Katalyst Pilot Study: Using Interactive Activities in Anatomy and Physiology to Teach Children the Scientific Foundation of Healthy Lifestyles

• Main Authors: Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Kathryn Baker, Sara E. DeJarnett, Tyler Hendricks, Melissa McGowan, Lauren Joseph, Melissa D. Olfert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-11-01
• Series: Children
• Subjects: health education; lifestyles; experiential learning; students; elementary
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/5/12/162

This pilot study evaluated the impact of the Katalyst curriculum, a fifth-grade experiential learning program, on students&#8217; knowledge of a healthy lifestyle&#8217;s impact on body functions. Katalyst&#8217;s interactive curriculum spans two days and includes four, 60-min stations on body systems: cardiovascular/endocrine, gastrointestinal, neurological, and respiratory/musculoskeletal. Three schools were recruited, and two schools completed the intervention sessions. Prior to beginning the stations, fifth-grade students completed a 37-item questionnaire to assess knowledge and perceptions. Students completed the same survey at the end of the Katalyst intervention. Teachers at the school also completed a survey post intervention to provide feedback on the program. Frequency and paired analyses were conducted on student responses and summative content analysis on teacher and volunteer feedback. The School 1 completer (<i>n</i> = 63) baseline mean knowledge score was 66.2%. The School 2 completer (<i>n</i> = 47) baseline mean knowledge score was 67.3%. Following the Katalyst intervention, both schools showed a statistically significant increase in the mean post score to 70.3% (<i>p</i> = 0.0017) and 78.4%(<i>p</i> &lt; 0.0001) at School 1 (<i>n</i> = 63) and School 2 (<i>n</i> = 47), respectively. Teacher feedback (<i>n</i> = 7) revealed that Katalyst was effective in meeting state educational health standards and teachers perceived that the students benefitted from the program more than &#8220;reading about the body systems in a textbook or health magazine&#8222;. The Katalyst pilot study appeared to improve fifth-grade students&#8217; knowledge of body systems and health. Katalyst aligned with state educational standards and is supported by teachers for an experiential learning opportunity. The Katalyst curriculum could be a potential avenue for health educators in Appalachia.