Implementation and Institutionalization of Heart Health Programming in Schools: The Pawtucket Heart Health Program Experience

The Pawtucket Heart Health Program (PHHP) is a community research and demonstration project examining whether population-based interventions to decrease the prevalence of risk factors will reduce CVD morbidity and mortality. Intervention programs and materials have been promoted and implemented using a variety of channels including worksites, churches, physician offices, and schools. School interventions which targeted all 23 Pawtucket public and parochial schools included: curriculum materials; Heart Healthy Cook-Offs; Get Fit USA, an exercise campaign; after school Heart Health Clubs; Cholesterol SCOREs (screening, counseling, referral events); STOP, a smoking prevention program; Fun Foods for Kids, a nutrition program for young children; risk factor reduction campaigns for faculty and staff; and consultation to improve the school environment, i.e. smoking policy, school lunch. These comprehensive school interventions were designed to improve the heart health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of school faculty and staff, as well as students. As PHHP reaches the final phase of its operation, many of these programs are being institutionalized into the Pawtucket community. This article defines the rationale for including school interventions as part of PHHP, discusses how PHHP initially established a liaison with the Pawtucket school system, and describes the wide variety of interventions PHHP used with the schools and how PHHP is attempting to institutionalize these interventions so they continue after federal funding is over.