269 - Addressing Lifestyle Related Health Issues through Universal Healthy Lifestyle Program in School-based Health Centers

Publication Number: 269.3820

Rosy M. Chhabra, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States; Colleen Kelly, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, NY, United States; Angelic Rivera-Edwards, Montefiore School Health Program, Bronx, NY, United States; Laurie Bauman, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States

Background: The goal of school-based health centers (SBHCs) is to improve the health and well-being of students by increasing access to quality health care, particularly in high-need communities. Montefiore School Health Program (MSHP) is the largest comprehensive primary care model in the nation, serving 38,000 students in 100 schools via 33 SBHCs in the Bronx, NY. After health care interruption by COVID-19, the SBHCs found that healthy lifestyle behaviors in returning students had deteriorated; they were unable to develop and maintain habits related to healthy eating, nutrition, sleep, screen use, exercise, and social activity. In particular, post-pandemic data showed an increase in the average BMI of elementary school students at the beginning of each school year (SY).

Objective: 1. Address the rising incidence of lifestyle-related health issues in students in the MSHP
2. Pilot the feasibility and acceptability of a universal healthy lifestyle program for students in schools

Design/Methods: MSHP designed and piloted a clinician-driven program in 3 schools (elementary, middle, and high) in 2022-2023 SY with: 1) clinical visits with a provider assessing lifestyle habits; 2) classroom-based educational workshops by MSHP staff targeting healthy lifestyle practices; and 3) healthy vegetables/fruit distribution for select high-need student families.

Results: Based on the pilot, processes were streamlined to accommodate, 1) challenges in dedicating time for consistent clinical content delivery to patients and 2) school challenges to get consistent classroom time for educational workshops. The refined classroom standalone educational workshops made better curriculum fit and a newly created healthy lifestyle visit was added to an Epic template for efficiency. In the pilot, 253 students participated with a total of 412 healthy lifestyle visits. The refined program was successfully rolled throughout the MSHP in 2023-2024 SY. 2,503 students from elementary, middle, and high schools completed 3,011 healthy lifestyle visits demonstrating higher utilization, with a 13.2% increase in the average number of visits completed per student.

Conclusion(s): The Healthy Lifestyle Program engaged the school community successfully in preventative and health-promoting care and classroom-based education proving the feasibility and acceptability of the program. Even though the long-term effects of health metrics (including BMI) remain to be seen, the commitment of students to make healthier food choices, modify unhealthy behaviors, and increase physical activity, supports a positive health-promoting prognosis.