Student Wellness Champions for Change: engaging student leaders in enhancing wellness policy implementation through participation and advocacy

University Of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Project Summary Despite decades of concentrated efforts across myriad sectors, childhood obesity remains a prevailing public health problem, and certain subpopulations, including racial and ethnic minorities and those living in low-income households, are disproportionately affected. Obese children are at higher risk for low quality of life and chronic disease diagnosis, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, in adulthood. Obesity is a complex disease with many influencing factors across the socio-ecological model, including individual, intrapersonal, environmental, policy, and systems-level factors. These factors vary across different social and cultural contexts, further complicating solutions to this widespread public health problem. Eliminating or reducing the childhood obesity burden will likely require a better understanding of not only which intervention strategies are effective to combat these influencing factors, but also whether these strategies can be similarly effective when translated across diverse cultures and contexts. To reach this understanding, researchers, interventionists, and practitioners will need to possess a unique analytic skillset, engage collaborators across multiple sectors, and demonstrate cultural sensitivity. The proposed training plan is designed to address these needs. First, the training plan incorporates cultural competency and health equity training. Second, it involves assembly of a mentoring and advisory team of scientists across disciplines (psychology, nutrition, communications, epidemiology, education). Third, it incorporates didactic training in multi-level modeling and mixed methods data analysis. Finally, the proposed research study allows for application of skills acquired through the training plan. The proposed research study examines the individual and environmental impact of Student Wellness Champions for Change, a health literacy, public health literacy, and youth advocacy-based intervention designed to engage student-led wellness teams in improving school wellness policy implementation and creating health-promoting environments in elementary and middle schools across Maryland. The project uses a rigorous mixed methods evaluation and the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance) framework to assess (1) the extent to which involvement on student wellness teams improve students? individual health behaviors, weight status, health and public health literacy, and youth advocacy skills; (2) the extent to which student wellness teams make environmental changes in their school. Additionally, the study aims to describe factors, including reach, adoption, implementation and maintenance, that are necessary to inform translation of this intervention strategy to diverse schools across Maryland and beyond.