School-Based
Interventions
The
Steps to a
Healthier San Francisco initiative combines school-based and community-based
programs to address several of the fastest-growning burdens of disease
in San Francisco.
Some
specific interventions, drawn from HHS's Steps
to a HealthierUS initiative, are as follows (please send suggestions
for interventions in SF):
| HHS
Recommendations, Steps to a HealthierUS |
San
Francisco Interventions or Resources |
| Implement
a planned, sequential, K-12 curriculum that addresses the physical,
mental, emotional, and social dimensions of health. Such a curriculum
should be designed to motivate and assist students to maintain and
improve their health, prevent disease, and reduce health-related
risk behaviors. The curriculum should also provide learning experiences
through a variety of activity areas such as basic movement skills;
physical fitness; rhythms and dance; games; team, dual, and individual
sports; tumbling and gymnastics, and aquatics. Emphasize enjoyable
participation in physical activities that are easily done throughout
life. Give young people the skills and confidence they need to be
physically active for a lifetime. |
|
| Provide
nutrition services that provide access to a variety of nutritious
and appealing meals that accommodate the health and nutrition needs
of all students. Such nutrition services should reflect the U.S.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other criteria to achieve nutrition
integrity. Establish a school nutrition program that limits the
availability of foods high in fat, sodium, and added sugars (such
as soda, candy, and fried chips); discourages teachers from using
food to discipline or reward students, and provides adequate time
and space for students to eat meals in a pleasant, safe environment. |
|
| Provide
health promotion opportunities for school staff to improve their
health status through activities such as health assessments, health
education and health-related fitness activities. These opportunities
encourage school staff to pursue a healthy lifestyle that contributes
to their improved health status and creates positive role modeling
for students. |
|
| Provide
a healthy school environment that includes both the physical and
psychosocial climates and cultures of the school. Factors that influence
the physical environment include the school building and the area
surrounding it (e.g. tobacco-free policies to reduce environmental
exposure to smoke, assessing indoor allergen agents, noise, and
lighting). The psychosocial environment includes the physical, emotional,
and social conditions that affect the well-being of students and
staff. |
|
| Encourage
parent/community involvement that integrates a school, parent, and
community approach for enhancing the health and well-being of students
through the involvement of school health advisory councils, coalitions,
and broadly based constituencies for school health. |
|
| Expand
and/or improve school health services and educational programs to
address children with asthma. Improve the existing system of asthma
care by school personnel (i.e. school nurses, teachers, coaches,
etc.) through the introduction of standardized training curricula,
treatment protocols, and streamlined communication mechanisms between
school nurses, coaches/physical education teachers, parents, and
medical providers. |
|
| Adopt
classroom-based asthma education activities (e.g. Open Airways,
You Can Control Asthma, Power Breathing, etc.) |
|
| Also
see community-based interventions that might address physical
inactivity, poor
diet, tobacco,
obesity, asthma,
and diabetes. |
|
|
Community-Based
Interventions
physical
inactivity
poor
diet
tobacco
obesity
asthma
diabetes
School
Health Resources
School
Health Guidelines: Physical Activity
School
Health Guidelines: Nutrition
School
Health Guidelines: Tobacco
National
Association of State Boards of Education School Health Policy Guide
|
