Background
Policies related to health education and health initiatives in schools are often determined at a state level. Numerous studies have examined the impact of state level school health policies on specific teens’ health outcomes or how teens’ health outcomes change over time. However, few studies have investigated how changes in school health policy relate to changes in youth health outcomes in subsequent years. The teen health policy project aims to examine multiple school related health policies and whether changes in those policies impact youth health outcomes.
Initial Objectives
- Combine School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) data and Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) data into a comprehensive policy database
- Assess the impact of school health policy on youth health outcomes
- Analyze how changes in policy create changes in youth health outcomes
Design
- Secondary data analysis
- Repeat measures design (SHPPS 2000 and 2006 data)
- Outcomes of interest = smoking behavior, alcohol consumption, number of sexual partners, use of contraceptives, and depression
Accomplishments to Date
- IRB approval in June of 2009
- Obtained SHPPS and YRBSS data from multiple years and state and created comprehensive policy database
- Conducted initial analyses regarding teen health outcomes
Timeline
May 2009 – November 2010
Project Members
Center for Urban Population Health
Paul Florsheim, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Melissa Lemke, M.A., Research Specialist
Naoyo Mori, Ph.D., Epidemiologist
Han Yang Chen, M.S., Biostatistician
Medical College of Wisconsin
Kaija Zusevics, Ph.D. Candidate
For more information contact:
Paul Florsheim, Ph.D.
414-219-5069
paulf@uwm.edu
