An intermediary outcome evaluation of dare county, North Carolina's "peer power" program

Peer Power is a peer health education program that was launched in 2001 as a collaborative effort between the Dare County (NC) Department of Public Health and Dare County Schools. High school students are trained by health educators via evidence-based materials to teach elementary and middle school students about physical activity, nutrition, and the consequences of tobacco use. An early qualitative evaluation indicated short-term knowledge and behavior change among participants, but the program has not yet been evaluated for longer-term outcomes. This natural experiment compared risk behaviors among youth who did and did not participate in the program in the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic school years. Ninth and tenth grade students in attendance at one county high school were surveyed two to three years later, during the 2012-2013 academic school year, about their health behaviors regarding physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use. Responses from the students who participated in the Peer Power program in the 7th grade (n=141) were compared to those who did not receive Peer Power (n=125). Findings indicate that students exposed to the program exhibit healthier lifestyle choices than those unexposed. Most importantly, they are more likely to report frequent exercise (p<.001), higher fruit and vegetable consumption (p<.001), and abstinence from tobacco products (p=.004). Peer Power appears to be a promising approach to peer-led, school-based chronic disease prevention. These results can be used to support continued funding and expansion of the curriculum into other grade levels or schools. Future research should address longer-term and more robust outcomes.