Implementation of Priority Actions for School Health: A State Level Profile of the Role of Local Health Departments

Background – With nearly 20% percent of the population having an affiliation with schools, school health efforts represent an important opportunity for health gains across the population.  The CDC has identified 8 priority actions that states can implement in order to provide systematic support for school health.  Little has been done to assess variation in LHD efforts to support school health within their jurisdiction.  Methods - A Web-based survey was implemented among Ohio LHD over 4 weeks during spring of 2013 utilizing Ohio’s Public Health Practice Based Research Network.  One response per health department from the health or nursing director was requested (response rate 72%, n=90 of 125).  School health engagement was measured based on reported involvement in each priority action.  Results – LHD reported highest involvement in monitoring health behaviors (77.8%) and development of effective partnerships with schools (88.9%).  Less, but substantial involvement was reported in evaluation of programs and policies (61.8%), establishment of health related administrative support systems (57.8%), and provision of training and technical assistance (48.9%). Engagement in priority actions was significantly associated with external funding, provision of nursing services, and presence of a school health coordinator.  Engagement was not associated with health department structure (city, county, combined), geographic region, or size of jurisdiction.  Conclusions – School health policy agendas that do not account for sufficient human and financial resources will be challenging to implement leading to lost opportunity for health improvement.  LHD may benefit from partnering with schools to advocate for resources.