Facilitators to Promoting Health in Schools: is School Health Climate the Key?

Overview

Journal J Sch Health

Publisher Wiley

Specialties Health Services
Medical Education
Nursing

Date 2014 Aug 8

PMID 25099428

Citations 7

Authors

Jennifer F Lucarelli

Katherine Alaimo

Ellen Mang

Caroline Martin

Richard Miles

Deborah Bailey

Deanne K Kelleher

Nicholas B Drzal

Hui Liu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Schools can promote healthy eating in adolescents. This study used a qualitative approach to examine barriers and facilitators to healthy eating in schools.

Methods: Case studies were conducted with 8 low-income Michigan middle schools. Interviews were conducted with 1 administrator, the food service director, and 1 member of the coordinated school health team at each school.

Results: Barriers included budgetary constraints leading to low prioritization of health initiatives; availability of unhealthy competitive foods; and perceptions that students would not eat healthy foods. Schools had made improvements to foods and increased nutrition education. Support from administrators, teamwork among staff, and acknowledging student preferences facilitated positive changes. Schools with a key set of characteristics, (presence of a coordinated school health team, nutrition policies, and a school health champion) made more improvements.

Conclusions: The set of key characteristics identified in successful schools may represent a school's health climate. While models of school climate have been utilized in the educational field in relation to academic outcomes, a health-specific model of school climate would be useful in guiding school health practitioners and researchers and may improve the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving student dietary intake and other health behaviors.

Citing Articles

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Using Theory to Evaluate the Implementation and Integration of an Expanded School Breakfast Program in Rural Midwestern High Schools.

Frigge V, Nanney M, Harnack L, Haggenmiller M, Pratt R J Nutr Educ Behav. 2018; 51(3):277-286.

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