title: Effects of transfer-oriented curriculum on multiple behaviors in the Netherlands.
abstract: Many school health promotion curricula address a single health behavior, without paying attention to potential learning effects in associated behavioral domains. We developed an innovative curriculum about smoking and safe sex that also focused on promoting students' transfer of knowledge, skills and attitudes to other domains. In a quasi-experimental study involving 1107 students (Grades 7 and 8) in the Netherlands, the curriculum was compared with regular lessons about smoking and safe sex. The central research questions were to what extent the transfer-oriented curriculum: (i) had effects on psychosocial determinants and behaviors in the domains of smoking and safe sex, (ii) had effects on determinants and behaviors in three domains about which no lessons were taught (consumption of alcohol, fruit and breakfast). Multi-level analyses showed that the answer to both questions is positive. The results indicate that a transfer approach may have surplus value over the classic domain-specific approach and warrant further elaboration in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, Amsterdam VZ 1018, The Netherlands TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research), Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Louk W H
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, Amsterdam VZ 1018, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Geert T M
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Ten Dam
authors.affiliation: TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research), Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Kocken
authors.affiliation: CBO NIGZ, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Goof J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Buijs
authors.affiliation: TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research), Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dusseldorp
authors.affiliation: TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research), Leiden, The Netherlands theo.paulussen@tno.nl.
authors.forename: Theo G W M
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Paulussen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017145:Models, Educational; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009426:Netherlands; D012307:Risk Factors; D021841:Safe Sex; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012907:Smoking
keywords: effectiveness; health behaviors; school health promotion; transferability