Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #104768

Brenda T. Fenton, PhD, MATRIX Public Health Consultants, Inc, 85 Willow Street, Suite 3, New Haven, CT 06511, 203-787-4700, fenton@matrixphc.com and Constance Catrone, MSW, School-Based Health Centers, City of Bridgeport, 752 East Main Street, Bridgeport, CT 06608.

As providers of culturally competent care in a system serving inner-city high-risk minority youth, the Bridgeport school-based health centers provide an ‘appropriate' access point through which to deliver prevention. Current universal and indicated evidence-based prevention in city elementary (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies or PATHS) and high schools (Reconnecting Youth or RY) have significantly reduced high-risk and improved positive behaviors. Students who received PATHS significantly improved their levels of social and emotional competence, concentration and attention, aggressive behavior and behavioral regulation. Grade and gender variation were observed. Findings suggest that the effectiveness of PATHS may be tied to its delivery in the first year of school, perhaps due to socialization issues. High school record data show significant reductions in the number of school violations in RY students, including those with the highest number of violations prior to RY participation. Indicators of school performance remained steady in the pre-post period. Students report a strong positive experience of support and respect which creates a “safe place” for them and an increase in self-efficacy. Students report increases in respect and anger management in their interactions with teachers and students. Two items have been created to increase teacher understanding and backing, including rewarding “small changes” observed in individual students: 1) a student letter to his/her teachers announcing that he/she is working on making positive changes and 2) a teacher RY fact-sheet. School-based prevention interventions contribute to community well-being through the development of prosocial skills, reduction in reliance on violence, and prevention of mental health disorders.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize evidence-based prevention programs available for elementary, middle, and high school students
• Identify school environmental factors which must be addressed to improve the effectiveness of school-based EBPs
• Describe action steps to ameliorate identified school contextual issues
• List potential benchmarks and outcomes as well as informants for evaluation of two EBPs

Keywords: Prevention, School-Based Programs

Related Web page: www.son.washington.edu/departments/pch/ry/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.