|
|
Volume 1:
No. 2, April 2004
SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
ORIGINAL RESEARCH: FEATURED
ABSTRACT FROM THE 18TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CHRONIC DISEASE
PREVENTION AND CONTROL
Implementation of the
Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) Program in Texas
CS Barroso, DM Hoelscher, SH Kelder, C McCullum, JL Ward, P Cribb, N
Murray
Suggested citation for this article: Barroso CS,
Hoelscher DM, Kelder SH, McCullum C, Ward JL, Cribb P, et al. Implementation
of the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) program in Texas
[abstract].
Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2004 Apr [date cited].
Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2004/
apr/03_0034b.htm.
PEER REVIEWED
Implementation of the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH)
program was evaluated by child nutrition (CN) and physical education (PE)
specialists who attended CATCH trainings in Texas during 2001 and 2002.
Coordinated school health programs offer an effective means of providing
consistent health promotion messages. CATCH is a school-based nutrition and
physical activity program designed to reduce risk factors — unhealthy
dietary intake, physical inactivity, and smoking, for example — for chronic diseases among
elementary school children.
CN and PE specialists who attended trainings completed a mail survey that
assessed factors influencing implementation of CATCH at their schools. A
cross-sectional study design was used: response rates were 38.7% for PE
specialists and 39.9% for CN specialists.
The mean score for the percentage of PE lessons using CATCH PE activities
was 44.7%, and the mean score for the percentage of CN specialists implementing CATCH Eat Smart
guidelines was 80.4%. Likert scales were used to score
satisfaction with the CATCH program, where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 =
strongly agree, and mean scores were calculated. Both PE and CN specialists
reported that the CATCH program helped them meet PE and food service goals
(mean of 3.8 for each). PE and CN specialists were satisfied with the CATCH
program (mean scores were 4.1 for PE specialists and 3.9 for CN specialists).
PE and CN specialists would recommend the CATCH program to others (mean of
4.1 for each).
Results indicate that CATCH is being implemented and is viewed positively
by both CN and PE specialists in schools in which personnel were trained
using a coordinated school health model.
Corresponding Author: Cristina Barroso, MPH, Graduate Research
Assistant, University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health, Center for
Health Promotion and Prevention Research, 7000 Fannin, 2610 A, Houston, TX
77030. Telephone: 713-500-9603. E-mail: Cristina.S.Barroso@uth.tmc.edu.
Back to top |
|
