Tag: School-based

Community Health Opportunities Organized with Schools at the Epicenter (CHOOSE)

Title:Community Health Opportunities Organized with Schools at the Epicenter (CHOOSE)
Status:Completed
Topic:Community;Nutrition / Diet;Physical Activity;School-based
Funding Source:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Funding Period:2014-2019
Study Design:Varies, depending on individual interventions to be conducted as part of CHOOSE
Purpose:CHOOSE was the Yale-Griffin PRC’s core research project during our 2014-2019 five-year cycle of funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The purpose was to use a multi-level approach in schools and other community portals to improve diet quality and physical activity in children and adults. The CHOOSE project was designed to serve as a model template for other academic / community partnerships to promote healthy lifestyles in communities, using schools as the primary intervention portal, complemented by health promotion strategies utilizing other community portals.
Further Study Details:The overall CHOOSE intervention was conducted as four projects using complementary portals to reach different segments of the target community. For more information, please refer to each separate portal-based project shown below:Primary school-based intervention portal – Valley Initiative to Advance Health and Learning in Schools [VITAHLS]Worksite portal – Fruit and Vegetable Prescription ProgramOnline portal – Physical Activity Resource Guide (Active Valley CT)YMCA portal – Community-based Cooking Classes for Children
Eligibility:Varied, depending on the project
Evaluation:Varied, depending on the project
Changed at:3/27/2020 3:59 PMChanged by:
Created at:3/1/2017 3:19 AMCreated by:Lisa Seaberg

Advancing School & Community Engagement Now for Disease Prevention (ASCEND)

Title:Advancing School & Community Engagement Now for Disease Prevention (ASCEND)
Status:Completed
Topic:Nutrition / Diet;Physical Activity;School-based
Funding Source:Independence School District, with funding from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City
Funding Period:2009-2012
Purpose:To compare the impact of offering a nutrition program and a physical activity program in elementary schools vs. further reinforcing the messages of these programs in the school, home, and supermarket settings on students’ nutrition knowledge, behavior, and fitness.  The Nutrition Detectives program provides “5 clues” to make healthful food choices, and ABC for Fitness offers 30 minutes of daily classroom-based physical activity.
Further Study Details:This was a follow-up to a 2006-2009 study (Nutrition Detectives/ABC for Fitness: Nutrition and Physical Activity Education for Elementary School Children) conducted in partnership with the Independence School District (ISD) in Missouri.  Our 2009-2012 study tested the effects of expanding our health promotion at a broader level to reach ISD students and their families. We randomly assigned ISD elementary schools to either a standard (8 schools) or high-intensity (9 schools) intervention, with 9 schools in the Raytown School District (RSD) serving as a control. The standard intervention offered the ND and ABC programs to third grade students. The high-intensity intervention also offered enhancements: (1) school setting (family nights to promote healthful eating and activity; nutrition & fitness articles in school newsletters; classroom pedometer challenge; healthy snacks and exercise breaks at open houses; increased physical activity promotion in after-school programs); (2) home setting (family kits to promote nutrition and physical activity); (3) supermarket setting (taste tests, recipes, cost comparisons, scavenger hunt for healthful foods)
Findings:Despite a high level of family engagement, we found no difference between standard, high-intensity, and control groups with regard to changes in body mass index (BMI). ISD students in both groups improved in all physical fitness measures, and some improvements were higher than those found among RSD students, but a fitness comparison of standard- and high-intensity groups within ISD yielded mixed results. Both intervention levels appeared to offer some benefits compared to control schools, but little additional benefit seemed to result from the high-intensity vs. the standard intervention. It is possible that the standard intervention led to a certain plateau of improved outcomes that could not have been further improved by offering an enhanced intervention. 
Eligibility:Third grade students in participating schools
Changed at:3/2/2017 8:07 AMChanged by:Lisa Seaberg
Created at:3/2/2017 8:07 AMCreated by:Lisa Seaberg

Addressing Chronic Conditions in Elementary and Secondary Schools (ACCESS)

Title:Addressing Chronic Conditions in Elementary and Secondary Schools (ACCESS)
Status:Completed
Topic:Community;Health Promotion & Wellness;Program or Product Development;School-based
Funding Source:Valley Community Foundation
Funding Period:2018-2020
Study Design:Cross-sectional survey
Purpose:The purpose of this project was to improve ways to identify and manage K-12 students with chronic health conditions (CHCs) in public schools in Ansonia, Derby, and Shelton, CT. CHCs such as obesity, asthma, seizure disorders, hearing problems, and behavioral and learning problems are prevalent among school-aged children. The ultimate goal was to improve health and academic outcomes for students by increasing access to services. This was done by identifying the greatest needs and addressing them with evidence-based intervention strategies.
Further Study Details:During Year 1, we established a working group of school nurses, teachers, and administrators from the Ansonia, Derby, and Shelton school districts; staff from the Naugatuck Valley Health District; and staff from Griffin Health Services. We conducted needs assessment surveys with school nurses and school mental health professionals (psychologists, counselors and social workers) regarding current practices, needs, and resources related to managing CHCs among students. Based on the survey results, the working group identified behavioral/mental health, specifically screening, as a top priority.During Year 2, we focused on mental/behavioral health screening for incoming students and on creating a family resource guide.Mental/behavioral health screening: The ACCESS working group selected a 17-item version of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-17) as the best screening instrument. The Ansonia Public Schools volunteered to pilot test the PSC-17 and develop a protocol to integrate behavioral health screening for new students. The PRC worked with the district to implement the screening with students entering the 2020-2021 academic year. School staff faced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but nonetheless were able to develop and implement the protocol. The district is committed to expanded use of the PSC-17 to place students evenly across all grade levels by taking into consideration their behavioral strengths and weaknesses, as well as their current level of social and emotional learning.Family resource guide: In response to a reported need for a centralized information source on available services for families, the working group created a resource guide written in both English and Spanish. The format enabled each school district to add its logo to personalize the guide. In Ansonia, the resource guide is now distributed to all families at the start of the school year, and is posted on the school district’s website. Copies of the guide are used by all staff, primarily by the school psychologists, social workers and guidance counselors who work most closely with students and families. The guide has proven to be a much needed resource, even more so due to challenges faced by families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eligibility:N/A
Evaluation:A process evaluation was conducted to assess fidelity to the project goals and timeline. A needs assessment survey was developed and administered to school health professionals in Year 1 to assess the perceived prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed student CHCs, current practices related to managing CHCs, and perceived adequacy of existing resources and practices identifying and managing CHCs in school children. One survey was administered to school mental health professionals (psychologists, counselors and social workers). The other survey was administered to school nurses. In year 2, the use of the PSC-17 in the Ansonia School District was tracked and will continue to be followed over time.
Changed at:1/5/2021 9:09 AMChanged by:
Created at:3/27/2020 2:54 PMCreated by: