School Health Profiles Overview What is the School Health Profiles (Profiles)? The School Health Profiles is a biennial survey conducted by state and district education and health agencies among middle/junior and senior high school principals and lead health education teachers. Profiles monitors the current status of: • School health education requirements and content • Physical education requirements • Asthma management activities • Food service • Competitive foods practices and policies • Family and community involvement in school health programs • School health policies on HIV and AIDS prevention, tobacco-use prevention, violence prevention, and physical activity How are Profiles data used? State and district education and health officials use Profiles data in a variety of ways: • Advocate for required health education • Identify health education topics and skills that are taught • Identify parent and community involvement in health education • Identify topics for staff development • Improve school health programs and policies • Determine how well schools address the health and safety needs of their students How do states and school districts use their Profiles data? • The Maine School Health Coalition used Profiles data to guide professional development for health education teachers and created physical education and nutrition fact sheets for a legislative breakfast to support a bill to make health education part of the core curriculum. • North Dakota published Connecting the Links between Health and Academics – 2002 School Health Education Profile (SHEP) to disseminate their Profiles results and publish recommendations to improve school health. They also presented their Profiles data to tobacco-use prevention coordinators, the Department of Health, the Rough Rider Health Promotion Conference, the Workforce Safety Board, and the School Health Interagency Workgroup to help them develop school health policies and to provide an update on the status of school health in North Dakota. • Missouri developed Promoting Healthy Weight in Missouri’s Children using data from Profiles on competitive foods. This document is a guide for state and local officials to use for developing public policies that affect youth; for parents to use for creating a healthy family lifestyle; and for school and community leaders to ensure healthier and safer environments. • In Delaware, Profiles data were used by the Health Education Commission to guide the development of a 90-hour course in health education curriculum, instruction, and assessment for advanced-level teacher training. How is Profiles conducted? Profiles is conducted among a sample of secondary schools in a state or school district, and Profiles data are collected from the principal and the lead health education teachers at each sampled school using self-administered questionnaires. In 2004, Profiles was conducted by 41 states and 13 cities. The average number of principals participating was 206 and the average number of teachers participating was 193. State Participation, Profiles 2004 The following states had weighted survey results in 2004: Alaska Arizona Arkansas Connecticut Delaware Idaho Iowa Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Missouri Montana Nebraska New Hampshire New York North Carolina North Dakota Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee Texas (excluding Houston) Utah Washington Wisconsin The following states had unweighted survey results in 2004: California Colorado Hawaii Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana (excluding New Orleans) Maryland Mississippi Ohio South Dakota Virginia Wyoming The following states did not participate in 2004: Alabama Florida Georgia Nevada New Jersey New Mexico Rhode Island Vermont West Virginia District Participation, Profiles 2004 The following school districts had weighted survey results in 2004: Chicago Dallas District of Columbia Los Angeles Memphis Miami-Dade, FL New Orleans Ft. Lauderdale Philadelphia San Bernardino San Diego The following school districts had unweighted survey results in 2004: Milwaukee San Francisco What are some results from Profiles data? • The median percentage of participating schools that required health education in 1996 for students in any of grades 6 through 12 was 97.1 (among 13 cities). • The median percentage of participating schools that required health education in 2004 for students in any of grades 6 through 12 was 81.3 (among 11 cities). • Among schools that required physical education, 81.7 percent required 2 or more physical education courses in 2004 (among 27 states). • Among schools that required physical education, 57.8 percent required 2 or more physical education courses in 2004 (among 11 cities). • Among schools that required physical education, 85.0 percent did not allow exemptions from physical education because of enrollment in other courses or participation in sports or school activities in 2004 (among 27 states). • Among schools that required physical education, 48.4 percent did not allow exemptions from physical education because of enrollment in other courses or participation in sports or school activities in 2004 (among 11 cities). • In 2004, 61.6 percent of schools offered intramural activities or physical activity clubs (among 27 states). • In 2004, 78.4 percent of schools offered intramural activities or physical activity clubs (among 11 states). • Among schools that allowed students to purchase snack foods or beverages from vending machines or at the school store, canteen, or snack bar in 2002, 79.3 percent allowed students to purchase 100 percent fruit juice (32 states). • Among schools that allowed students to purchase snack foods or beverages from vending machines or at the school store, canteen, or snack bar in 2004, 84.2 percent allowed students to purchase 100 percent fruit juice (27 states). • Among schools that allowed students to purchase snack foods or beverages from vending machines or at the school store, canteen, or snack bar in 2002, 90.3 percent allowed students to purchase bottled water (32 states). • Among schools that allowed students to purchase snack foods or beverages from vending machines or at the school store, canteen, or snack bar in 2004, 94.3 percent allowed students to purchase bottled water (27 states). • Among schools that allowed students to purchase snack foods or beverages from vending machines or at the school store, canteen, or snack bar in 2002, 90.2 percent allowed students to purchase candy; high-fat snacks; or soft drinks, sports drinks, or fruit drinks that that are not 100 percent fruit juice during school lunch periods (12 cities). • Among schools that allowed students to purchase snack foods or beverages from vending machines or at the school store, canteen, or snack bar in 2004, 70.3 percent allowed students to purchase candy; high-fat snacks; or soft drinks, sports drinks, or fruit drinks that that are not 100 percent fruit juice during school lunch periods (11 cities). Where can I find more information? For additional resources and assistance with Profiles data, visit www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/profiles or call 888-231-6405.