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Effects of a school capacity-building intervention on children's heart health: evaluation of the Coalfields Healthy Heartbeat School Project in New South Wales, Australia

) Centre for Health Promotion Studies, (2) Faculty of Physical Education, (3) Alberta Centre for Wellbeing; University of Alberta, 5-10 University Extension Centre, 8303-112 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2T4

Phillip Williams

Hunter Centre for Health Advancement, Faculty of Medicine, University of Newcastle

Allan Fein

Centre for Health Promotion Studies, University of Alberta

The authors evaluated the effects of a school capacity-building intervention, The Australian Coalfields Healthy Heartbeat Project, on heart-health out comes of 11- and 12-year-old children. The 15 primary schools involved in the project are situated in a socio-economically disadvantaged area with rates of cardiovascular disease significantly higher than the regional, state and national averages. Each school received a capacity-buildiag intervention which con sisted of: provision of curriculum materials and training of teachers; advice for schools regarding structural change; ongoing support and follow-up; and, community involvement and public relations. The evaluation consisted of pre- and post-school-year measures of heart-health knowledge, attitudes, self- reported behaviour and health-related fitness. In comparison with students from the control-school district, the capacity-building intervention reported significant gains in fitness; however, there were no significant effects on knowl edge, attitudes and behaviours. The implications of these findings, along with future research directions and practice, are discussed.

Key Words: school heart health • cardiovascular disease • capacity-building • organisational change • evaluation

Health Education Journal, Vol. 58, No. 4, 389-400 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/001789699905800409


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