Journal of School Health最新文献

Background

Students want support from their peers to help them at school while they recover from concussion. Educators are responsible for implementing school-based programs, including peer support. We explored educators' perspectives of implementing a novel peer support program “Buddy Program” for students post-concussion.

Methods

We conducted a mixed-methods feasibility case study to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of the Buddy Program.

Results

Thirty-two educators at two independent secondary schools completed the survey and seven educators participated in a follow-up interview. The Buddy Program was perceived to be feasible, appropriate, and acceptable to implement at school. Educators shared that access to social support and opportunities for student leadership, school culture and readiness, and considerations for adopting the Buddy Program affected program implementation.

Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity

The Buddy Program is a feasible avenue for providing social and academic support to students following a concussion. The implementation of the Buddy Program can be considered for schools as part of a holistic approach to concussion management.

Conclusions

The Buddy Program aligns with school values and may be an avenue to support students returning to school following a concussion.

Background

High rates of iron-deficiency anemia among school-age children have been a common issue in developing countries. In 2012, China rolled out a school feeding program (SFP) to address this issue. This study assesses changes in anemia rates, as well as potential factors driving these changes, both 3 and 10 years after the SFP was implemented.

Methods

Data were from two cross-sectional surveys (n = 1510) in northwestern China. T-tests were used to compare the differences in health outcomes of students and their dietary diversity across the different sample years. Regressions were used to examine the associations between health outcomes and dietary diversity.

Results

After the SFP was launched, hemoglobin levels of students improved from 126 to 131 g/L between 2015 and 2022/2023; the rates of anemia and stunting decreased from 17% to 6% and 9% to 1%, respectively. A rise in student dietary diversity and an increase in the share of students that consumed iron-rich foods are two main contributing factors.

Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity

Increase in funding allotted to the SFP over time appears to be a key element in improving the health and nutrition of rural students.

Conclusions

SFP in rural China exemplifies the concrete advantages in improving the health and potential educational outcomes of students.

Background

This scoping review aims to determine if communication regarding mental health conditions between pediatric healthcare providers and K-12 school staff in the United States (US) improves child mental health outcomes and which intervention characteristics enable or hinder communication.

Methods

Our scoping review was conducted according to PRISMA-ScR standards using eight databases for articles published in English from 1987 to 2024. Study inclusion criteria were: (1) took place in the United States, (2) communication between pediatric healthcare provider(s) working outside the school and K-12 school staff member(s), (3) addresses individual mental health, and (4) evaluated impact.

Findings

Of 3482 unique articles that underwent title and abstract review, 67 articles received full-text review, and 10 studies met all criteria. Nine studies found communication led to positive student outcomes, including improved mental health symptoms and disease identification. The most common barriers to effective communication included time, funding, and privacy laws.

Implications for School Health Policy, Practice and Equity

To improve school-based mental health care, school staff and leaders may consider establishing communication with local healthcare providers.

Conclusions

Communication between pediatric healthcare providers and K-12 school staff regarding mental health is a promising lever to improve mental health and education outcomes for children.

Background

The school environment plays a vital role in shaping children's health and well-being. Nutrition education supports health promotion and disease prevention; however, it is unclear how comprehensive curricula are in the content they cover. This study explored the content of K-12 nutrition curricula in US public schools.

Methods

We analyzed nutrition education curricula from the 2023–2024 school year across a target sample of 50 states. Materials were collected through online searches and phone calls to districts and schools. We employed content analysis to assess nutrition concepts and modes of curriculum delivery, using a codebook to systematically code the curricula.

Results

We obtained 110 curricula across 38 states. Common concepts included macronutrients (54.5%), micronutrients (55.4%), food groups (58%), and the benefits of good nutrition (69%). Fewer curricula addressed consequences of poor nutrition (44.5%) or behavioral changes like portion size (38.1%). Most curricula (87.2%) used didactic methods, with only 19.5% incorporating hands-on activities. Broader topics such as environmental impacts of food choices (17.2%) were less common.

Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity

Nutrition education plays a critical role in shaping children's long-term health outcomes; however, challenges remain in ensuring consistent and high-quality instruction.

Conclusions

Nutrition education in the US focuses on core nutrition concepts and often relies on didactic methods, with limited hands-on activities. This highlights the need for more engaging, standardized programs.

Background

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the mental health promotion program MindMatters in primary schools.

Methods

A cluster randomized controlled trial (2021–2023) included 37 German primary schools (18 intervention, 19 control). Pupils in grades 1–3 (ages 6–9) and their teachers were surveyed before and after implementation. Data from 2896 pupils were analyzed, covering mental health (SDQ), social–emotional and academic skills, and learning behavior.

Results

A three-factor SDQ model (externalizing, internalizing, prosocial) was applied. At follow-up, no significant differences were found between the intervention and control groups in pupils' self-reported mental health or in teachers' reports of pupils' mental health. Likewise, there were no significant differences in children's self-reported social–emotional skills or in academic outcomes reported by the teachers at follow-up.

Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity

Schools should invest in evidence-based programs to strengthen social interaction and learning environments. Primarily, education and health policy should create and mandate conditions that facilitate evidence generation for whole-school interventions, while ensuring that schools receive the support needed for effective implementation.

Conclusions

This study provides important evidence for complex mental health promotion programs. Future studies should consider longer implementation periods and higher program uptake.

Trial Registration: German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00023762

Background

Adolescents are uniquely vulnerable to Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs), which advertise free reproductive health services but do not provide licensed healthcare or transparency in their practices. Despite the prevalence and harms of attending these clinics, no studies to date have characterized adolescents' baseline understanding and desired knowledge about CPCs.

Methods

We conducted 3 focus groups with a total of 14 adolescents from across Oregon to characterize baseline knowledge about CPCs as well as desired knowledge, including preferred educational activities. Pre- and post- focus group surveys characterized familiarity with CPCs. Focus group transcripts were analyzed for thematic saturation using Atlas.Ti.

Results

Adolescents reported little (n = 7, 50%) to no knowledge (n = 7, 50%) about CPCs at baseline and 100% (n = 14) reported increased knowledge by participating in the focus group. Adolescents emphasized the importance of school and health classes to set the foundation for their perception of accurate medical information. Participants reported a strong desire for more information about CPCs in school for their own self-advocacy and to foster their values clarification when seeking healthcare independently.

Implications for School Policy

Schools can and should include information about CPCs in adolescent health classes. Education about CPCs may be incorporated into state and national educational standards about accessing and acquiring health information and local resources.

Conclusions

Education about CPCs in schools is desired by adolescents for self-advocacy and harm prevention.

Background

Early childhood is a critical period for establishing lifelong habits, and the presence of healthy role models can play a pivotal role in shaping children's nutrition-related behaviors. The Teacher Education and Classroom Habits (T.E.A.C.H.) Study aimed to improve teachers' nutrition knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors.

Methods

Ninety-five early childhood Montessori teachers from 45 schools across 24 US states participated in a virtual nutrition intervention with synchronous and asynchronous learning modalities. Hierarchical linear modeling was utilized to evaluate changes in nutrition knowledge (NK), nutrition self-efficacy (NSE), nutrition teaching self-efficacy (NTSE), cultural competence (CC), classroom-eating behaviors (CEB), classroom food practices (CFP), nutrition teaching practices (NTP), and teacher-parent communication (TPC).

Results

Significant improvements from baseline (week-0) to post-intervention (week-6) were observed in NK, NSE, NTSE, CC, NTP, and TPC. Aside from NSE, sustained changes at follow-up (week-12) were observed in all variables.

Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity

Findings suggest that implementing flexible nutrition training as part of teacher professional development may support long-term improvements in classroom practices and promote equitable access to school-based health initiatives.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that a virtual nutrition intervention for teachers, with combined synchronous and asynchronous learning, can lead to sustained improvements in teachers' nutrition-related role modeling abilities and classroom nutrition practices.

Background

The well-being of school principals and the factors that influence it is a research area that is gaining increasing attention in the literature. School principals experience high levels of work-related stress with potential negative effects for work-ability, climate, and school effectiveness.

Methods

This study examined the work and health outcomes of Italian comprehensive and high school principals during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was part of the Global Health Literacy Research Network. Two hierarchical multiple binary logistic regression models were performed with exhaustion and well-being as outcomes.

Results

School principals reported high levels of exhaustion and low levels of well-being. School principals from high schools were more likely to report exhaustion. Exhaustion was positively associated with work extensification and perceived helplessness and negatively associated with work-related sense of coherence. Well-being was positively associated with work-related sense of coherence and perceived self-efficacy and negatively associated with work extensification and perceived helplessness.

Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity

These findings highlighted the importance of job-related perceptions and self-endangering behaviors for exhaustion and well-being, suggesting concrete recommendations for health-promoting interventions.

Conclusions

The results provide an overview of the well-being of Italian school principals during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of different dimensions.

Objective

As school shootings and youth gun violence continue to rise in the United States, it is imperative to identify risk factors linked to gun carrying among adolescents. This study examines the relationship between perceived school alienation and the likelihood of adolescents carrying a gun to school. Specifically, it tests whether school alienation increases adolescent inclination to carry a gun to school.

Methods

This study used an all-male sample from waves I (1994–1995) and II (1996) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) with a final analytic sample size of (N = 6577). A logistic regression model was estimated to assess the relationship between school alienation and gun carrying, controlling for statistically relevant variables such as gang membership.

Results

Our analysis revealed a positive and significant relationship between school alienation and gun carrying among adolescent males. More specifically, as school alienation increased, adolescents' odds of carrying a gun to school also increased by 9%.

Implications for School Health, Policy, Practice, and Equity

Readily accessible mental health resources should be implemented within schools for students that may show early signs of alienation, in attempts to lower the prevalence of gun carrying within schools.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that school alienation is attributed to an increased inclination to subsequently carry a gun to school among adolescent males.