Association of school performance indicators with implementation of the healthy Kids, Smart Kids programme: Case study

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the present analysis was to examine secular trends in school performance indicators in relationship to the implementation of a programme targeting the school food and physical activity environment.Design Data on available school performance indicators were obtained; retrospective analyses were conducted to assess trends in indicators in association with programme implementation; each outcome was regressed v. year, beginning with the year prior to programme implementation.Setting The Healthy Kids, Smart Kids programme, a grass-roots effort to enhance the school food and physical activity environment in the Browns Mill Elementary School in Georgia.Subjects Data included publicly available school records from the years 1995 to 2006.Results: The number of nurse, counselling and disciplinary referrals per 100 students demonstrated a downward trend, while standardized test scores demonstrated an upward trend beginning in the year of programme implementation. School year was a significant predictor of all indicators.Conclusions: Promoting nutrition and physical activity within the school environment may be a promising approach for enhancing both student health and educational outcomes.