The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #70662

Julie Robarts, MS, MPH, RD, LDN¹, Maria Bettencourt, MPH¹, Vivien M. Morris, MPH, MS, RD, LDN², Vanessa Cavallaro, MS, RD, LDN¹, Andrew Bushmakin², Michelle L. Zbell, MS³, and Amit Virmani, MS¹. (1) Bureau of Family and Community Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington Street, 4th floor, Boston, MA 02108-4619, (617) 624-5492, julie.robarts@state.ma.us, (2) Bureau of Family and Community Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington St., 4th floor, Boston, MA 02108-4619, (3) Coordinated School Health Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02108

The Massachusetts Partnership for Healthy Weight, a Massachusetts Department of Public Health initiative, implemented a nutrition and physical activity intervention in middle schools designed to prevent and control overweight in youth. This intervention, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), utilizes a socio-ecological approach to improve students’ eating and physical activity behaviors through classroom-based education and skill-building activities (Planet Health) and changes to the school environment. Staff in a small, convenient sample of 18 schools were trained to conduct a comprehensive self-assessment of the school nutrition and physical activity environment using the CDCs School Health Index for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide (SHI). Schools were then asked to develop and implement an action plan for addressing the school environment. Preliminary analysis of SHIs “Policies and Environment" module show that this is an area that needs much attention. For example, no school (0.0%) has fundraising policies in place that promote healthy eating (i.e. supports sale of foods low in fat, sodium, and sugars). Most schools (78%) do not have adequate written nutrition policies, and one-half (50%) do not prohibit access to foods of low nutritive value. Even fewer (33%) prohibit the use of food as a reward or punishment. Finally, staff members at the majority of schools (78%) are not oriented to nutrition and physical activity policies that relate to their jobs. This presentation will include both a comprehensive review of these results and a summary of action plans and implementation status.

Learning Objectives:

After this presentation, the learner will be able to:
• Describe how the School Health Index is being used in Massachusetts’ schools as part of a comprehensive overweight prevention and control intervention for youth.
• Identify three policy and environmental characteristics of the Massachusetts’ schools participating in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health project
• Identify how participating schools are using baseline assessments to develop action plans for improving their school’s nutrition and physical activity policies and environment

Keywords: Nutrition, Physical Activity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.