MNPS: Improving Adolescent Health and Well Being Through School Based Surveillance and the What Works in Schools Program - MNPS Project Abstract Summary Reducing the disparities in adolescent risk behaviors is one of the most pressing concerns for our nation’s youth. Mental health is an area where many of our young people continue to struggle, specifically our high school girls and those youth who identify as LGBTQIA+. Schools play an important role in fostering healthy student behavior and development. Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) is committed to promoting students’ health and well-being as a part of their collective academic experience. The MNPS grant team proposes to engage internal departments, external community partners, the School Health Advisory Council; in addition to using data that is collected from evaluations and surveys, to ensure that students and families experience the delivery of quality health education, increased access to health services, and greater connectedness with district and school staff. The Davidson County Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (DC YRBSS) and School Health Profile (DC SHP) cycle project seeks to implement approaches to obtain expanded, weighted sample responses to three (3) YRBSS cycles and (2) SHP cycles during the five-year performance period. The local analysis of weighted sample responses for each survey cycle and the subsequent dissemination of data reports will be used to: increase the knowledge of risk-behaviors, improve the health and well-being of Davidson County youth (6th -12th grade) and promote/ advocate for public-school policies, practices and processes that support healthy adolescent sexuality development. It is anticipated that identified trends of risk behaviors and public-school policies will be used to further target school-based and community-supported approaches that will: improve the health and well-being of young people by reducing sexual risk behaviors, decreasing experiences of violence and substance use, and improving mental health for students. MNPS proposes to contract with the Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) to implement each survey cycle during the project performance period. It is reasonably anticipated that the short-term and intermediate outcomes will be achieved by implementing and sustaining the What Works in Schools program and the school-based surveillance of youth risk behaviors by: 1). increasing staff competency in delivering quality health education, 2). increasing student access to needed school-based and community health services, 3). increasing student and staff competencies in the development of safe and supportive environments (SSE) for ALL students within the district, 4). and increasing the school district’s understanding of short-term trends in youth risk behaviors and experiences and of school health policies and practices. The annual knowledge gained from the analysis and interpretation of the YRBS and SHP cycles will result in the increased usage of survey results to plan and modify subsequent survey implementation among health and education partners within the public education system, increased visibility (education, health and community partners) of adolescent health needs in Davidson County, and increased coordination of school and community-based health services and education support for adolescents in Davidson County. Our team hopes to have the opportunity to continue the work that was begun six years ago and is impacting the lives and/ or school experience for our students, staff and families!
