Mississippi needs to take action- a message from the American College of Sports Medicine

Eileen Avato
National CATCH Specialist
eileen.avato@flaghouse.com
800-793-7900 x7539

Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH)

Program Description
CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health), program provides the philosophy, curriculum, training and resources needed to promote child wellness behaviors, increase opportunities for moderate to vigorous physical activity and promotes nutrition learning and healthy eating behaviors for elementary school age children in both school and after school settings. Developed as Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) school-based coordinated school health program, CATCH has been successful in reducing fat, saturated fat and sodium in children’s diets, increasing physical activity, and improving children’s diet choices and aims to prevent tobacco use. Through a coordinated program that impacts classroom nutrition education, the cafeteria, physical education and parent education and activities, CATCH is a resource for the development and implementation of Wellness Policies and is a successful intervention as a cardiovascular, diabetes prevention and wellness program for elementary schools. Recognized as an innovation in health prevention by US Secretary of Health and Human Services, CATCH adheres to dietary standards of the USDA. CATCH is designed for K-8 school based and K-5 after school. CATCH activities are age appropriate, and classroom activities employ a variety of interactive games, stories, discussions, posters, and some materials include take-home letters in English and Spanish. Children have opportunities to learn, participate and are encouraged to practice nutrition and physical activity in daily life.

Program Purpose: The CATCH Program (Coordinated Approach To Child Health) brings schools, families, and communities together to teach children how to be healthy for a lifetime.

Target Audience: CATCH is designed for K-8 school based and K-5 after school.
Evaluation/Monitoring
In the original trials of CATCH – it was tested in 96 schools in four states with over 5000 students. Today CATCH is in over 7000 schools nationwide. CATCH has developed multiple evaluation tools such as surveys and other evaluation methods and are available on the www.catchinfo.org website. CATCH curricula impacts knowledge, skills and behavior and builds a positive and healthy school environment impacting both students and staff. Results of a recent study in El Paso, Texas showed that CATCH successfully slowed the increase in risk of overweight or overweight seen in a controlled group of school children. “Prevention of the Epidemic Increase in Child Risk of Overweight in Low-Income Schools: The El Paso Coordinated Approach to Child Health (Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med./Vol. 159, March 2005)” by Karen Coleman, Ph.D.; Claire Lola Tiller, MA; et al. FlagHouse, the NJ based CATCH publisher, in partnership with nationally known physical education and health educators (many of whom are original members of the CATCH research team) continues to develop the CATCH materials and supporting products. CATCH has now expanded to include physical education for grades K-8, diabetes education, tobacco avoidance, classroom health for grades K-5. And the specially designed CATCH Kids Club is a module specifically for after-school implementation.

Participation Rate: Today CATCH is in over 7000 schools nationwide.

Impact: At the completion of the original trial, students exposed to the intervention consumed less fat and participated in more physical activity outside of school; school cafeterias provided meals that were lower in fat; and students were more physically active during physical education classes. The CATCH cohort of students was re-measured three years post intervention (in eighth grade), and positive effects were maintained: intervention students had significantly lower fat intakes and higher levels of physical activity compared to control students. The CATCH program today is now in over 7000 schools around the world. In October 2006, CATCH received the Innovation in Prevention Award from the US Department and Health and Human Services’ National Prevention Summit as a creative health promotion and chronic disease prevention program labeled as a breakthrough elementary school obesity prevention and child health program. The evidence based research shows...CATCH increases physical activity levels, and is the only school intervention proven to affect student BMI. CATCH components involve the school, families and communities.
Application/Adoption
CATCH has both a school based program and an after school, community based program. The four CATCH school based components are: • Go for Health/Nutrition Classroom Curriculum – K-5 • CATCH Physical Education – K-8 • Eat Smart School Food Service Nutrition Guide – For School Food Service • Family- Home Team and School activities - reinforce positive healthy behaviors throughout a child's day and make it clear that good health and learning go hand in hand. Community -CATCH Kids Club is designed for after school, summer enrichment, community or recreation based programs and has a physical activity program and a nutrition and healthy eating component. CATCH Kids Club was rated the highest in the National Institute of Out of School Time – Alignment of Standards for physical activity and nutrition programs for after-school. CATCH Kids Club Physical Activity Kit – over 300 activities – with equipment and training available for community recreation, after school and summer camps. CATCH Kids Club Nutrition Manual – 32 fun nutrition education, healthy eating and snack making lessons. Take-home letters for parents are both in English and Spanish. CATCH Training Workshops are fun, dynamic and multi-dimensional workshops designed to provide the knowledge, skills and tools to successfully implement and/or support the CATCH Program. CATCH Training Workshops orient participants to the CATCH Program, blending a variety of interactive techniques that both teach and demonstrate strategies for effective implementation. They are designed to identify specific campus needs, and facilitate practical solutions toward guiding school communities in their efforts to help children be healthy for a lifetime.
School Goals and Student Achievement
CATCH provides a focus on creating a healthy school environment and places a value on health for children to be healthy for a lifetime. CATCH provides a coordinated approach to child health in elementary schools and after school settings and provides the curricula, tools, equipment and training for children to learn, participate and to enhance and promote a healthy environment.
Curriculum Integration
CATCH can be integrated in to classroom health and PE classes and fulfills several mandates of the wellness policies for the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act, such as increasing physical activity and nutrition education. Skills also include math, reading, science, physical education and health concepts. CATCH provides four major components of a coordinated school health model as recommended by the CDC with overlaps in other areas.
Stakeholder Support
CATCH can be successfully implemented with the support of a strong CATCH proponent that leads the committee of teachers, parents, administrators, school food service directors, and other community stakeholders and supporters.
Sustainability
CATCH materials and curricula can be utilized on a continuous basis and CATCH training and evaluation components provide needed support and sustainability of the CATCH program. CATCH is also a springboard to support the creative growth of a multidimensional coordinated school health program tailored to the needs of various districts &communities.
Contact Information
Eileen Avato
National CATCH Specialist
Flaghouse, Inc
601 Flaghouse Drive
Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604
Phone: 800-793-7900 x 7513
E-mail: eileen.avato@flaghouse.com
Website: www.CATCHinfo.org

Program Categories:
Coordinated School Health Program
Physical Activity
Nutrition Education
After School Programs
Co-Curricular Programs