Medical Student Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo North Tonawanda, New York, United States
Background: Pediatric obesity and physical inactivity, which have both increased in recent years, are associated with poorer health outcomes. School-based health programs may improve children’s well-being. Qualitative evaluation of such programs with evidence-based frameworks is a feasible way to assess human experience and emotion that is not evident in quantitative analyses. Implementation data, such as program (in)convenience, provides important information for those who plan to re-run a program or implement similar programming. Objective: We used the RE-AIM framework to assess the effectiveness and implementation of a regional, school-based Fitness for Kids Challenge (FFKC) program. FFKC encourages students to improve their health via completion of a different goal each month (e.g., 0 sugary drinks, one hour of physical activity). Design/Methods: Teachers or coordinators (referred to as participants) of kindergarten through 5th grade students participating in the 2022 – 2023 FFKC program were invited to provide feedback on the program via an online survey at the end of the school year (n = 57). Participants also had the opportunity to join a semi-structured focus group hosted by the community group administering the program (n = 31). Frequencies on close-ended survey questions were run to summarize participant characteristics. Open-ended responses from each measure were analyzed qualitatively. Survey responses were used as an indicator of effectiveness (ex: Please share a story about how being involved in the FFKC program has impacted one of your students.). Focus group responses were used to assess implementation. Questions included if students understood the program’s goals, barriers or challenges faced when implementing the program, and any suggestions on how it could be improved. Results: Common themes that supported effectiveness of the program included students completing the program’s goals, having increased awareness of program messages, and greater focus in school. Themes that emerged for implementation included that students easily understood the program’s goals and enjoyed the curriculum; barriers included difficulties with at-home tracking of goal completion.
Conclusion(s): Participants identified student behavior changes directly related to each month’s goal, supporting FFKC is effective to improve elementary student health. Overall responses regarding implementation were positive, with few barriers reported (e.g., tracking difficulties), which should be addressed to provide maximum benefit in future years of this program.
