition and food safety education. To address potential attendance barriers (food, transportation, childcare), it may be necessary to partner with community organizations that aim to reduce economic instability prior to developing and implementing the program.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and firearm violence are two persistent public health issues in the United States. Because more women experience IPV than men, and more men own firearms than women, more research is needed to examine the association between in-home firearm accessibility and physical IPV among female college students. This study examined the factors associated with physical IPV among 427 unmarried, heterosexual, female college students in Florida. Cross-sectional data were collected from Fall 2012 to Summer 2013 using an internet-delivered questionnaire. The outcome was self-reported physical IPV, and the primary predictor was in-home firearm access. Binary logistic regression with backwards listwise entry method was applied fitting age, ethnicity, race, relationship status, residency status, sorority affiliation, having ≥4 binge drinking episodes, and experience of unwanted sex. Over 10% of participants reported experiencing physical IPV, 19.0% had in-home firearm access, and 8.2% reported unwa

OBJECTIVES. The Office of Family Assistance funds organizations to provide relationship education for youth. The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) is one such organization. The purpose of this study was to pilot a new USCRI curriculum, GROW Together, with immigrant and refugee youth. The program was designed to help young people develop important life skills and become successful in their new country. METHODS. Refugee and immigrant youth enrolled in the study. Participants received an interactive 12-hour relationship education (RE) program. We measured changes in four outcome measures 1) Communication skills; 2) Conflict resolution/conflict management skills; 3) Healthy marriage and relationship skills, and 4) Attitudes toward finances. Participants also received case management services. All participants completed self-report questionnaires prior to the beginning of the program. After the completion of this pretest questionnaire participants received the 12-hour curriculum. At the end of the program participants completed a posttest questionnaire. RESULTS. When pretest scores were compared with posttest scores (441 matched) there were statistically significant improvements for: Communication skills and Attitudes toward finances. Female participants improved their scores more than males on conflict resolution skills. Those over 18, improved their scores more than younger participants on Conflict resolution skills and Attitude toward finances. Younger participants improved their scores more than older participants on Healthy marriage and relationship skills. CONCLUSIONS. These findings are encouraging and set the stage for a more rigorous evaluation of the curriculum. Future researchers may also examine the effects of the curriculum on health and health behavior outcomes.

Rural residents face significantly lower access to and utilization of healthcare services compared to their urban counterparts. To inform the development of effective interventions aimed at reducing urban-rural health disparities through improved health communication, we conducted a survey study from June to September 2023. This study examined the primary sources of healthcare information used by rural residents and explored the relationship between health literacy and the primary source of healthcare information. The sample included 464 residents from Tillman and Harmon counties in Oklahoma. These two counties are marked by persistent rural health disparities, including low education levels, high poverty rates, and limited access to healthcare services. Key sources of healthcare information identified included social media, the internet, email, and community newsletters. Results indicated that higher health literacy was associated with greater use of the internet and community newsletters for healthcare information. Additionally, sociodemographic factors played a significant role in healthcare information-seeking behaviors. For instance, Hispanic/Latino participants were more likely than White participants to use mobile platforms and text-based communication. Participants with higher education levels and incomes were more likely to rely on social media and the internet, while those with lower income levels tended to rely more on traditional sources like television. These findings underscore the need for tailored health communication strategies that account for varying levels of health literacy and cultural preferences in rural populations. This study highlights the importance of integrating both modern and traditional information sources to enhance healthcare access and informed decision-making in underserved rural communities.

OBJECTIVES. This study was a pilot test of the FELLAS responsible fatherhood program. METHODS. Fathers (n=388)completed a 35-hour program designed to help them improve life-skills, parenting skills and make progress toward economic stability. The analytic sample consisted of 131 fathers who had completed questionnaires at pretest, posttest, and six-month follow-up. The quantitative measures were not specific health outcomes, but have been shown to have a positive influence on health. Some fathers also participated in focus groups, the purpose of which was to gain feedback from participants about their views of the program, and the skills they had gained from the program. RESULTS. Participants showed significant improvement from pretest to posttest for five of the seven outcome measures, including: Attitudes Toward Finances, Parenting Skills, Father’s Involvement, Conflict Resolution, and Decrease in unemployment. These changes were maintained at the six-month follow-up for four of the five measures; all except Father’s Involvement. One of the outcome measures, which did not show change from pretest to posttest, Increase in Full-time Employment, did show significant change from pretest to follow-up. Participant feedback from fathers in the focus groups was also positive and included the development of more positive parenting. skills. CONCLUSION. The positive results shown in this pilot study set the stage for a more rigorous evaluation of the intervention.

Sapere Aude – Dare to Be Wise is a unique editorial conversational interview-type feature. It is an attempt to deep dive into an Academy members’ background, formative experience, and education – specifically, to extract factors that contributed to their development and evolution as a professional, as well as their success as a prominent researcher in the health behavior arena. Every Academy member selected has a different story to tell and numerous models for success will emerge from this exploration of the membership.

Food insecurity (FI) has numerous adverse effects on health. Patients who attend student-run free clinics (SRFC) are at high risk for FI, but screenings and interventions are rare. This project measured FI and resource utilization among patients at a SRFC and piloted an intervention. We collected data from patients (N=139, 93% response rate) via 17-item self-report survey from which we generated a tailored resource booklet, and called patients after 5 weeks to assess resource utilization. Seventy-four percent of patients had FI, yet only 40% reported using any type of food assistance resource in the past 12 months. Chi-square analyses found significant differences between patients based on language-preference and FI status. Initial interest in the resource booklet was high, but on follow up (N=57, 69% response rate) booklet utilization was low due to logistical barriers, confusion, and problems accessing the resources. Our results demonstrate that patients experience FI in tandem with barriers to resource access and other social needs.

A healthy diet includes quantity (e.g. cups per day) and a variety of vegetables. The Dietary Guidelines recommends consuming vegetables from five subgroups (dark green, red/orange, beans/peas/lentils, starchy, and other vegetables). Despite being introduced almost 20 years ago most Americans are not eating within all of the subgroups, therefore thepurpose of this study was to assess if there are differences in beliefs pertaining to eating within the vegetable subgroups,using the Reasoned Action Approach. A nationwide convenience sample of adults (19-59 years old) were recruited via Forthright Access. Volunteers were sent an online survey and randomized to one of six groups: one of the five vegetable subgroups, or an overall vegetable group. Participants (n=180; 30 per group) were informed of the recommendation for their group and given several examples (Appendix 1). Four types of beliefs were elicited using open-ended questions (behavioral, injunctive normative, descriptive normative and control beliefs). Next, belief types were blinded by group and coded into distinct categories by two independent coders. No demographic variables differed between groups. There were no significant differences in the average number of behavioral, injunctive normative, descriptive normative or control beliefs between groups (all p’s>0.05). There were also no significant differences in the distribution of the belief types (all p’s>0.05). Taste and enjoyment, health benefits, and cost were common factors reported for consuming all vegetable subgroups. Adults appeared to be generally unaware of the differences in nutrient profiles and health benefits of different vegetable subgroups, therefore public health interventions should be developed to overcome this lack of awareness.

Prior research has focused on various social determinants of health as risk factors to food insecurity. Less work has focused on modifiable behaviors. This study examined the relationship between grocery shopping and meal preparation self-efficacy and food insecurity among food pantry clients. Surveys were used to collect the data from 10 food pantries in Atlanta, Georgia and 10 food pantries in Houston, Texas in 2022. Food insecurity status was ascertained by 3 affirmative responses on the 18-item USDA Food Security Scale Module. A total score of affirmative responses to 6-items each on a 1= not all confident to 4 = very confident scale was used to measure grocery shopping and meal preparation self-efficacy. Covariate-adjusted logistic regression models were conducted to examine the relationship between grocery shopping and meal preparation self-efficacy and food insecurity among the full sample. Standard errors in all regression models were corrected to account for multiple observations within a pantry. On average, participants (N=1,219) were 56 years old and had a grocery shopping and meal preparation self-efficacy total score of 20.73 (SD=3.35) out of 24.00. Over half of the sample experienced food insecurity (57%). For each unit increase in grocery shopping and meal preparation self-efficacy, food pantry clients experienced 7% lower odds of experiencing food insecurity (95% CI: 0.89-0.97). The findings hold when the models were stratified by sex. The results suggest interventions to improve grocery shopping and meal preparation self-efficacy may help reduce food insecurity.