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SHPPS 2000
Overview
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The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) is a national
survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and
programs at the state, district, school, and classroom levels.
Results from SHPPS 2000 are published in the Journal
of School Health, Volume 71, Number 7, September 2001.
SHPPS 2000 measured policies and programs at the state, district,
school, and classroom levels in elementary, middle/junior, and senior high
schools, and was designed to answer the following questions:
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What are the characteristics of eight school health
program components (health education, physical education and activity,
health services, mental health and social services, food service,
school policy and environment, faculty and staff health promotion, and
family and community involvement) at the state, district, school, and
classroom levels nationwide?
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Who is responsible for coordinating and delivering
each component of the school health program and what kind of education
and training have they received?
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What collaboration occurs among staff from each school
health program component and with staff from state and local agencies
and organizations?
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How have the characteristics of school health programs
changed since 1994?
Results
Percentage of States, Districts, and Schools with a
Coordinator for Selected School Health Program Components, by Component
|
Health Program Component |
States |
Districts |
Schools |
|
Health Education |
88.0 |
63.8 |
62.7 |
|
Physical Education |
68.6 |
62.2 |
85.5 |
|
Health Services |
72.6 |
75.1 |
77.1 |
|
Mental Health and Social Services |
52.0 |
62.6 |
77.8 |
|
Food Service |
96.1 |
87.5 |
93.6 |
|
Faculty and Staff Health Promotion |
20.0 |
28.2 |
29.5 |
|
Physical Education and Activity
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8.0% of elementary schools, 6.4% of middle/junior high
schools, and 5.8% of senior high schools provide daily physical
education or its equivalent (150 minutes per week for elementary
schools; 225 minutes per week for middle/junior and senior high
schools) for the entire school year for students in all grades in the
school.
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71.4% of elementary schools provide regularly
scheduled recess for students in all grades kindergarten through 5.
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49.0% of all schools offer intramural activities or
physical activity clubs for students, and 99.2% of co-ed middle/junior
and senior high schools offer interscholastic sports.
Health Education
Percentage of States and Districts Requiring Health Education Topics to be
Taught in at Least One School Level
|
Health Education Topic |
States |
Districts |
|
Accident* or injury prevention |
68.6 |
85.3 |
|
Alcohol or other drug use prevention |
78.4 |
92.2 |
|
HIV prevention |
72.6 |
91.7 |
|
Nutrition and dietary behavior |
70.6 |
89.9 |
|
Physical activity and fitness |
64.7 |
87.8 |
|
Pregnancy prevention |
49.0 |
83.3 |
|
STD prevention |
62.8 |
89.0 |
|
Suicide prevention |
48.0 |
80.2 |
|
Tobacco use prevention |
78.4 |
92.1 |
|
Violence prevention |
60.8 |
88.7 |
|
Percentage of Schools at Each Level Requiring Each Topic to be Taught, by
Topic
|
Health Education Topic |
Elementary Schools |
Middle/Junior
High Schools |
Senior High Schools |
|
Accident* or injury prevention |
80.3 |
66.3 |
71.7 |
|
Alcohol or other drug use prevention |
88.5 |
87.7 |
91.2 |
|
HIV prevention |
50.1 |
75.9 |
85.6 |
|
Nutrition and dietary behavior |
85.4 |
81.4 |
87.1 |
|
Physical activity and fitness |
77.0 |
74.7 |
79.0 |
|
Pregnancy prevention |
18.6 |
54.8 |
79.6 |
|
STD prevention |
24.7 |
69.1 |
84.8 |
|
Suicide prevention |
22.3 |
49.5 |
75.1 |
|
Tobacco use prevention |
85.9 |
86.4 |
90.1 |
|
Violence prevention |
85.5 |
72.5 |
74.1 |
|
*Although the SHPPS 2000 questionnaires used the word
“accident” because it is familiar to many people, public health
officials prefer the word “injury” because it connotes the medical
consequences of events that are both predictable and preventable.
Percentage of States and Districts Requiring Schools to Teach Health
Education, by School Level
Food Service
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17.6% of states offer and 5.9% require certification
for district-level food service directors; 15.7% of states offer and
9.8% require certification for school-level food service managers.
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40.4% of district food service directors and 14.3% of
school food service managers have undergraduate degrees.
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68.1% of schools offer a choice between two or more
fruits or types of 100% fruit juice each day for lunch, 66.1% offer a
choice between two or more entrees each day for lunch, and 61.7% offer
a choice between two or more vegetables each day for lunch.
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Many foods available to students in school are high in
fat, sodium, and added sugars. For example, 62.8% of all milk ordered
by schools in a typical week is high in fat (whole or 2% milk). In
addition, 43.0% of elementary schools, 73.9% of middle/junior high
schools, and 98.2% of senior high schools have either a vending
machine or a school store, canteen, or snack bar where students can
purchase food or beverages—most commonly soft drinks, sports drinks,
or fruit juices that are not 100% juice; salty snacks that are not low
in fat; and cookies and other baked goods that are not low in fat.
Mental Health and Social Services
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77.1% of schools have a part-time or full-time
guidance counselor, 66.0% of schools have a part-time or full-time
school psychologist, and 43.9% of schools have a part-time or
full-time social worker.
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34.0% of states and 51.2% of districts require schools
to offer Student Assistance Programs to all students, and 62.8% of
schools offer such programs.
Health Services
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76.8% of schools have a part-time or full-time school
nurse who provides health services to students at the school, and
52.9% of schools have the recommended nurse-to-student ratio of 1:750
or better.
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While more than 95% of schools provide first aid,
administration of medications, and CPR, less than 60% offer prevention
services, such as tobacco use prevention, in one-on-one or small group
discussions.
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54.1% of schools have adopted policies on students
with HIV or AIDS, and 44.6% of schools have adopted policies on
faculty and staff with HIV or AIDS.
Family and Community Involvement
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During the 12 months preceding the study, at least 60%
of schools provided families of students with information about each
component of the school health program. During this same time period,
however, less than 45% of schools met with a parents’ organization
to discuss each component of the school health program, and less than
30% offered any health education or physical education programs to
families.
Faculty and Staff Health Promotion
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8.5% of states require districts or schools to provide
funding for or sponsor Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). During the
12 months preceding the study, 24.4% of districts provided funding for
or sponsored EAPs, and 37.1% of schools offered EAPs.
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24.5% of states require districts or schools to offer
health screening for tuberculosis for faculty and staff. Less than 5%
of states require districts or schools to offer any other type of
screening, although during the 12 months preceding the study, at least
20% of schools offered screening for blood pressure levels, hearing
problems, tuberculosis, and vision problems.
School Policy and Environment
A “tobacco-free environment” exists if the state, district, or
school has a policy prohibiting cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoking, and
smokeless tobacco use by students, faculty, staff, and visitors; the
policy prohibits tobacco use in school buildings, on school grounds, in
school buses or other vehicles used to transport students, and at
off-campus, school-sponsored events.
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“Tobacco-free environment” policies exist in 24.5%
of states, 45.5 % of districts, and 44.6% of schools.
Percentage of States, Districts, and Schools with
Policies Prohibiting Alcohol Use, Illegal Drug Use, and Violence by
Students, by Type of Policy
|
Type of Policy |
States |
Districts |
Schools |
|
Prohibits alcohol use |
92.0 |
99.2 |
95.8 |
|
Prohibits illegal drug use |
100.0 |
99.2 |
94.8 |
|
Prohibits weapon possession or use |
98.0 |
99.1 |
96.1 |
|
Prohibits physical fighting |
46.9 |
97.1 |
97.8 |
|
Prohibits gang activities |
28.6 |
62.5 |
64.9 |
|
Prohibits harassment of students by other students |
52.0 |
96.3 |
93.5 |
|
Methods
State-level
data were collected by self-administered mail
questionnaires completed by designated respondents in state education
agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These respondents
had primary responsibility for or were the most knowledgeable about the
policies or programs addressing the particular school health program
component being studied. Multiple attempts to gather missing data were
made through mail and telephone follow-up as needed. Questionnaires were
designed to describe state-level policies and programs specific to each
school health program component, with an emphasis on policy.
District-level
data were collected by self-administered mail
questionnaires completed by designated respondents in a nationally
representative sample of public school districts and from dioceses of
Catholic schools included in the school sample. These respondents had
primary responsibility for or were the most knowledgeable about the
policies or programs addressing the particular school health program
component being studied. Multiple attempts to gather missing data were
made through mail and telephone follow-up as needed. Questionnaires were
designed to describe district-level policies and programs specific to each
school health program component, with an emphasis on policy.
School-level
data were collected by computer-assisted personal
interviews with designated faculty or staff respondents in a nationally
representative sample of public and private elementary, middle/junior, and
senior high schools. These respondents had primary responsibility for or
were the most knowledgeable about the school health program component
being studied. Questionnaires were designed to describe school-level
policies and programs specific to each school health program component,
with an emphasis on practices.
Classroom-level
data were collected by computer-assisted
personal interviews with teachers of randomly selected classes in
elementary schools and randomly selected required health and physical
education courses in middle/junior and senior high schools. Questionnaires
were designed to describe required instruction and techniques used in
teaching health topics and physical education.
Response Rates, by Level
|
Level |
Number sampled and eligible |
Number of responding agencies or
staff |
Response rate (%) |
|
State |
51 |
51 |
100 |
|
District1 |
745 |
560 |
75 |
|
School |
1,331 |
950 |
71 |
Classroom:
Health Education |
1,706 |
1,534 |
90 |
Classroom:
Physical Education |
1,729 |
1,564 |
90 |
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1Response rate does not include
dioceses with jurisdiction over Catholic schools in the sample.
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