LI Course
CE Hours: 6 contact hours

Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview: The purpose of this Institute is to train participants on the use of CDC’s School Health Guidelines for Healthy Eating and Physical Activity and the National Cancer Institute’s Classification of Laws Associated with School Students (C.L.A.S.S.) system for policy, system, and environmental approaches to prevent and control obesity in schools. School health policies and practices might be one of the most efficient and effective means to address obesity. However, school leaders, public health practitioners, and key policy makers may not be aware of the best science-based strategies for establishing school environments that support healthy eating and physical activity. With a growing awareness of obesity, an important opportunity exists to inform school health practitioners and state and local school health and education decision makers about science-based policy, system, and environmental changes that can have the greatest impact on obesity. CDC will present School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity. These science-based guidelines provide recommendations for developing, implementing, and evaluating school-based policies and practices. The nine guidelines focus on: coordination and evaluation; school environments; school nutrition services; physical education and activity programs; health education; health services; family and community involvement; school employee wellness; and professional development for school staff. This segment of the Institute will provide participants with an overview of the Guidelines, activities to enable participants to apply the Guidelines, and tools and resources to assist with Guidelines implementation. NCI will present the C.L.A.S.S. project, (http://class.cancer.gov). C.L.A.S.S. is based on public health research and national standards and guidelines for PE and nutrition. C.L.A.S.S. includes scores for assessing concordance of state law with recommended standards, changes in state laws over time, and links with other data sources. This section will present: 1) A demonstration on interactive web-based tools including the C.L.A.S.S. Mapping Tool that produces downloadable national maps depicting state comparison of over 23 school nutrition and PE policy areas, and the C.L.A.S.S. State Profile Tool, a tailored state-specific report for all nutrition and PE policy areas with comparisons to national medians and policy scores by grade level. 2) Examples of how C.L.A.S.S. has been used to analyze key policy changes over time. 3) An evaluation of how state law relates to school practices while considering other social determinants of health. 4) How C.L.A.S.S. may be used by policy makers, researchers, and other stake holders to coordinate efforts, better understand, and evaluate PE and nutrition laws across the US.

Session Objectives: 1) Identify at least three evidence-based guidelines for school-based nutrition and physical activity policies and practices. 2) Describe CDC and NCI tools and resources to help schools achieve an environment that promotes healthy eating and physical activity. 3) Assess the quality of school nutrition and physical activity laws in their state and across the country.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)