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School Based Prevention Programs

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School-Based Prevention Programs are initiatives implemented into school settings that aim to increase children's academic success and reduce high-risk problem behaviors.

Overview

An estimated 20-40% of youth have a psychiatric disorder, yet up to 80% of those in need do not receive mental health services[1]. Preventing mental health problems and promoting healthy behavior among youth has become a critical policy issue[2]. The Report of the Surgeon General’s Conference on Children’s Mental Health stated the importance of fostering a solid emotional foundation in children in order to facilitate learning[3]. However, children and families face significant barriers to accessing and receiving community-based mental health services[4]. As a result, schools have been identified as ideal avenues through which to reach youth. Prevention, also known as universal, programs are offered to the general population or to those identified as at risk for developing a problem[5]. This differentiates them from intervention or treatment programs, which are intended for individuals who already have a problem or meet criteria for a disorder.    

Bullying Prevention

Bullying Prevention Programs involve the school reinforcing classroom discipline, parent and teacher education and training, introducing and applying a whole-school policy on anti-bullying, and the use of instructional videos.

Obesity Prevention

Programs directed at obesity prevention provide knowledge on beneficial dietary practices, exercise, and parental involvement. It informs students of nutritional education sessions, importance of reducing percentage of fat to less than 30%, dietary practices with low-fat foods, fruits, and vegetables, and brings in healthier alternatives to school cafeterias. The program educates students on how exercise leads to a healthier lifestyle. Parental involvement applied in this prevention plan includes notifying parents or caregivers of the concepts taught in class which they can reinforce outside of school.

Suicide Prevention

In “The Supportive classroom: Why school-based suicide prevention programs?”, Buttery Interviews Dr. Jennifer White on School-Based Suicide Prevention Programs from her opinion as an expert in this field. Dr. Jennifer White describes how it is important to provide School-Based Suicide Prevention Programs in the school environment since it is where they spend a majority of their days It opens the topic up for discussion between peers because they are more comfortable with their own age group.[6] Many Canadian schools do not have official mandated suicide preventions but White gives advice to ensure programs are strong and lead to success. Her recommendations include ensuring policies and procedures are followed for responding to at-risk students or students that have previously attempted suicides and developing approaches that are easily comprehensible to students, proper age groups, faculty, parents or service providers. All students should be screened and provided with prevention methods (especially for at-risk youths) and they should have access to useful and quality information on how to help a person in distress. There should be a goal or main messages portrayed such as all suicide talk is serious.White states that parents and faculty should be knowledgeable about the risk factors, signs, and preventative measures. Access to links should be available that connect with other resources including community based or child and youth mental health services. She believes that programs should be introduced to children as young as possible and even though earlier implementation may require changing the format or how the information is portrayed in order to make it more age appropriate, it should still include skill building, awareness, and importance of well-being.

Strategies for beneficial implementation

According to Abigail Fagan(2003), there are strategies to increase success of introducing and maintaining all types of Prevention-Based Programs in school settings.[7] It includes assigning highly committed individuals as project directors or coordinators; encouraging support and cooperation from school administrators, community members and principals; motivating and gaining the support and enthusiasm of teachers; training which will provide knowledge, skills, and desire to continue further; retraining a few years after to reinforce knowledge and continue the commitment of the teacher or school; and gathering feedback to provide instructors with how to improve their skills. The program should have clear goals, specific procedures, and portray information in an easy, clear, attractive manner.

Further Reading

[8] [9] [10] [11]

References

  1. ^ Merikangas, Kathleen Ries; He, Jian-ping; Burstein, Marcy; Swendsen, Joel; Avenevoli, Shelli; Case, Brady; Georgiades, Katholiki; Heaton, Leanne; Swanson, Sonja. "Service Utilization for Lifetime Mental Disorders in U.S. Adolescents: Results of the National Comorbidity Survey–Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A)". Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 50 (1): 32–45. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2010.10.006. PMC 4408275. PMID 21156268.
  2. ^ "The Study of Implementation in School-Based Preventive Interventions: Theory, Research, and Practice (Volume 3)" (PDF).
  3. ^ U.S. Public Health Service, 2000, p. 3
  4. ^ KAZDIN, ALAN E. "Parent Management Training: Evidence, Outcomes, and Issues". Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 36 (10): 1349–1356. doi:10.1097/00004583-199710000-00016.
  5. ^ Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People: Progress and Possibilities.
  6. ^ Buttery, Helen. "The Supportive Classroom: Why School-Based Suicide Prevention Programs?". The Journal of Addiction and Mental Health. CrossCurrents. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  7. ^ Fagan, Abigail A.; Mihalic, Sharon (2003). "Strategies for Enhancing the Adoption of School-Based Prevention Programs: Lessons Learned from the Blueprints for Violence Prevention Replications of the Life Skills Training Program". Journal of community Psychology. 31 (3): 235–253. doi:10.1002/jcop.10045.
  8. ^ Evans, Caroline B.R.; Fraser, Mark W.; Cotter, Katie L. (2014). Aggression and Violent Behaviour. North Carolina: Elsevier. pp. 532–544. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2014.07.004.
  9. ^ Gottfredson,, D; Gottfredson, G (2002). "Quality of School-Based Prevention Programs: Results from a National Survey". Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. 39: 3–35. doi:10.1177/002242780203900101.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  10. ^ Pentz, Mary Ann (2014). "Integrating Mindfuldness into School-Based Substance Use and Other Prevention Programs". Substance Use and Misuse. 49 (5): 617–619. doi:10.3109/10826084.2014.879796. PMID 24611859.
  11. ^ Zenzen, Wanda; Kridli, Suha (July 2009). "Integrative Review of School-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention". Journal of Paediatric Health Care. 23 (4): 242–258. doi:10.1016/j.pedhc.2008.04.008.
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