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![]() National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion ![]() ![]() |
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Schools can build a strong foundation that will enable them to effectively promote physical activity and healthy eating, as well as other health-enhancing behaviors. The first four strategies help schools develop a tailored approach that meets their specific, local needs and interests; earn the support and commitment of the school community; use the insights gained from scientific research; and emphasize teamwork and collaboration to maximize effectiveness and efficiency. 1. Address physical activity and nutrition through a Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP).Eight components that can strongly influence student health and learning are involved in a typical CSHP. These components, including health education, physical education, and school meals, already exist in most schools. CSHPs focus on improving the quality of each of these components and expanding collaboration among the people responsible for them. This coordination results in a planned, organized, and comprehensive set of courses, services, policies, and interventions that meet the health and safety needs of all students from kindergarten through grade 12. CSHPs provide a systematic approach to promoting student health and learning that emphasizes assessing programs and policies; planning based on data, sound science, and analysis of gaps and redundancies in school health programming; establishing goals; and evaluation.
Health Is Academic: A
Guide to Coordinated School Health Programs.* 2. Designate a school health coordinator and maintain an active school health council.Establishing a school health council (SHC) is an effective way to achieve an enduring focus on promoting physical activity and healthy eating. SHCs can help schools meet a federal law passed in 2004 that requires all school districts that participate in federally funded school meal programs to establish a local school wellness policy through a process that involves parents, students, school representatives, and the public.Comprising representatives from the home, school, and community, SHCs establish goals for the school health program and facilitate health programming in the school and between the school and community. Guided by the SHC’s vision, a school health coordinator manages and coordinates all school health policies, programs, activities, and resources. SHCs have helped create lasting changes in school environments, such as the adoption of nutrition standards, establishment of student and staff walking programs, the provision of adequate class time for physical education and health education, and the opening of school facilities for after-school physical activity programs. Promoting Healthy Youth, Schools, and Communities: A Guide to Community-School Health Councils* [pdf 2.6Mb]. This how-to manual offers a practical, 5-step approach to planning, developing, maintaining, and evaluating SHCs. It was developed by a number of CDC partners—originally produced by the Iowa Department of Public Health, it was adapted for use by the American Cancer Society in collaboration with the American School Health Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Center for Health Education.
3. Assess the school's health policies and programs and develop plans for improvement.Self-assessment and planning provide structure to a coordinated school health program in the way that a map provides guidance to a driver. The self-assessment describes where the program is now, and the plan provides the destination and directions to get there. A school health plan is most likely to be effective when it is based on a systematic analysis of existing policies and practices, guided by insights from research, and developed by a school health council that includes teachers, parents, school administrators, students, and the community.
4. Strengthen the school's nutrition and physical activity policies.School policies can dictate how often students attend physical education, which items go into school vending machines, which topics and skills are taught in health education, which foods are served in the cafeteria, and much more. School policies directly affect students’ opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating and can support the implementation of all other strategies listed in this catalog.
NASBE also maintains a database of state school health policies* that can serve as models for new policy development. Wellness Policy Guidance. Developed in collaboration with the CDC and the U.S. Department of Education, this U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Web site provides information on how to create, implement, and evaluate wellness policies that meet the requirements of federal law. Wellness Policy Tool.* Developed by Action for Healthy Kids in partnership with CDC and USDA, this searchable online database consists of existing or model nutrition and physical activity policies from states and districts around the country. Schools can easily use language from policies in the database to build local wellness policies.
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Page last reviewed: April 18, 2007
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