Results of the TeachWell worksite wellness program

Abstract

Objectives. This study examined whether providing a school-based teacher wellness program enhances the impact of a health curriculum on student outcomes and improves cognitive, behavioral, and physiological outcomes among participating teachers. Methods. Thirty-two elementary schools were randomly assigned to experimental or comparison conditions. Comparison group schools received the Gimme-5 program, a curriculum designed to increase fourth and fifth graders' consumption of fruits and vegetables. Experimental schools received Gimme-5 and the teacher wellness program, which included 54 workshops over 2 years, along with several schoolwide health activities. Physiological, behavioral, and cognitive outcomes were assessed in teachers and students. Results. There was no evidence that the intervention favorably modified any student or teacher end points; nor did intervention teachers deliver the Gimme-5 program with greater fidelity than comparison teachers. Conclusion. Confidence in the null results is bolstered by the randomized design, baseline sample equivalence, appropriate mixed-model analyses, and lack of selective or differential attrition. Insufficient participation in the wellness program appears a likely explanation for the lack of teacher and student effects. Factors specific to the school setting and the intervention may have diminished participation and, thus, intervention effects.