Jack R. Thomas

Excessive screen usage and exposure to emotionally charged content are public health concerns because they correlate with emotional eating and weight gain. This study investigated the relationship between emotionally charged screen content, emotional shifts, and subsequent food selection. Seventy-two students were randomized to watch happy, sad, or anxiety-eliciting videos. The Discrete Emotions Questionnaire and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests measured changes in emotion. Following the post-questionnaire, students were invited to select from pre-packaged food items. Correlation analysis examined relationships between emotional change and standardized food selection. Use of TikTok and video streaming platforms was associated with higher odds of overweight (p < 0.05). “Happy” screen content correlated with increases in happiness, satisfaction, liking (p < 0.01), enjoyment, calm, and relaxation (p < 0.05), and a reduction in sadness (p < 0.05) among students. “Sad” screen content was associated with increases in sadness (p < 0.001), grief, dread, and worry (p < 0.05). Positive emotions, such as easygoing, were negatively correlated with savory food selection (r = −0.95, p < 0.05). Loneliness positively correlated with sweet food selections (r = 0.99, p < 0.05). Emotive screen content is associated with emotional shifts that potentially influence food selection. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to address emotional eating among college students.

Background/Objectives: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains a leading cause of mortality with millions suffering worldwide. The number of annual cases is sharply increasing primarily due to growing older adult populations. To date, there is neither an effective prevention nor cure for AD. Recently, AD was specified using biomarkers, facilitating research into primary and secondary prevention strategies, including dietary interventions. This systematic narrative review maps the literature on dietary prevention of AD by synthesizing the evidence on diet and AD biomarkers in cognitively normal adults. Additionally, it explores limitations in the current evidence base and identifies areas for future research. Methods: Search terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria were set, and PubMed and EBSCOhost were searched for articles up through September 2025. Out of 331 results, 14 articles passed the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were included in this review. Results: Most studies were cross-sectional (n = 8), followed by cohort (n = 4), with one study including both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses (n = 1). Only one intervention study was published. Various dietary exposures were tested, with most studies (n = 5) supporting a protective relationship between the Mediterranean diet and prevention of the neuropathological hallmarks of AD. However, the evidence base varies in methodology. Future research would benefit from greater consensus in methodology and should prioritize prospective cohort and randomized trial designs. Conclusions: Evidence from this review suggests existence of a potential role for dietary interventions, especially the Mediterranean diet, in AD prevention. However, further research is needed to address existing gaps. (248 words)

During COVID-19 “lockdown” most high school and college students experienced a sudden ending of face-to-face classes and were forced into multiple, rapidly prepared online courses. These experiences produced students more knowledgeable about online education than ever before. With this came a degree of certainty regarding their future educational delivery preferences. This survey (2021–2024) examined the attitudes and barriers associated with online course selection at a university within the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Using an introductory nutrition course, 658 surveys were exclusively collected from the face-to-face sections of a Natural Science course. Only 30.2% of these students reported a preference for online courses. Respondents reported similar percentages on Course Difficulty (48.5% online vs. 51.5% face-to-face) and which course required more Work/Time (43.2% online vs. 56.8% face-to-face). Previous negative online experiences were affirmed by 27.4% of the students. Importantly, only 14.5% self-reported a better academic performance in online courses. Major online avoidance variables were boredom (53.1%), inferior learning (52.9%), and communication limitations (43.0%). Surprisingly, 67.7% stated they would consider taking future online courses. Understanding post-COVID-19 student attitudes and barriers provides useful information and should be part of any comprehensive approach to future online education design and implementation.

Packed school lunch consumption remains a sparsely studied aspect of childhood nutrition. Most American research focuses on in-school meals provided through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The wide variety of available in-home packed lunches are usually nutritionally inferior compared to the highly regulated in-school meals. The purpose of this study was to examine the consumption of home-packed lunches in a sample of elementary-grade children. Through weighing packed school lunches in a 3rd grade class, mean caloric intake was recorded at 67.3% (32.7% plate waste) of solid foods, while sugar-sweetened beverage intake reported a 94.6% intake. This study reported no significant consumption change in the macronutrient ratio. Intake showed significantly reduced levels of calories, sodium, cholesterol, and fiber from the home-packed lunches (p < 0.05). The packed school lunch consumption rates for this class were similar to those reported for the regulated in-school (hot) lunches. Calories, sodium, and cholesterol intake are within childhood meal recommendations. What is encouraging is that the children were not “filling up” on more processed foods at the expense of nutrient dense foods. Of concern is that these meals still fall short on several parameters, especially low fruit/vegetable intake and high simple sugar consumption. Overall, intake moved in a healthier direction compared to the meals packed from home.