(An item from the ISHN Member information service) Two articles in the November 2013 Issue of Preventing Chronic Disease cast doubt on whether public health and school health programs are sustainable without continuing external funding and staff support. The first article examines the sustainability of state obesity prevention programs after the discontinuation of a US federal granting program. Noting that program evaluation rarely occurs after such funding periods, the authors report "Many of the programs that continued to run after the grant expired operated at reduced capacity, either reaching fewer people or conducting fewer activities. Many states were able to find funding from other sources, this shift often resulted in priorities changing. Evaluation capacity suffered in all states. Nearly all states reported losing infrastructure to communicate widely with partners. All states reported a severe or complete loss of their ability to provide training and technical assistance to partners. Despite these reduced capacities, states reported several key resources that facilitated continued work on the state plan". In the second article, the study examined the impact of a US requirement for local wellness policies on activity and nutrition in rural Colardo elementary schools after five years. The researchers reported "modest changes", with "Minutes for PE and recess did not increase, nor did offerings of fresh fruits and vegetables. More schools adopted policies prohibiting teachers from taking recess away as punishment (9.7% in 2005 vs 38.5% in 2011, P = .02) or for making up missed instructional time, class work, or tests in other subjects (3.2% in 2005 vs 28.2% in 2011, P = .03). More schools scheduled recess before lunch (22.6% in 2005 vs 46.2% in 2011, P = .04) and developed policies for vending machines (42.9% in 2005 vs 85.7% in 2011, P = .01) and parties (21.4% in 2005 vs 57.9% in 2011, P = .004). Read more>>
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