Implementation Of School-based Prevention Programs Research Articles

Barriers to the implementation of primary prevention of risky behaviour in school in the context of teacher/ school prevention methodologist activities

This research article is related to the issue of risky behaviour of elementary and high school pupils from the point of view of teachers responsible for implementing school-based primary prevention programs. The author aims at the perspective of teachers who serve as school prevention methodologists and who organize, realize, and assess school prevention programs. The text describes discursive questions related to prevention and the potential of the teachers leading to the effective implementation of school-based prevention programs. The presented research outcomes show the teachers’ evaluation of conditions provided for the realization of prevention programs in schools; it then analyses interviews with the teachers about behaviour issues they encounter in their students.Risky behaviour prevention is an obligatory component of education in the Czech Republic. Schools create prevention strategies and programs as part of the school curriculum. The key questions related to creating these documents include clarifying the general topics that the school should address within the theoretical bases, defining the key priorities and specifying the main topics in the prevention program. School prevention methodologists have a lack of confidence, which prevents them from preparing and evaluating the programs properly. Teachers must contend with a number of issues, yet they are not certain enough about the effective conditions and processes needed for the successful realization of prevention programs.The first part of the research design is based on data obtained from the mind maps analysis. These mind maps are the outcome of the school prevention methodologists’ participation in focus groups (n=28). Within these groups, participants captured the issues and conditions related to their personal view of the realization of prevention programs in their schools. The subsequent content analysis of the text, according to Klapko (2013), provides an interesting use of the connection between the primary mass mapping of the issue of the distribution of variables due to the categorical key and the in-depth data analysis within the context of the qualitative research study. The analysis of mind maps was realized in accordance with the research method described by Gavora (2010): the basic set of texts was determined (in this particular case, the mind maps), then the semantic units were classified into several analytic categories, and these units were finally quantified and described. The interpretation of the results (by the technique of “laying cards on the table”) is based on the research data obtained during the second phase of the research. This part concerns the interviews with teachers about their mind maps. The participants were asked to explain their personal attitude reflected in the selection of given categories and in the formulation of the logic chains. Research outcomes show important knowledge related to the realization of prevention programs in 28 schools in the South Bohemia region, all of which require support in this respect.

Bahamas National Implementation Project: Proposal for Sustainability of an Evidence-based HIV Prevention Intervention in a School Setting.

BackgroundSustained implementation of school-based prevention programs is low. Effective strategies are needed to enhance both high-level implementation fidelity and sustainability of prevention programs.ObjectiveThis proposed study aims to determine if the provision of either biweekly monitoring and feedback and site-based assistance and mentorship or both to at-risk and moderate-performing teachers with monitoring through an enhanced decision-making platform by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Health (MOH) based on the real-time implementation data will increase national implementation fidelity and result in sustained implementation over time.MethodsThis study will target government schools including 200 grade 6 teachers in 80 primary schools and 100 junior/middle high school teachers (and their classes) on 12 Bahamian islands. Teacher and school coordinator training will be conducted by the MOE in year 1, followed by an optimization trial among teachers in the capital island. Informed by these results, an implementation intervention will be conducted to train using different levels of educational intensity all at-risk and moderate-performing teachers. Subsequently selected training and implementation strategies will be evaluated for the national implementation of Focus on Youth in the Caribbean and Caribbean Informed Parents and Children Together in years 2 to 5.ResultsIt is hypothesized that a more intensive training and supervision program for at-risk and moderate-performing teachers will enhance their implementation fidelity to the average level of the high-performing group (85%), an HIV prevention program delivered at the national level can be implemented with fidelity in grade 6 and sustained over time (monitored annually), and student outcomes will continue to be highly correlated with implementation fidelity and be sustained over time (assessed annually through grade 9). The proposed study is funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development from August 1, 2018, through May 31, 2023.ConclusionsThe study will explore several theory-driven implementation strategies to increase sustained teacher implementation fidelity and thereby increase the general public health impact of evidence-based interventions. The proposed project has potential to make significant contributions to advancing school-based HIV prevention research and implementation science and serve as a global model for the Fast Track strategy.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/14816

Effects of Childhood Bullying Extend Into Middle Age

Back to table of contents Previous article Clinical and Research NewsFull AccessEffects of Childhood Bullying Extend Into Middle AgeVabren WattsVabren WattsSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:12 May 2014https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2014.5b9AbstractIn light of data showing the long-term sequelae of childhood bullying, experts urge psychiatrists to take a more active role in attempts to reduce bullying in schools.The consequences of being bullied in childhood may persist at least until middle age, taking an emotional toll and affecting multiple areas of life. Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College, London, conducted a study that followed 8,000 individuals for up to 50 years to assess the ramifications of childhood bullying victimization into adulthood. They reported their findings April 18 in AJP in Advance.O Driscoll Imaging/Shutterstock“This large-scale, longitudinal study documents the persistent and pervasive detrimental effects of childhood bullying,” commented David Fassler, M.D., a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont and a child and adolescent psychiatrist, who was not involved with the study. “Despite increased awareness and the widespread implementation of school-based prevention programs, bullying remains a common experience for many young people,” he told Psychiatric News, “with recent surveys indicating that as many as half of all children and adolescents are bullied at some time during their school years—and at least 10 percent being bullied on a regular basis.”According to the new study, relatively little is known about the long-term impact of bullying. Previous studies have assessed the impact of being the victim of childhood bullying into early adulthood—ages 18 to 25—but none have shown how being bullied during a person’s formative years can affect mental health in middle adulthood.To assess the consequences of childhood bullying victimization on midlife mental wellness, the researchers collected data from the British National Child Development Study, which has been following the lives of all children born in England, Scotland, and Wales during one week in 1958. The researchers analyzed information obtained from those individuals—along with information reported by their parents—concerning bullying exposures between ages 7 and 11. Follow-up assessments of participants were conducted between ages 23 and 50. The results showed that childhood bullying was relatively common among this population in the 1960s, with 28 percent of the participants having been victimized by bullying and 15 percent having been exposed to frequent bullying. Moreover, the sequelae were long-lasting for many of those on the receiving end of the bullying. Victims of childhood bullying had higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation at age 45, for example, compared with those who were not bullied. In addition, victims of childhood bullying were less likely to be living with a partner and have social relationships and were more likely to endure economic hardships, have a poor perceived quality of life, and self-report poor cognitive functioning at age 50.The authors noted that the findings “emphasize the importance of gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the persistence and pervasiveness of the impact of childhood bullying victimization,” adding that these findings “suggest that intervention efforts should aim to minimize poor health outcomes in young victims of bullying.”Stuart Twemlow, M.D., a retired professor of psychiatry at the Menninger Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine and an expert on bullying, agreed. “These results are straightforward and are fully expected as it relates to any type of childhood traumatization.” Twemlow said that more psychiatrists need to address bullying behavior, which often has its origins in school settings. “Psychiatrists need to have a more active role in school issues,” Twemlow told Psychiatric News. “Psychiatrists need to be willing to sit down with schools and help to manage the extraordinary amounts of victimization indicated by the current studies. British schools represented in this study are no different from the schools in the U.S. when it pertains to this issue.”Because previous research has shown childhood bullying to negatively affect scholastic performance and coping skills into early adulthood, Twemlow stated that psychiatrists need to talk to all patients—no matter their age—about childhood bullying. Failure to do so, he said, “is a tragedy.”Twemlow concluded that because psychiatrists have a knowledge of the mind and body, as well as knowledge of the responsibilities of being a health care professional, “psychiatrists are in a unique position to help parents and schools tackle this major mental health issue.” ■“Adult Health Outcomes of Childhood Bullying Victimization: Evidence From a Five-Decade Longitudinal British Birth Cohort” can be accessed here. ISSUES NewArchived

The Relative Importance of Provider, Program, School, and Community Predictors of the Implementation Quality of School-Based Prevention Programs

Previous research has demonstrated the importance of a variety of factors on the implementation of school-based prevention programs, specifically characteristics of program providers, program structure, school climate, and school and community structure. The current study expands this research by examining the potential relationships between all of these factors and implementation quality in a series of multilevel models. Using data from a nationally representative sample of 3,730 program providers surveyed in 544 schools, it was found that program structure characteristics were of greater importance in the prediction of high quality implementation than were characteristics of the program providers, school climate, and school and community structure. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Do Predictors of the Implementation Quality of School-Based Prevention Programs Differ by Program Type?

Research has indicated that the effectiveness of school-based prevention programs is affected by the implementation quality of these programs. As the importance of implementation has become clear, researchers have identified factors that appear to be related to implementation quality, including local program selection and training, integration into school operations, organizational capacity, principal support, and program standardization; however, it is unknown whether the impact of these factors differs by program type. Data from a nationally representative sample of 544 schools are used to create structural equation models representing hypothesized relationships among school and program factors and implementation quality, controlling for exogenous community factors. The relative importance of these factors for individual-level programs, such as behavior modification and counseling programs, versus environmental-level programs, such as improvements to classroom management or school planning and climate change programs, is the focus of this study. Implications for the implementation of school-based prevention program are discussed.

Description of the Design and Implementation of a School-Based Obesity Prevention Program Addressing Needs of Middle School Students

ABSTRACT This article describes the design and implementation of a school-based obesity prevention program, the successes associated with its implementation, and challenges with development and application of the program's curriculum base. The program is described, including purpose and goals, content and structure of the curriculum, type and training of personnel, and budgetary concerns. Formative program evaluation results were reviewed, including whether the target population was reached, whether the implementation followed the content and structure originally designed, revisions made to the implementation process and curriculum, feedback and reactions from instructors, school personnel, and students, and an overview of strengths and limitations of the program. Recommendations for others considering implementation of school-based prevention programs in real-time settings are offered. Future research expanding and refining the program and its curriculum is planned, using a community-based participatory research approach.

Implementation of Prevention Programs: Lessons for Future Research and Practice: A Commentary on Social and Emotional Learning: Promoting the Development of All Students, a chapter by Joseph E. Zins and Maurice J. Elias

Zins and his colleagues pointed out that understanding implementation of school-based prevention programs is a critical issue as we get more sophisticated about strategies to promote children's social and emotional skill development. This commentary discusses school-based program implementation, challenges, lessons learned, and future directions for effective implementation. It also summarizes a review of model programs in schools to provide a snapshot of the state of implementation research.

School Predictors of the Intensity of Implementation of School-Based Prevention Programs: Results from a National Study

Research has indicated that the effectiveness of school-based prevention programs is affected by the implementation quality of these programs. As the importance of implementation has become clearer, researchers have begun to examine factors that appear to be related to implementation quality. Data from a nationally representative sample of 544 schools were used to examine structural equation models representing hypothesized relationships among school and program factors and implementation intensity, controlling for exogenous community factors. Significant relationships were found between implementation intensity and several school and program factors, including local program development process, integration into school operations, organizational capacity, principal support, and standardization. Implications of these findings are discussed.