A university-school system partnership to assess the middle school health program

American Journal of Health Studies,  Summer, 2004  by Brian F. Geiger,  Cindy J. Petri,  Carol Barber

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Abstract: University health education faculty assisted an urban school system in a southeastern state to plan and conduct an assessment of the school health program in three middle schools. A School Health Subcommittee was farmed that included administrators, teachers, school nurses, parents, students, and representatives from nonprofit agencies. The Subcommittee activated three middle school wellness teams to identify program strengths and areas far improvement during the 2003-04 school year.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified six priority areas to improve adolescent health: (a) poor eating habits; (b) physical inactivity; (c) tobacco use; (d) behaviors that result in intentional or unintentional injuries; (e) abuse of alcohol and other drugs; and (f) sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection, other sexually transmitted infections, or unintended pregnancy. CDC supports full implementation of a coordinated school health program (CSHP) in U.S. school systems as a means to address the six priority areas (CDC, 2000). This includes classroom health instruction, quality physical education, family and community involvement, healthy school environment, health and counseling services, child nutrition program and wellness program for staff.

True CSHPs do not exist in a majority of American schools. More commonly, several components of a CSHP have been implemented, for example health education instruction, health screenings, a food service program, and individual guidance (Geiger, MauserGalvin, Cleaver, Petri, & Winnail, 2002). A local School Health Subcommittee, co-chaired by the superintendent and mayor, was formed in 2002 in an urban school system in the southeastern U.S. Its members charged three middle school principals with identification of the strengths and needs of the school health program.

Achieving a vision of improved school health and academic performance in elementary and secondary schools requires meaningful collaboration with community partners including institutions of higher education (CDC & Harvard University, 1995; Winnail, Geiger & Nagy, 2002). During the 2002-03 school year, two health educators employed by a state university volunteered to assist a School Health Subcommittee in an urban Alabama school system. The goal was to conduct an assessment of the strengths and needs of the middle school health program.

The impetus to assess the CSHP was growing concern about prevention of drug use and violence in schools and the community. A large citywide coalition was formed at the beginning of 2002. It included a School Health Subcommittee whose membership accepted the challenge of assessing the school health program.

Stakeholders included school administrators, teachers, two school nurses, counselors, parents, students, mayor and members of the city council, and volunteers from nonprofit health agencies. The initial perception by the Subcommittee was that middle schools accomplished little to implement CSHP. Formal health instruction varied between middle schools and classrooms.

The three middle school principals led the charge to assess the school health program through school wellness teams. Each desired to enhance her school health program. Other school personnel embraced the principals' vision of change.

University health educators: (a) recruited community representatives to join the School Health Subcommittee; (b) facilitated meetings of the Subcommittee; (c) provided an overview of CSHP components and benefits; and (d) recommended useful informational resources to assess needs and assets. Stakeholders were free to accept or reject these opinions. The health educators demonstrated competencies of Responsibility Areas I and II as defined for Certified Health Education Specialists (American Journal of Health Studies, 2003).

PURPOSE

This manuscript presents the methods and results used to assess an urban school system's health program. University health education faculty and middle school partners collaborated to conduct the assessment and report results.

COMMUNITY/POPULATION

The school system is located in a southeastern metropolitan area with more than 65,000 residents. It is one of the fastest growing communities in the state. There were 10,305 students enrolled in grades K- 12 during the 2002-03 school year. There are 15 public schools in the system, plus an alternative and a community school. Six of these schools include secondary grades.

METHODS

A first step was to review state and local data on youth risk behaviors, state board of education and school system policies and regulations. Next, planners identified general areas of strength and need. During a series of meetings held after school hours, members of the School Health Subcommittee considered the need for, and uses of, additional information. Several useful instruments were identified after reviewing the professional literature and discussions with university faculty (Fetro, 1998; Kane, 1993).