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A longitudinal study of the impact of a school Heart Health Curriculum

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Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a study testing the impact of the Chicago Heart Health Curriculum on the behavior and attitudes towards cardiovascular disease prevention of 325 sixth graders residing in rural, suburban and residential suburban, northeast Ohio regions. Using a pre-test/post-test control group experimental design, data were gathered with a Student Health Questionnaire testing self-reported attitudes and behaviors regarding heart disease factors, at three points in time: 1) Pre-test: before implementation of the Heart Health Curriculum; 2) Post-test: immediately following implementation; and 3) Follow-up: one year later. Using an analysis of variance procedure, treatment effects were evidenced for only one of the outcome variables, Heart Health Knowledge (F=26.80, df=2/638, p<.00005). Results revealed that while the Chicago Heart Health Curriculum contributed to an increase in cardiovascular knowledge among the sixth graders tested, it did not affect attitudinal/behavioral preference change among the students.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Social Sciences, 2035 Abington Road, Case Western Reserve University, 44106, Cleveland, OH

    Marcia K. Petchers PhD

Authors
  1. Marcia K. Petchers PhD
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  2. Eugene Z. Hirsch MD
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  3. Barbara A. Bloch BS
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Additional information

Marcia K. Petchers, Ph.D., is Associate Dean, School of Applied Social Sciences, 2035 Abington Road, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106; Eugene Z. Hirsch, M.D., is Associate Professor, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Veterans Administration Hospital Medical Center, Wade Park, Cleveland, OH 44106; Barbara A. Bloch, B.S., is an Education Specialist, American Heart Association, Northeast Ohio Affilate, 1689 East 115th Street, Cleveland, OH 44106.

This project was supported by the American Heart Association, Northeast Ohio Affiliate, Inc. and the Schoolsite Committee with funds granted by the Northeast Ohio Affiliate, grants A-18-82 and A-24-83 from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and grant 84-413-3112 from The Cleveland Foundation. The authors express their appreciation to Lee-Hwa Jane, M.S., for data analysis and to Ann W. Roy, Ph.D., for editorial assistance.

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Petchers, M.K., Hirsch, E.Z. & Bloch, B.A. A longitudinal study of the impact of a school Heart Health Curriculum. J Community Health 13, 85–94 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01364203

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