As the number of school-based health surveys vying for entrance into primary and secondary schools continues to increase, the burden placed on the schools has become of significant concern. Allowing surveys access to their student population means less classroom and teaching time, an issue that exacerbates already existing demands on teachers and school systems to maintain or improve academic performance. As a result, coordination of survey efforts has become integral to successful surveillance systems. Clear and frequent communication among and buy-in on the part of stakeholders is necessary to increase the willingness of schools to participate in health surveys. Additionally, sampling and survey administration strategies can be employed either to decrease the number of times individual schools are selected for participation or decrease the overall number of schools needed to meet the needs of multiple surveys.
During this session, Department of Education and Department of Health representatives from three states will share their experiences with the coordinated implementation of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the Youth Tobacco Survey. Political climate, obstacles faced, strategies that worked and those that did not, lessons learned, and additional ideas for means to decrease survey burden on schools will be discussed. At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to identify successful survey strategies that reduce burden on schools, assess their own surveillance needs, and apply lessons learned to their state’s survey efforts.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to identify successful survey strategies that reduce burden on schools, assess their own surveillance needs, and apply lessons learned to their state’s survey efforts.
Keywords: Partner Involvement, Data Collection
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.