SIGNIFICANCE: Good social skills are critical to successful health promotion efforts. Social skills are also believed to influence students' academic performance, behavior, and social relationships. This study examines the impact of the MMH across multiple health areas in the same students.
PROCEDURES: 2,512 students were recruited from 52 schools to participate in a two-year study. The schools were randomly assigned to an intervention group (received MMH) curriculum) or comparison group (did not receive MMH) and students were followed through fourth and fifth grade. An incentive to participate in the study was provide to teachers and schools. Participating teachers attended curriculum implementation training. Each school year, a pre-test, an immediate post-test conducted at the conclusion of instruction, and a five weeks delayed-post test was conducted afterward by project staff. Data collectors were blind to experimental condition. Data were analyzed using inferential statistics.
FINDINGS: Analyses indicated that the MMH significantly improved students' interpersonal communication skills, social emotional skills, and drug refusal skills. In addition, students who received the curriculum exhibited lower intentions to use drugs, less alcohol and tobacco use initiated during the study and in the past 30 days, and less aggression.
CONCLUSION: Results are consistent with the theoretical model guiding the intervention and support efforts to reduce health-risk behaviors through A comprehensive school health education curriculum can produce significant student improvements across multiple health skills, behavioral intentions, and behaviors across the two-year span.
See more of: AAHE Research Coordinating Board