Anne H. Sheetz, BSN, MPH, School Health Services, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02108, 617 624-6018, anne.sheetz@state.ma.us, Robert B. Leibowitz, PhD, Applied Statistics, Evaluation, and Techinical Services, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington St, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02108-4619, and C. Lynne McIntyre, RN, PhD, Applied Statistics, Evaluation, and Technical Services, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington St, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02108.

Public health surveillance on child health indicators is essential for identifying trends, developing interventions to meet the health care needs of children, and evaluating the effectiveness of programs that address child health. Nevertheless, it is a challenging task for health professionals. Data sources are limited and frequently difficult to access, privacy issues may restrict the availability of data, and resources to collect the data are often inadequate. One approach to obtaining data on child health indicators is through the collection of student health data in schools. Examples of information that can be acquired through this strategy include the prevalence of specific health conditions, the insurance status of students, and the results of screening activities, including body mass index (BMI) assessments. The School Health and Statistics and Evaluation Units of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health developed an infrastructure that facilitates the annual collection of aggregate health data on approximately 560,000 students. Components of the infrastructure and findings of a pilot surveillance project that examined the prevalence of such health conditions as asthma, diabetes, seizure disorders, and depression in a sample of over 340,000 students will be presented. In addition, methods of implementing targeted surveillance initiatives utilizing the underlying infrastructure will be discussed. Data from these surveillance efforts have implications for school health personnel, health care providers, and public health professionals. The potential for using the school health infrastructure for public health surveillance is extensive and offers a cost-effective way to maximize health service and data collection resources.

Learning Objectives:

• „h List child health indicators that may be monitored in the school setting for public health surveillance
• „h Describe the systems and infrastructure necessary to collect child health data for surveillance purposes
• „h Identify the opportunities and benefits of using the school setting for public health surveillance purposes

Keywords: Surveillance, School Health

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.