Results of a rural school-based peer-led intervention for youth: goals for health.
BACKGROUND
School-based interventions are critical for enhancing the health of youth. The Goals for Health (GFH) school-based project was a goal-setting and life-skills intervention conducted in rural areas to increase self-efficacy, knowledge, and positive behaviors related to healthy eating. The intervention was peer-led with high school students teaching health and life skills to sixth-grade students. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the GFH school-based program on healthy eating outcomes related to self-efficacy, attitudes, knowledge, and behavior, and to examine the impact of quality of program implementation on the above outcomes.


METHODS
Twenty-three rural schools in Virginia (15) and New York (8) participated in the study. Twelve of the schools were intervention schools that received the 12-week GFH program. The remaining 11 were wait-list control schools. Sixth graders (n = 2120 baseline) from all schools were surveyed at 4 time points (preintervention, postintervention, 1 and 2 year follow-up).


RESULTS
Results included significant change patterns across the 4 assessment points in the predicted direction for healthy eating-related self-efficacy and fat and fiber knowledge. No significant change patterns were found at follow-up for fat, fiber, or fruit and vegetable intake. Results also indicated differences across gender and ethnicity and significant findings related to quality of implementation.


CONCLUSIONS
Future interventions need to provide opportunities to practice healthy living skills over an extended period of time, include components that focus on contextual change in the school and the family, and monitor program implementation.
School of Human Kinetics, MNT 376, University of Ottawa, 125 University Ave., Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada. tforneri@uottawa.ca
Tanya
T
Forneris
Elizabeth
E
Fries
Aleta
A
Meyer
Marilyn
M
Buzzard
Samy
S
Uguy
Ramesh
R
Ramakrishnan
Carol
C
Lewis
Steven
S
Danish
D000293:Adolescent; D003479:Curriculum; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D010379:Peer Group; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012424:Rural Population; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D014768:Virginia