(An item taken from the daily/weekly/monthly ISHN Member information service) Most of the discussion about organizational change in school mental health promotion focuses on school systems, so it is refreshing to read an article in Issue #8, 2012 of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that reports on an intervention or strategy to improve the Availability, Responsiveness and Continuity of child/youth mental health services. Evidence-based Practice (EBP) implementation is likely to be most efficient and effective in organizations with positive social contexts (i.e., organizational culture, climate, and work attitudes of clinicians). The study objective was to test whether an organizational intervention labeled Availability, Responsiveness and Continuity (ARC) could improve the organizational social contexts of community-based mental health programs for youth. The study randomly assigned 26 community-based mental health programs for youth to ARC or control conditions. Hierarchical linear models (HLM) analyses indicated that organizational culture, climate, and work attitudes were significantly improved in the ARC condition after 18 months. Clinicians in programs assigned to ARC reported less rigid, less centralized and less apathetic organizational cultures, more engaged and functional organizational climates with less role conflict, and work attitudes with improved morale, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Read more..
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(An item taken from the daily/weekly/monthly ISHN Member information service) An article in Issue #8, 2012 of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry reports on an analysis of teacher interactions with about 9000 sets of twins. Internalizing and externalizing problem behavior at school can have major consequences for a child and is predictive for disorders later in life. Teacher ratings are important to assess internalizing and externalizing problems at school. Teacher ratings of 3,502 7-year-old, 3,134 10-year-old and 2,193 12-year-old twin pairs were analyzed with structural equation modeling. About 60% of the twin pairs were rated by the same teacher. Twin correlations and the heritability of internalizing and externalizing behavior were estimated, separately for pairs rated by the same and different teachers. Socioeconomic status and externalizing behavior at age 3 were included as covariates. Twin correlations and heritability estimates were higher when twin pairs were in the same class and rated by the same teacher than when pairs were rated by different teachers. These differences could not be explained by twin confusion or rater bias. Exposure to different teachers during childhood may affect the heritability of internalizing and externalizing behavior at school. This finding points to gene–environment interaction and is important for the understanding of childhood problem behavior. In addition, it could imply an opportunity for interventions at school. Read more..
(An item taken from the daily/weekly/monthly ISHN Member information service) Several articles in August 2012 Issue of Public Health Nutrition critically examine national policy-making on nutrition and healthy eating. One article examines the eventual policy options selected by the New Zealand government and found that government policy favoured the food industry position (vs the public health position in all realms except when it came to schools, where sales were regulated. Another article noted the absence of research on how food is sold and marketed to children in sports venues. A third article documents how television food commercials target children in Germany, despite an industry pledge to the contrary. A fourth article suggested that a 20% tax on the sales of sugar-sweetened beverages would affect consumer purchasing practices. Another paper suggests that advocates need to address underlying social norms, as was done in regard to cigarettes, if public policy on beverage sales is to change. Finally, an analysis of national healthy eating policies and strategies in Europe notes that of the 107 strategies, only 27 were being evaluated for an effect on consumption, only 16 on the basis of improved health status and only three were using a cost-benefit analysis. The authors also noted the lack of comparability of these European evaluations. Read more..
(An item taken from the daily/weekly/monthly ISHN Member information service) An article in the June 2012 Issue of the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity shows the value of using an evidence-based and experience-tested implementation model to improve both the effectiveness and sustainability of a school nutrition program in a tough, low income environment. .Read More
(An item taken from the daily/weekly/monthly ISHN Member information service) An article in Issue #4, 2012 of the Journal of School Nursing reports on the experiences of several stakeholders in using elementary schools as the place for influenza vaccinations. study examined the initiation and logistics, funding, perceived barriers and benefits, and disruption of school activities by school-located influenza vaccination (SLIV) programs conducted during the 2008–2009 influenza season. Seventy-two interviews using a structured protocol were conducted with 26 teachers, 16 school administrators, and 30 health care professionals from 34 schools in 8 school districts. Most respondents (96%) reported minimal school-day disruptions. The perception of most stakeholders is that SLIV programs can be relatively easy to initiate, minimally disruptive and can become more efficient with experience, especially with feedback from all stakeholders. Readers may also want to review the articles we collected as we monitored this issue during the H1N1 outbreak a year ago, where we cited studies showing that school-based vaccinations were also significantly more cost effective and efficient. Read more..
An item taken from the daily/weekly/monthly ISHN Member information service) The health and social needs of gifted students are often overlooked, partly because of their success of potential for success in school. Issue #7, 2012 of Psychology in Schools helps us to focus some of our attention on this sub-population. Articles on perfectionism and the value of service learning for these students are particularly noteworthy Read more..
(An item taken from the daily/weekly/monthly ISHN Member information service) Issue #3, 2012 of Advances in School Mental Health suggest ways in which various interventions can be integrated and implemented. The articles include a rational for multi-intervention approaches, programs and strategies, how behaviour support services can be linked to instruction, an expansion of the Positive Behaviour Supports model (inc=to a PBSPlus model), combining two types of parent programs and more.In the introductory article, the guest editors cite research supporting an "integrated approach" that "fuses interventions", either vertically (linking universal, targeted and indicated programs) or horizontally (linking interventions aimed at students experiencing the same levels of risk of MH problems. They suggest integrated prevention models offer potential additive effects and a broader reach, helping to overcome some of the problems experienced by single intervention programs. Sound familiar? Read More.
(An item taken from the daily/weekly/monthly ISHN Member information service) The Transforming Public Health project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and convened by RESOLVE, tasked a small group of public health thought leaders with developing guidance for public health officials and policy-makers in prioritizing vital public health functions in a shifting political and fiscal landscape. The resulting document stresses the need for health departments to develop policy goals; use integrated data sets; communicate with the public and other audiences to disseminate and receive information; mobilize the community and forge partnerships; cultivate leadership along with organization, management, and business skills; and protect the public in the event of an emergency. These emerging concepts are intended for consideration by governmental health practitioners to help guide difficult resource allocation decisions while also trying to adapt to ever changing challenges, demands, and opportunities. There is much to agree with in this paper but I want to isolate and debate a key contradiction or competition within the report that dramatically affects how public health systems work with schools. Read More
(An item taken from the daily/weekly/monthly ISHN Member information service) With one of the highest participation rates of schools in an extensive school accreditation program, a dedicated team at the national level and a range of highly focused and evidenced-based programs, Singapore is among the leaders of national school health programs. This summer, they have extended the SH approach to pre-schools and universities in the most extensive set of programs found around the world. News Story (Jul 26-12) Singapore School Health CHERISH Award extended to pre-schools & universities Read more
(From the UCLA Centre on School Mental Health) The state standards movement for education in the US clearly is speeding along. Almost all states already have adopted common core standards for English and math. And while still under discussion, facets of the model core teaching standards generated by the Council of Chief State School Officers already are reflected in various policy actions. There are, of course, ongoing debates about the common core standards. At this juncture, we set these aside to stress what’s missing in the state standards movement. Stated directly, the movement ignores the need to provide a unified and comprehensive system of student and learning supports to enable all students to benefit from the upgraded curriculum. This perpetuates a long-standing documented failure of school improvement planning and many blueprints for education reform (e.g., see Center for Mental Health in Schools, 2012). The implications seem clear: Given the accelerating policy attention to core standards, it is imperative to move forward quickly to develop a set of standards for student and learning supports and integrate them into the state standards movement for education. Read more...
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