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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Megan M. Baldwin, MS1, Seow Ling Ong, MSW1, Pamela Jakwerth, PhD2, and T Bascom, RN, MA3. (1) Research, ETR Associates, 5616 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94121, 415-933-6095, meganb@etr.org, (2) School Health Programs Department, ETR Associates/San Francisco Unified School District, 5616 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94121, (3) School Health Programs Department, San Francisco Unified School District, 1515 Quintara Ave, San Francisco, CA 94116
The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) was awarded funding under the federally funded Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative (SS/HSI). ETR Associates is the local evaluator for this project. Through the Initiative, SFUSD is establishing comprehensive plans to address: safe school environments; alcohol and other drug and violence prevention; school and community mental health programs; and safe school policies.
With school violence on the rise, the promotion of healthy behavior in students has become a national priority. In addition to student feedback, parent input is valuable in understanding problems faced by students in school. Parents are also important partners in forming successful prevention programs.
As part of the evaluation, a random sample was selected and phone interviews were conducted with 278 SS/HSI parents and guardians. Interviews were conducted in English, Chinese, Spanish, and Tagalog to represent the ethnic diversity within these schools. The interviewers asked parents to identify and describe mental, physical, behavioral, and academic problems experienced by their children, to discuss the schools’ responses to these problems, and express their resulting satisfaction with the outcomes.
Through our analysis, we created a flow chart outlining the process by which problems are identified and addressed by parents and SS/HSI schools. In addition, case studies and qualitative data help illustrate some best practices for schools that contribute to greater outcomes for students and greater satisfaction among parents. As well, through an examination of the correlations between problem types, and parents’ descriptions of how these problems interrelate, we illustrate the relationships between mental, physical, behavioral and academic difficulties.
Learning Objectives: Participants will learn to
Keywords: School Health, Child Health Promotion
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: San Francisco Unified School District School Health Programs Department
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Contracted for Evaluation on Grant