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1996 Massachusetts School Health Education Profile Report

Executive Summary

Introduction

The School Health Education Profile Survey (SHEP) was developed by the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assess the impact of state and federal resources on the implementation of comprehensive health education. The survey was first conducted in Massachusetts in 1994 to determine the status of comprehensive health education and HIV prevention education in middle and high schools throughout the Commonwealth. The results of the 1996 SHEP allow us to monitor the state's progress in providing comprehensive health education. Furthermore, the SHEP results provide information to schools and to the Commonwealth to be used in setting priorities for improving the delivery of school health education.

Methods

The SHEP, conducted in the Spring of 1996, included two questionnaires:

1. a School Principal Survey to assess the status of health education at the school level from an administrative perspective, and
2. a Lead Health Education Teacher Survey to assess health education at the classroom level from an instructional viewpoint. All public schools in the state containing at least two of the grades 6 through 12 were eligible for participation in the survey with 439 schools randomly selected to participate. Usable questionnaires were obtained from 393 principals (90% response rate) and 383 teachers (87% response rate). These high response rates allowed the data to be statistically weighted. This means that the results of the 1996 SHEP can be used to make inferences concerning health education characteristics of the Commonwealth's middle and high schools.

RESULTS

Extent Of Health Education

• The percentage of schools requiring health education courses has increased significantly from 1994 to 1996 for each of the grades 6 through 12. [See Figure 1]
• For students in grades 6 through 12, required health education courses are most often scheduled in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. There is a rapid decline in the percentage of schools that schedule required health education courses after the 9th grade.
• There are no statistically significant changes from 1994 to 1996 in the total number of years of required health education students receive.
• The percentage of schools requiring health education units that are integrated into other subjects (such as family and consumer science, biology or other sciences, or physical education) has increased significantly from 46% in 1994 to 78% in 1996.

Health Education Graduation Requirements

• From 1994 to 1996, there has been a statistically significant increase in the overall percentage of schools that require a health education course for graduation or promotion, from 39% to 55%. Thirty-five percent of middle schools and 85% of high schools reported these graduation requirements.

Content Of Health Education

• From 1994 to 1996 there were statistically significant increases in the percentage of health educators teaching to increase students' knowledge in a variety of health topics including: alcohol, drug, and tobacco use prevention; violence prevention; pregnancy prevention; HIV/AIDS prevention; and suicide prevention.
• The majority of health educators surveyed report teaching numerous skills necessary for adolescents to engage in health-enhancing behaviors including: decision-making; refusal and communication skills; conflict resolution; and goal-setting.

HIV/AIDS Prevention Education

• Eighty-seven percent of all schools surveyed require HIV/AIDS education for students in one or more grades.
• For each of grades 6 through 12, there have been statistically significant increases from 1994 to 1996 in the percentage of schools requiring HIV/AIDS education. [See Figure 2]
• Despite these achievements other areas in health education have remained stable from 1994 to 1996. Requirements for HIV/AIDS prevention education continue to remain lowest for the higher grades, a time when adolescent health risk behaviors rise most dramatically.
• From 1994 to 1996, statistically significant increases were reported in the percent of teachers addressing HIV/AIDS related topics such as: reasons for choosing abstinence; group attitudes toward risk behaviors; information on HIV testing; and compassion and support for people living with HIV/AIDS. The topics for which coverage did not increase significantly from 1994 to 1996 were correct use of condoms and effectiveness of condoms.
• Seventy-one percent of teachers report one or more difficulties teaching about HIV/AIDS. Demands on class time and large class sizes were the barriers most often reported.

Health Education Training And Teaching Staff

• Nearly three quarters (73%) of lead health educators have ten or more years of overall teaching experience. However, only 43% have been teaching health education that long.
• School/district support for health education-related inservice training and staff development for health education teachers has increased significantly from 1994 to 1996.

Parental Involvement In School Health Education

• The vast majority of principals received positive feedback from parents regarding health education. Only 1% of principals reported receiving negative parental feedback.
• The percentage of teachers who involve parents in required health education courses in their schools increased significantly from 1994 to 1996.
• Expansion of health content due to parental feedback was considerably more frequent than restriction of content for every health topic on the survey.
• Schools which provided HIV/AIDS education for parents were more likely to receive positive feedback from parents regarding health education in general than schools which did not provide HIV/AIDS education for parents.

SHEP Table of Contents