US School Health Policies, Programs Improve 2000-2012

SHPPS is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. SHPPS was conducted at all levels in 1994, 2000, and 2006. The 2012 study collected data at the state and district levels only. School- and classroom-level data collection will take place in 2014. SHPPS assesses the characteristics of eight components of school health: health education, physical education and activity, health services, mental health and social services, nutrition services, healthy
and safe school environment, faculty and staff health promotion, and family and community involvement. The trends from the surveys over time are almost always positive as indicated from the items selected below:

• The percentage of districts that required elementary schools to teach physical education increased
  from 82.6% in 2000 to 93.6% in 2012
• Between 2000 and 2012, the percentage of districts with a policy that required head coaches of interscholastic sports to have a teaching certificate decreased from 47.1% to 35.0%, but the percentage of districts with
  a policy that required head coaches to complete a coaches’ training course increased from 48.5% to 70.5%
• Between 2006 (when this variable was first included in SHPPS) and 2012, the percentage of districts with food procurement contracts that addressed nutritional standards for a la carte foods increased from 55.1% to 73.5%.
• The percentage of districts that offered any health education to families of all students during the 12 months before the study increased from 27.8% in 2000 to 40.0% in 2012.
• Between 2000 and 2012, the percentage of districts with a policy stating that schools will follow any national, state, or district health education standards increased from 68.8% to 82.4%
• The percentage of districts that required elementary schools to teach about HIV prevention decreased from 58.6% in 2000 to 40.1% in 2012, and the percentage that required elementary schools to teach about other STD prevention decreased from 39.4% in 2000 to 29.1% in 2012, but the percentage of districts that required elementary schools to teach about injury prevention and safety increased from 66.2% to 77.1%
• The percentage of districts that required newly hired school nurses to have an RN’s license decreased from 95.6% in 2000 to 86.1% in 2012 and the percentage that required a state school nurse certification decreased from 67.8% to 39.5%
• The percentage of districts with policies that prohibited all tobacco use during any school-related activity increased from 46.7% in 2000 to 67.5% in 2012
• The percentage of districts with an indoor air quality management program increased from 35.4% in 2006 (when this variable was first included in SHPPS) to 47.7% in 2012 
• Between 2006 (when this variable was first included in SHPPS) and 2012, the percentage of districts that implemented an engine idling reduction program for school buses increased from 35.3% to 53.8%

For the full results and several specific reports on the survey..Read More>>