Health and wellbeing education can be an important addition to a school curriculum. But for these programs to be effective, they must be delivered in a way that works for everyone, including students, instructors, and school administrators. A new study from University of Illinois evaluates the implementation of two prevention programs, using a mixed-methods approach with input from multiple sources.
“Soliciting diverse perspectives is important. The more we can listen to everyone who's involved, the better we can learn what can be done to improve the programs. And we really need to include the youth voice, because they're the experts of their own experience,” says Jacinda K. Dariotis, professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and director of the Family Resiliency Center, both part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the U of I. Dariotis is lead author on the paper, published in Prevention Science.
The study was conducted in three urban public schools in low-income neighborhoods. Participants were ninth-grade students, the majority of whom (84%) self-identified as Black. The students volunteered for the study and were randomly assigned to either a mindfulness or a health education class. The programs were delivered in 30-minute sessions four times a week for 10 weeks.
“One of our key takeaways is that students’ relationship with the instructor really matters, because that builds connection,” Dariotis says. “We also found that active learning is important, including physical activity and opportunities to help and train other students.”
Read more from the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences.