School Health Archives - Health Behavior and Policy Review

Improving Water Consumption in Underserved Elementary Schools: Implementation and Evaluation of a School-based Hydration Initiative

An Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.

Authors:

Kristina L. Tatum, PsyD
Jessica Gokee LaRose, PhD
Danyel I. Smith, PhD
Mary Dunne Stewart, MSW
Elizabeth Theriault, MPH, MSW
Melanie K. Bean, PhD

Objective:

Our objective was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a school-based hydration initiative in elementary schools.

Methods:

Hydration initiative included (1) placement of hydration stations, (2) promotional and educational activities during “Water Week,” and (3) provision of reusable water bottles. Surveys were administered at baseline and follow-up to assess student beverage intake and perceptions about the school’s environmental hydration policies and practices. Water bottle fills were assessed objectively at baseline, post-Water Week, and followup via weekly counts from hydration stations.

Results:
Water use increased post-Water Week (2.97±2.14), declining to 0.71±0.47 2 weeks later. At follow-up, frequency of soda consumption decreased (-.01 times/day; p < .001), self-reported water refill station use increased (p = .011), and a decrease (-.04 cups/day) in overall daily water intake (p = .043). At follow-up, there was an increase in the percentage of school personnel who reported their school promoted water as the best choice (p = .039). Students and teachers reported positive attitudes towards hydration stations, with some concerns about water bottle use in classrooms.

Conclusions:

The intervention reduced soda consumption and improved school hydration culture. Results can inform hydration policy and programming efforts for elementary school students.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 11, Number 1, February 2024
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
Article Link: https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.11.1.6

Steven Rowe2024-03-27T15:54:54-06:00March 15th, 2024|School Health|

State SUNucate Laws, the Popularity of Google Searches for Terms Related to Sun Protection, and Youth Sunscreen Use

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A Fast Track Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.

Authors:

Christopher S. Carpenter, PhD
Michelle Marcus, PhD
Mary-Margaret Chren, MD
Brandyn F. Churchill, PhD

Objective:

Our objective was to determine whether state SUNucate laws – which have been adopted by 27 states and require schools to permit youths to carry and apply sunscreen on school grounds – were associated with changes in Google Search behavior for words and phrases related to sun protection as well as self-reported sunscreen use by youths.

Methods:

This was an observational study examining: (1) Google Trends search popularity for terms such as ‘sunscreen’ and ‘SPF’ by state, month, and year for 2004-2022; and (2) self-reported sunscreen use by high school youth in the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey during 2009-2019.

Results:

State SUNucate laws were associated with increased Google search popularity of terms related to sun protection. Google search popularity for “sunscreen” increased by 27.2% (95% CI 12.67% to 41.7%; p < .001). State SUNucate laws were also associated with increased sunscreen use among high school youths by 8.3% (95% CI 0.014% to 15.0%; p < .05).

Conclusions:

State SUNucate laws may be effective tools for increasing population search behavior for sun protection terms and youth sunscreen use.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
Article Link: https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.10.4.1

Steven Rowe2023-10-20T16:33:44-06:00August 24th, 2023|Adolescents, School Health, Youth|

Increasing and Retaining Tween Knowledge of Proper Medicine Use

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An Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.
The full article is available as a PDF download.

Authors:

Leslie Bloom, MS
Leily Saadat-Lajevardi, MSEd, MBA
Andrew Myers, MD
Mary Kathryn Malone, MEd, MBA
Brenda Zimmerman, MS

Objective:

OTC Medicine Safety, a free, easily accessible, in-classroom educational program available through Young Minds Inspired (https://ymiclassroom.com/lesson-plans/otcmedsafety), was developed to improve adolescents’ knowledge of safe use of medicines. In a proof-of-concept study, students increased knowledge about safe, appropriate use of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. In this study, we assessed whether the OTC Medicine Safety program effectively increased students’ knowledge and if students retained this knowledge over time.

Methods:

We measured student knowledge before implementation (baseline, Quiz 1) immediately after implementation (Quiz 2), and 10 weeks after baseline (Quiz 3) in 3 test schools. We measured knowledge at similar intervals in 3 control schools (no program implementation).

Results:

Baseline knowledge was low (average 39.3% of 36 questions answered correctly). Among intervention schools, scores significantly improved immediately (average correct 62.9%) after implementation and were retained at 10 weeks (59.8%) (p < .001). Change in score from baseline among intervention schools immediately after the lesson implementation was significantly higher than corresponding changes from baseline among control schools (intervention: +23.0 vs control: -3.2) and at 10 weeks (intervention: +19.9 vs control: -2.9), p < .001.

Conclusions:

The OTC Medicine Safety Program effectively improved students’ knowledge of safe medicine-taking practices and students retained this knowledge at 10 weeks.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 9, Number 6, November 2022, pp. 1128-1139(12)
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.9.6.5

Steven Rowe2023-01-18T11:21:19-07:00January 18th, 2023|Adolescents, School Health|

School Nurses’ Perspectives of Bullying Involvement of Adolescents with Chronic Health Conditions

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An Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.
The full article is available as a PDF download.

Authors:

Sally S. Cohen, PhD, RN, FAAN
Laura Grunin, MSN, RN
Timothy C. Guetterman, PhD, MA

Objective:

Our primary objective was to understand bullying as it pertains to middle school students with chronic physical or behavioral health conditions by examining it through the lens of school nurses. A second objective was to understand issues pertaining to implementation of New York’s bullying prevention law with a focus on these same students.

Methods:

We employed a qualitative descriptive design with purposive sampling to explore perspectives of school nurses in New York State who worked in public middle schools. Using a semi-structured protocol, we conducted audio-recorded telephone interviews that were transcribed for subsequent thematic analysis.

Results:

Twelve nurses agreed to be interviewed. Results revealed participants’ under- standing of bullying as related to students with chronic health conditions, especially those with behavioral health issues. Results also showed nurses’ limited understanding of New York’s bullying prevention law and missed opportunities for school nurses as champions of students with chronic health conditions who are bullied.

Conclusions:

Education and health care professionals should collaborate to disseminate information to school personnel about the risks of bullying for students with chronic health conditions and operationalize plans for prevention.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 9, Number 3, May 2022, pp. 877-893(17)
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.9.3.5

Steven Rowe2022-06-11T16:22:28-06:00June 11th, 2022|Adolescents, Mental Health, School Health|

Weight Perception and Weight Control Behavior among Florida High School Students

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An Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.
The full article is available as a PDF download.

Authors:

Deana A. Hildebrand, PhD, RD
Jeremy Humphrey, MS
Lindsi Lemons, MPH

Objective:

Actions adopted by adolescents to control their weight are motivated by their body weight perception. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between body weight perception and weight control behavior among Florida public high school students.

Methods:

We analyzed data from the 2015 Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 3798). We used chi-square test to detect group differences among survey respondents and multivariate logistic regression to assess the association between weight perception and weight control behavior.

Results:

Most survey respondents adopted healthy actions such as exercise and diet, 75.3% and 55.0%, respectively, and few used unhealthy ones as weight control means, such as fasting, use of diet products, and purging, 15.6%, 7.3%, and 6.5% respectively. Compared to respondents who considered themselves as having the right weight, there were higher odds of engaging in healthy activities only in respondents who considered themselves as being overweight while there were higher odds of engaging in unhealthy actions in respondents perceiving themselves as underweight and in those viewing themselves as overweight.

Conclusions:

High school health education courses should include modules educating students on the importance of having accurate knowledge about body weight and adopting a healthy weight control behavior.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 9, Number 2, March 2022, pp. 815-827(13)
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.9.2.8

Steven Rowe2022-04-11T11:30:35-06:00April 11th, 2022|Health Policy, Lifestyle, School Health|

Non-profit Coordinated School Health Program Achieves Student Outcomes in Both Beginning and Experienced Schools

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An Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.
The full article is available as a PDF download.

Authors:

Deana A. Hildebrand, PhD, RD
Jeremy Humphrey, MS
Lindsi Lemons, MPH

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of an ongoing health promotion program to sustain student outcomes over an extended period, and to determine if student outcomes are affected by the schools’ duration of program participation.

Methods:

The repeat- measures study used secondary data from Healthy Schools Oklahoma for School Years 2016-2019. FITNESSGRAM^® assessed changes in student fitness levels (N = 12,219); an electronic health survey assessed changes in knowledge and behaviors (N = 6840). McNemar tests examined change in the proportion of students reaching the healthy fitness zone (HFZ) for 6 FITNESSGRAM^® tests, and the proportion of students with accurate knowledge or meeting dietary and physical activity recommendations. Poisson regression tested for change in student outcomes based on duration of program participation.

Results:

The proportion of students reaching HFZ increased for 5 of 6 fitness tests (p ≤ .004) and with accurate nutrition and physical education knowledge (p ≤ .009). We found statistically significant main effects for outcomes (p ≤ .016) and duration (p ≤ .030); there was no effect for the interaction.

Conclusions:

Students achieved similar gains in outcomes regardless of the schools’ duration of program participation.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 9, Number 2, March 2022, pp. 765-775(11)
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.9.2.4

Steven Rowe2022-03-30T22:10:15-06:00March 30th, 2022|Nutrition, Physical Activity, School Health|

Using Digital Platforms in Schools for Prevention and Health Promotion: A Scoping Review

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An Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.
The full article is available as a PDF download.

Authors:

Christian Dagenais, PhD
Michelle Proulx, PhD
Esther Mc Sween-Cadieux, PhD

Objective:

Digital platforms for prevention and health promotion (PHP) are now, more than ever, available for use by school professionals, including teachers. However, little is known about what motivates them to use such platforms. A scoping review (ScR) was conducted to identify conditions that promote use by school professionals, including teachers, of PHP digital platforms at schools.

Methods:

For our ScR, we accessed ERIC, Sociological Abstracts, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases (period 2000-2018) in 3 sectors: education, health, online technologies. For each study, we prepared and validated a summary sheet. Contents dealing with conditions for use were subjected to open coding, grouped into categories, and synthesized.

Results:

Of the 3639 articles captured, 17 studies were selected. Five conditions emerged: (1) ensuring that the digital platform becomes a reference for PHP activity in schools; (2) that the resources needed for its uptake are mobilized; (3) that it is user-friendly; (4) that the digital platform engages the participation of everyone involved; and (5) that it is linked to existing programs in the school.

Conclusions:

These results can guide the activities deployed in schools for optimal implementation of PHP programs from digital platforms.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 9, Number 2, March 2022, pp. 719-737(19)
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.9.2.1

Steven Rowe2022-04-05T11:22:21-06:00March 30th, 2022|School Health, Technology Use|

The Impact of COVID-19 on Pre-K-12 Students and Staff in a Mid-sized Metropolitan Area

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An Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.
The full article is available as a PDF download.

Authors:

Paul R. Teran, MD
Julia Kononowicz, MD
Stephanie Kuhlmann, DO
Julian Dedeaux, PhD
Kari Harris, MD

Objective:

During fall 2020, schools used a variety of learning modes based on anticipated risk of viral transmission within schools.

Methods:

De-identified SARS-CoV-2 data from 11 school districts in the Wichita, Kansas metropolitan area from August 1 to November 15, 2020, was collated for analysis. The Sedgwick County Health Department (SCHD) and Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) databases were accessed for community-level and contact tracing data.

Results:

Altogether, 13,573 staff and 54,479 students receiving full or partial on-site (hybrid) education were included. Few students (1.4%) or staff (4.7%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. District rates varied from 0.1% to 3.3% in students and 0.7% to 8.7% in staff. Students in grades 9-12 had a higher rate of positive tests and cases were more likely linked to school-based exposure. Staff rate by grade level did not show an identifiable trend; staff rates were higher in non-attendance centers.

Conclusions:

Low SARS-CoV-2 student case rates suggests on-site learning formats may be appropriate. School trends reflected community rate reinforcing that community-level interventions are necessary to decrease transmission. As new variants arise, transmission characteristics must be studied. Health and education partnership is important to ensure the greatest well-being for students and staff.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 8, Number 6, November 2021, pp. 575-584(10)
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.8.6.8

Steven Rowe2021-12-30T21:40:08-07:00December 30th, 2021|COVID19, School Health|

Effective Elements of School-based Provision for the Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles: A European Delphi Study

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An Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.
The full article is available as a PDF download.

Authors:

Richard Bailey, PhD
Iva Glibo, MSc
Claude Scheuer, PhD

Objective:

Schools can serve as settings for promoting their student health, although it is necessary to identify the key elements of provision to leverage change. This study’s objective was to develop a Europe-based list of the elements of learning and health support systems judged by a group of experts to be most effective in influencing school student healthy lifestyles education.

Methods:

A 3-stage Delphi study involving a group of 18 Europe-based subject specialists was used to articulate shared expert opinions on the main research question: what are the most effective elements of learning and health support systems influencing school students’ healthy lifestyles education? Over 3 rounds of data-gathering, experts were asked to assess the effectiveness of 25 specific elements.

Results:

The 3 rounds resulted in the following ranked list: Physical Education (PE), Staff Professional Development, Healthy School Policies, Active Recess, Family & Community Engagement, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity in Classroom Lessons, and Active Transport.

Conclusions:

Cautious of overly generalizing from the results, we suggest the findings offer useful information for evidence-based programs, as well as future research that explores the necessary components of health promotion in schools.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 8, Number 6, November 2021, pp. 546-557(12)
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.8.6.5

Steven Rowe2021-12-30T21:35:45-07:00December 30th, 2021|Lifestyle, School Health|

Hallways to Health: School Health Beyond School-Based Health Center Walls

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An Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.
The full article is available as a PDF download.

Authors:

Sara Geierstanger, MPH
Jordanna Snyder, MPH, CHES
Hayley Love, PhD, MSc
Andrea Shore, MPH
John Schlitt, MSW

Objective:

In this paper, we describe the implementation and outcomes of an initiative that engaged school-based health centers (SBHCs) in a learning community to create programmatic and policy school health changes beyond the health center walls.

Methods:

Sixty respondents completed impact surveys and 13 coalitions completed progress reports to document schoolwide wellness efforts and outcomes in stakeholder engagement, student healthy eating and active living, student social and emotional wellness, and school staff wellness.

Results:

Respondents reported pre- to post-intervention improvements in stakeholder engagement, including school administration promotion of school health policies (from 64% to 95%), and teacher participation in SBHC sponsored activities (from 63% to 98%). They reported schoolwide policy and programmatic achievements including increased opportunities for physical activity for students during school hours (from 55% to 85%), access to behavioral health counseling and support services to all students, either on-site or through referrals (from 62% to 89%), and offering healthy food or nutrition education to staff (from 10% to 73%).

Conclusions:

SBHC staff, school employees, and community members can work collaboratively to assess student physical and mental health needs, and develop and implement school policies and programs beyond the clinic walls.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 8, Number 6, November 2021, pp. 503-513(11)
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.8.6.2

Steven Rowe2021-12-30T21:34:00-07:00December 30th, 2021|Implementation, Program Planning, School Health|

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