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MINDSTRONG Program Delivery Type for Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Program Evaluation

Background: Many nursing students struggled with mental health problems that may have been exacerbated by pandemic stressors when most educational programs shifted to remote learning. During that time, a Big Ten Conference university study urged institutions to provide effective, evidence-based resilience programs. In 2022, a large Big Ten University College of Nursing initiated MINDSTRONG for undergraduate students through in-person, online, or hybrid formats in the fall. A program evaluation was conducted to determine if the delivery method would influence outcomes. Aim: To evaluate the MINDSTRONG program delivery method and determine if it impacted students’ reports of meeting program objectives, program participation encouragement, and peer program recommendation using retrospective data from an end-of-program survey. Methods: Applied the CDC Framework for Program Evaluation to generate credible evidence retrospectively sourced from an anonymous end-of-program survey. Results: In-person participants had the highest self-reported scores when compared to the online and hybrid groups: 89% reported objectives met, 98% reported encouraged interactions, and 72% reported peer program recommendations. Online participants reported the lowest scores in each category: 72%, 90%, and 45%, respectively. Conclusions: Program delivery affected outcome responses. Feedback guided stakeholder decision-making for future iterations of this program

Make It or Break It: Effects of a Multi-Component Healthy Lifestyle Behavior Change Program

Background: The percentage of U.S. adults who regularly engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and managing stress is below the recommended ideal, with only a small portion meeting national guidelines. Aim: The purpose of this study was to test the effects of two digital healthy lifestyle behavior interventions entitled Make It or Break It (MIBI; a combination of text messaging, email, and app use) and MIBI+ (the interventions in MIBI plus the addition of a health coach) on healthy lifestyle beliefs and behaviors, perceived stress, health locus of control, and self-efficacy. Methods: A randomized controlled trial with three groups of faculty, staff, and alumni ([1] an information-only control condition, [2] MIBI, and [3] MIBI+) was implemented using the transtheoretical model of behavior change. Participants completed pre- and post-program surveys using Qualtrics, assessing various health measures and demographic variables. Descriptive statistics, Cohen’s D effect sizes, and repeated measures ANOVA models were used for data analysis, guided by an a priori power analysis. Results: Increases were observed in self-reported healthy lifestyle behaviors of healthy eating, physical activity, and stress/mental wellbeing practices. Health locus of control predicted self-efficacy for completing the MIBI program and for making healthy behavior changes. Moderate to large effects were seen for the MIBI and MIBI+ groups for healthy lifestyle beliefs and behaviors, perceived stress, and health locus of control. Conclusions: The e-intervention demonstrated successful behavior change for participants

Serious and Persistent Mental Illness Treatment and Support Services in Ohio: Perceptions from Consumers, Family Members, and Service Providers

Background: Given the prevalence of unaddressed mental health conditions in the United States, and the unique challenges that mental health service providers face in their therapeutic work with people living with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI), it is imperative to understand how and where current services are meeting or falling short according to consumers of SPMI services, their family members, and service providers. Methods: Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, SPMI recovery-oriented practices were assessed throughout Ohio. Data were collected from 332 participants (consumers of SPMI services, their family members, and SPMI service providers) via focus groups and surveys from June through November 2020. Results: Overall, consumers and family members were satisfied with current services but felt negative about the process of finding services. Family members discussed that the behavioral health system did not do a good job of explaining what services were available and how to access those services. While participants generally held a positive perception that the mental health treatment system embraced the core principles of recovery, they overwhelmingly reported that service expansion was needed, both in terms of additional services and a higher volume of existing services, and they discussed the need to combat stigma. Most participants reported that they had perceived negative attitudes toward persons living with SPMI. Two-thirds of service providers perceived negative attitudes in service delivery. Conclusion: Findings illustrate aspects of SPMI treatment and support services as possible areas for improvements, such as heightening community outreach and education, employing navigators, expanding transportation and telehealth options, and expanding crisis services. To address stigma, there were many calls across participant types for increased community education on SPMI and what it means to live with SPMI, with an outreach focus on reframing and positive community messaging

Long-Term Monitoring of Bat Activity and Species Richness Reveals Changes in Northwest Ohio Bat Communities

Bat populations are declining worldwide because of threats such as white-nose syndrome and habitat loss. Multiple-year studies are advantageous for looking at population trends over time and determining the extent of declines. While numerous multiple-year studies have been conducted for bats, they are limited in regional and local coverage. This study compiled the results of 282 walking surveys across 10 years of acoustic bat recording data collected in 3 northwest Ohio parks from 2011 to 2021 to examine temporal trends in bat activity. Overall bat activity (all species combined, average per night) decreased from 2011 to 2018 but showed a slight positive trend from 2019 to 2021. Average activity per night for big brown (Eptesicus fuscus), northern long-eared (Myotis septentrionalis), and little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) decreased significantly (75%, 95%, and 33% decreases from 2011 to 2021, respectively). Average activity per night of hoary (Lasiurus cinereus) and silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) increased significantly in activity until 2016 (169% and 163% increase from 2011 to 2016, respectively) before decreasing in activity to be closer to initial levels, although their general trend in activity was positive overall (92% and 32% increase from 2011 to 2021, respectively). These data show the advantages of monitoring bat activity over more years to make inferences about population trends. Significant decreases in activity for big brown, little brown, and northern long-eared bats from 2011 to 2021 suggest alterations in bat community structure. These results illustrate a decline in overall bat activity over the last decade. This study also provides an example of volunteer-collected long-term bat monitoring data

The BeWell Champion Program: A Worksite Wellness Initiative

Background: Adults spend most of their waking hours at work, which offers a setting to improve employee well-being. This paper describes the impact of an evidence-based employee wellness initiative on employees at a large health system. Methods: The project team provided virtual technical assistance and training to a designated champion at 22 enrolled clinical sites. Measures included an abridged version of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Worksite ScoreCard, a process evaluation, and employee participation data. Champions used baseline data for their site to select wellness initiatives. Results: Results demonstrated positive improvements in multiple domains on the CDC Worksite ScoreCard, with significant improvements in organizational support and the overall score. Conclusion: Utilization of evidence-based models, flexibility to meet the needs of varied clinical practice sites, and capacity for sustainability indicate this approach may be adaptable and feasible for other large health systems

Commentary on De Souza, Dvorsky, and Oyon (2024): Texture and Sonata Form in Classical String Quartets

The corpus study reported by De Souza, Dvorsky, and Oyon (2024) investigates texture in sonata form movements of classical string quartets (by Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven) using onset synchrony. The following commentary provides some additional discussion on the behavior of various measures of onset synchrony when applied to this genre, and the potential of this research to be more widely generalizable

Improving Public Health in Ohio by Refining Measurement of Paid Sick Leave

Paid sick leave is an active health policy consideration. Publicly and privately funded datasets have been used to evaluate paid sick leave in relation to business, employment, and health outcomes. These findings have informed 40 states and localities that have passed legislation since 2006 that requires paid sick leave to be available to certain employees. During the same time frame, 24 states, including Ohio, enacted preemptive laws prohibiting the adoption of a local paid sick leave regulation by a local city or county. The present investigation organizes, compares, and evaluates the implications of how paid sick leave is measured in 9 datasets. Findings from this investigation can be used to refine the measurement of paid sick leave to inform this ongoing public health policy debate in Ohio and countrywide

Mindfulness Matters: The Experience of Mindfulness Activity Facilitation by Faculty

Background: Faculty and students have experienced increased stress and challenges over the past years. Mindfulness is a strategy that has been used in classrooms to help manage those challenges; however, there is limited research on the faculty experience of leading mindfulness activities in the classroom. Aim: This research aimed to explore how university faculty perceive the experience of using brief mindfulness activities in the classroom. Methods: This pilot study examined use of brief instructor-led mindfulness activities in the classroom. A descriptive qualitative design was used to examine faculty perceptions associated with leading mindfulness activities. Eight faculty teaching undergraduate and graduate students at a private midwestern research-intensive university, from four different schools, participated. Results: Faculty perceived the brief mindfulness activities they led as encouraging students’ well-being and mental health, helping students to transition into the classroom, fostering connection and community among faculty and students, demonstrating care and support of students, and helping faculty support their own self-development and well-being. Conclusions: Leading brief mindfulness activities in the classroom provides benefits for faculty. Faculty perceive those practices to also be beneficial for students. More qualitative research is recommended to better understand the comprehensive effects and experiences associated with mindfulness practice in the classroom

An Alternative Proof that the Real Numbers are Uncountable

Many students as well as educators find it difficult to accept Cantor’s Diagonalization argument that the real numbers are uncountable. In this paper, we provide an alternative proof that may be easier for students to accept. The proof could provide further insight into the reason that the real numbers are uncountable. That is, any statement that leads to anything being possible includes the fact that the statement is impossible