Poster #108 - The Behavioral Health Environment of Schools: Perspectives of Adults and Youth

• In Event: 2-110 - Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Section - Health, Growth, Injury

Integrative Statement

Youth overweight rates remain high despite decades of research, prevention, and intervention efforts (Fryer, Carroll, & Ogden, 2014). School food environments contribute greatly to youths’ health behaviors (Cullen & Zakeri, 2004). While research has thoroughly explored school health environments, few studies have explored this topic from the perspective of school stakeholders. In addition, what sustains youth dietary and physical activity behavior changes in the long-term is largely unknown, as youth weight loss interventions have limited success (Safron et al., 2011). The current study examined the perspectives of school stakeholders on their schools’ health programming and students’ health status, and explored social justice values and associated health behaviors as potential intrinsic motivators for behavior change. Two public schools within the same urban school district participated. Both student bodies were comprised of a vast majority of low-income (92 and 93%) students of color (57 and 61%). Interviews were conducted with a school administrator (n = 2), 8th grade teacher (n = 2), and several 8th grade students (n = 8) within each school. All adult participants were White (3 female). Four students identified as students of color (5 female). Participants completed one-hour, semi-structured interviews. Additionally, students completed questionnaires to assess dietary intake, physical activity, and social justice-oriented values and health behaviors. Students completed a relative reinforcing value (RRV) of food task to measure value-driven food choices, in which they rolled a die to earn either a piece of fair-trade, organic chocolate or Hershey’s chocolate. Content analysis examined participants’ qualitative responses, and descriptive statistics were conducted on quantitative data. Adults’ interviews yielded several themes: Desire for more health programming, need for behavioral health education, and lack of health behaviors among students. Students’ themes included: Lack of formal and informal health education, limited influence on knowledge or behavior, and mixed perceptions of peer health. Quantitative measures suggested that, overall, students lack awareness about their fruit/vegetable intake or consume them infrequently; drink fruit juice daily or more; and consume sugar-sweetened beverages and fast food often. Students reported exercising somewhat frequently (Mean intervals/week = 6.19, SD = 3.48). Regarding values, students may value universalism/benevolence (Mean = 4.23, SD = .41) more than power/achievement (Mean = 3.21, SD = .65). However, they reported low social justice-oriented health behaviors (Mean = 1.91, SD = .86), suggesting that their values may not translate into associated health behaviors. On the RRV task, most students (75%) preferred the fair-trade, organic chocolate to start, and worked harder for it (highest dice rolls = 64) compared to the Hershey’s chocolate (highest dice rolls = 16). According to school stakeholders, health education is lacking among schools, and diet may be especially difficult for students to adhere to. Students valued social justice, and though they reported limited behaviors that reflect those values, they worked harder for food with a social justice component. Future research should promote health behaviors among adolescents based on their values, including through increased school-based programming, to examine mechanisms that result in long-term behavior change.

Authors

• Elizabeth Emley, Bowling Green State University
  Presenting Author

• Dara Musher-Eizenman, Bowling Green State University
  Non-Presenting Author