Results from a three-year evaluation of parents' knowledge/attitudes towards mandated school-based health initiatives in Mississippi

Background: Implementing effective school-based health initiatives has become ever more urgent due to climbing childhood obesity rates in the US. With a childhood obesity rate of 22%, Mississippi ranks first in the nation in obesity among children ages 10-17. In response to Mississippi's childhood obesity rate, the state legislature passed the Mississippi Healthy Students Act of 2007 (MHSA), which centers on a number of school-based health initiatives to address childhood obesity, including promotion of physical activity, sound nutrition, and sound health education in public schools. Methodology: From 2009-2012, annual evaluations of MHSA have been conducted among four key stakeholder groups, including parents. We present the 2009-2011 results from the state-wide survey of a randomized sample of parents (N>3,600 per year) to examine their: (1) knowledge/attitudes towards MHSA; (2) knowledge/attitudes/behaviors that influence children's health; and (3) perceived overweight/obesity of self and child versus Body Mass Index (BMI)-based overweight/obesity. Findings/Results: Across all three years, parents: (1) supported PE requirements for students (96%); (2) supported healthy food options in school cafeterias (95%) and vending machines (47%); (3) underestimated overweight/obesity among self and child (6% and 4%, respectively) as compared to calculated BMI (39% and 21%, respectively); and (4) supported school-based BMI assessments and parental notification of BMI results (82%). Conclusions: Strong support of school-based health initiatives across all three years—including potentially controversial BMI assessment/reportage—suggests that parents understand that school-based health initiatives are important for establishing and reinforcing health-promoting behaviors among students and conveying vital health information to students and parents.