RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF C.A.T.C.H. IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SCHOOLS

• Main Author: Bice, Matthew Ryan
• Format: Others
• Published: OpenSIUC 2013
• Subjects: CATCH; Childhood obesity; Coordinated School Health Program; School health
• Online Access: https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/663; https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1665&context=dissertations

This study is a retrospective evaluation of the Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH) coordinated school health program. An abundant amount of research has been conducted concerning CATCH, but no data exist that represents the characteristics and attitudes of individuals implementing the program. This study looked to examine organizational readiness, commitment to change, leadership, implementation barriers, innovation perceptions and their influence on the diffusion of CATCH. The primary purpose of this study is to describe and explain why schools in the same area that receive the same CATCH training result in different implementation practices. This study included a retrospective evaluation that evaluated school employees' motivation of CATCH implementation over the 2011-2012 school year. A survey of 284 school employees and health department partners consisting of 33 school administers, 197 classroom teachers, 27 physical education teachers, 21 cafeteria supervisors, and 6 health department partners at elementary school located in the southernmost counties of southern Illinois was conducted. Particular attention was focused upon the differences between classroom teachers, physical education teachers, cafeteria supervisors, and health department partners. Degree of CATCH implementation was the best among cafeteria supervisors and physical education teachers while classroom teachers implemented roughly 50% of the CATCH classroom curriculum. Organizational readiness was a significant predictor of classroom teacher degree of implementation while school leadership served as a significant predictor of degree of implementation by physical education teachers. The study utilizes CATCH; however, this study could be helpful concerning other school health programs to enhance program implementation practices and delivery. The significance of these data provide health educators with evidence of why schools have different implementation practices, what constructs influence degree of implementation, and how addressed constructs that influence implementation can be rectified through school preparation and training protocols to enhance degree of implementation. Additional variables are also discussed that could account for further variation in school employee degree of implementation.