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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Steven A. Sternlof, PhD, Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, O'Donoghue Research Building, 1122 N.E. 13th, Suite 1200, Oklahoma City, OK 73117, 405-271-8001 x43206, Steve-Sternlof@ouhsc.edu, Wendy J. Jones, MPH, Schools for Healthy Lifestyles, 500 N. Broadway, Suite 225, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, and John R. Bozalis, MD, Oklahoma State Medical Association, 601 NW Grand Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73118.

Schools for Healthy Lifestyles (SHL) is a community-based, school health promotion program targeted towards Oklahoma's elementary school children. A strong infrastructure of partnerships has been formed with the aim of teaching children healthy lifestyles including priority health concerns of increased physical activity, healthy nutrition, and prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and injury. During the 2005-2006 school year, over 11,000 children in 27 schools received the SHL programs. To quantitatively analyze the effectiveness of SHL, a formal evaluation study was utilized with a pre-post design using 1,800 participating fourth and fifth graders who obtained parental consent. Two primary outcomes were evaluated: 1) Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding the priority health concerns, and 2) level of physical fitness. To assess outcome 1, a questionnaire targeting the priority health concerns was developed. When possible, questions were derived from previously validated instruments. Fitnessgram, developed by Prudential and Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research, was used to measure physical fitness. A team of trained personnel administered all testing. Descriptive statistics and significant differences between schools at baseline and within schools during the SHL intervention will be shared. From this foundation, observed changes in knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and physical fitness from pre-testing to post-testing will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives

• Describe the goals of Schools for Healthy Lifestyles.
• Identify potential partners when forming a community-based, school health promotion program.
• Discuss issues that may arise when attempting to evaluate schools that voluntarily participate in a program and those which agree to serve as comparisons.
• Discuss issues invoved in the research methodology, evaluation and statistical analysis of school based programs.

Keywords: School-Based Programs, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered