Introduction: The Healthy ONES (Options for Nutrition Environments in Schools) study was conducted to determine the effects of changing public school nutrition environments on obesity rates in children. Intervention: The intervention was designed using systems theory, ecological models, and community based participatory research (CBPR) principals. The following environments were targeted for intervention: before and after school waiting areas, outdoor recreation areas, gyms/cafeterias, break rooms, front offices, classrooms, and administrative offices. Using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) rapid improvement cycle process, we worked with stakeholder groups within each school to target small, temporary changes in each environment identified for change. Results: Environmental changes included: a "fruit at recess" program that eliminated outside food during morning recess and substituted cut fruit instead; jog-a-thon and prize walk fundraisers instead of cake walks and bake sales; using treasure chests with nonfood rewards in the classroom and principals' offices; adding vegetables to traditional lunch entrees; and cutting all fruit offered during school meals. In addition to extensive behavioral observation, we measured the heights and weights of 457 children (2nd/ 3rd graders) in year 1 and were able to measure 367 in year 2 (80% retention rate). Although not significant, obesity rates (> 95th% BMI) did not change for intervention schools (22% to 21%) and increased in control schools (21% to 24%). Year 3 measures will be done by October, 2010. Conclusion: Using a CBPR approach resulted in substantial changes in the school nutrition environment which may lead to meaningful changes in childhood obesity rates. Background: Scant efforts were made to investigate overweight trajectories and their links to multiple psychosocial adjustment problems during the period of pubertal transition. In this study we conducted a secondary analysis with data from the multisite Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) with the application of state of the art analytic approaches of the group-based growth mixture and mixed-effect models. Methods: Longitudinal data consisted of repeated measures of weight, height, broad-band behavior problems (i.e. internalizing and externalizing problems) and narrow-band syndrome subscales (i.e. withdrawn, somatic complaints, anxious/depressed, social problems, thought problems, attention problems, delinquent behavior, and aggressive behavior) in 1,364 youths during the period from age nine to age fifteen. Results: Three trajectory patterns were identified from the whole cohort: never/rarely overweight (59.5%), late start/light overweight (12.1%), and chronically/heavy overweight (28.4%). After adjustments for gender, ethnicity, income-to-needs ratio based on federal poverty guidelines, and categorical timing of pubertal onset based on two dimensions of boys (genital and pubic hair) and girls (breast and pubic hair) development, youths with chronically/heavy overweight trajectory pattern had significantly worse scores of internalizing problems as well as syndrome subscales of somatic complaints, social problems and withdrawn than youths with never/rare overweight trajectory pattern. Conclusions: Study findings helped advance knowledge on the distinct developmental trajectory patterns of overweight and their associations with multiple behavior problems in adolescents during pubertal transition. Background: Experts affirmed that some health professionals are not taking the issue of obesity as seriously as they should, compromising the success of the treatment of obese people.