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

Abstract

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.