Building a Healthier Future Through School Health Programs

Promising Practices for School Health Programs

• Coordinate Multiple Components and Use Multiple Strategies
  
  
• Coordinate the Activities of Health and Education Agencies and Other Organizations Working to Improve the Health of Young People
  
  
• Implement the School Health Guidelines
  
  
• Use a Program Planning Process to Achieve Health Promotion Goals
  
  

This document describes promising practices that states and communities should consider when planning school-based policies and programs to help young people avoid behaviors that increase their risk for obesity and chronic disease, especially tobacco use, unhealthy eating, and inadequate physical activity. These promising practices incorporate four key concepts.

1. Coordinate Multiple Components and Use Multiple Strategies.
Modern school health programs integrate the efforts and resources of education, health, and social service agencies to provide a comprehensive set of programs and services to promote health and prevent chronic diseases and their risk factors among young people. Such school health programs systematically coordinate the following eight components: 1) health services; 2) health education; 3) efforts to ensure healthy physical and social environments; 4) nutrition services; 5) physical education and other physical activities; 6) counseling, psychological, and social services; 7) health programs for faculty and staff; and 8) collaborative efforts of schools, families, and communities to improve the health of students, faculty, and staff (Figure 1).

Figure 1. A Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP)

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A coordinated school health program provides a framework for school districts and schools to use in organizing and managing school health initiatives. It also provides an organizational framework for agencies to use in planning and coordinating school health initiatives, synchronizing comparable public health and school health programs, and efficiently using multiple funding sources to improve the health and education of young people.

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2. Coordinate the Activities of Health and Education Agencies and Other Organizations Working to Improve the Health of Young People.
Health and education agencies share the common goal of improving and protecting the health and well-being of young people, so collaboration should be encouraged at all levels. It is important to build a state-level structure that supports the implementation of a coordinated approach to school health. Bringing together key resources, programs, and decision makers within a supportive structure demonstrates that school health programs are a priority and models a collaborative structure for those involved in implementing school health programs at the local level. State health and education agencies that do not have a school health coordinator position should be encouraged to establish one to facilitate communication and coordination of programs among key players.

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3. Implement the School Health Guidelines.
Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after an exhaustive review of published research and with input from academic experts and national, federal, and voluntary organizations interested in child and adolescent health, these school health guidelines offer specific recomendations to help states, districts, and schools implement school health programs and policies that have been found to be most effective in promoting healthy behaviors among young people.

The school health guidelines emphasize multiple strategies to prevent tobacco use, promote physical activity and healthy eating, and reduce rates of obesity among young people. The guidelines also identify priorities for state decision makers to consider. Recommendations address policy development, curriculum development and selection, instructional strategies, environmental changes, direct interventions, professional development, family and community involvement, program evaluation, and linkages among components of a coordinated school health program.

A number of tools have been developed that can help schools implement the school health guidelines. These include the following:

• School Health Index for Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, and a Tobacco-Free Lifestyle: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide. This tool from CDC enables schools to identify strengths and weaknesses of health promotion policies and programs; develop an action plan for improving student health; and involve teachers, students, parents, and the community in promoting health-enhancing behaviors and better health.

• Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn: A School Health Policy Guide. This policy guide from the National Association of State Boards of Education provides direction on establishing an overall policy framework for school health programs and specific school policies to promote physical activity and healthy eating and discourage the use of tobacco. The guide is designed for use by states, school districts, and individual schools, both public and private.

• Changing the Scene: A Guide to Local Action. This kit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) promotes discussion of healthy school nutrition environments at the local, state, and national levels. Tools within the kit will help school administrators, teachers, parents, school food-service professionals, and community and business leaders to work together to support changes in the school nutrition environment.

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4. Use a Program Planning Process to Achieve Health Promotion Goals.
The exact nature of coordinated school health programs depends on the unique needs of the school population and on the resources available to the school and community. Having a program planning process in place is critical for program improvement and long-range planning. This process, which should involve all stakeholders, includes defining priorities on the basis of a population's unique needs, determining what resources are available, developing a strategic plan based on realistic goals and measurable objectives, and establishing processes for determining whether these goals and objectives are met and for continuously improving the program.¹¹

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