We describe the design of a school-based system for surveillance of overweight and related behavioral risk factors among 6th to 8th graders in Massachusetts whose purposes include monitoring and evaluation of a policy to implement a comprehensive middle school-based obesity prevention strategy. This has a classroom (Planet Health) and environmental (School Health Index) component. A team representing academe, school health, and public health designed an evaluation plan that could
· Be a template for sustainable school-based surveillance · Detect changes in behavior and BMI distribution. For this purpose, three groups of five to ten schools are being formed for a total of about 20 schools: · Control (surveillance only) · Classroom Intervention (Planet Health and Surveillance) · Comprehensive Intervention (School Health Index, Planet Health, and Surveillance)
We present the design strategy in light of its dual purposes as a surveillance system and evaluation tool. The strategy calls for two baseline data points in the pre-intervention school year, with subsequent semi-annual monitoring during intervention. In addition, while surveillance systems do not typically have control groups, the risk of missing an intervention effect or falsely attributing changes to intervention were high given the complex social ecological etiology of obesity. Influential externalities include other school-based or community programs or policies, secular trends, and weather. We discuss issues in analysis and interpretation including reliability and validity, data clustering, and dose and fidelity of intervention.
Learning Objectives: We describe the design of a schoo-based system for surveillance of overweight and related monitoring and evaluation of a policy to implement a comprehensive middle school-based obesity prevention strategy. We present the design strategy in light of its dual purposes as a survillance system and evaluation too. We discuss issues in analaysis and interpretation including reliability and validity, data clustering, and dose and fidelity of intervention.
Keywords: Youth, Obesity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.