Coordinated School Health Programs (CSHP) can change student’s health behaviors but not before the school’s health environment (i.e., culture) changes. That means the health behaviors of the faculty and staff must reflect the health related knowledge and skills the students are expected to learn and adopt.

The CATCH Coordination Kit provides a simple yet very effective system that involves the entire faculty in the process of teaching, reinforcing and modeling healthy behaviors. School-wide activities in the kit highlight the value of leading a physically active and nutritionally healthy lifestyle in simple, enjoyable and very effective ways. Over the course of a year, there are six promotional events that seamlessly weave health messages and activities into the school’s daily schedule.

CSHP exist for the purpose of changing children’s health behaviors. This presentation, supported by research intervention studies, will identify successful CSH interventions utilizing the CATCH Coordination Kit that led to positive changes in children’s activity levels, nutritional behaviors and BMI rates.