Citation

Piper DL, King MJ, Moberg DP. Eval. Program Plann. 1993; 16(3): 171-180.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0149-7189(93)90001-O

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Healthy for Life is an adolescent health promotion research project for middle school students that focuses on behaviors in five interrelated areas: nutrition, tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use, and human sexuality. This research project required the recruitment of 22 middle schools. The demands of rigorous evaluation research and the topics involved, especially sexuality, made the recruitment of schools challenging. This article examines the lessons learned from the process regarding: (a) the tensions between the needs of independent school districts and the research goals of the project, (b) the expectations of schools and teachers regarding health education and research, (c) the relative success of various recruitment strategies and approaches, (d) the variation in school district approval processes and decision-making styles and their effects on implementation, (e) practical issues limiting involvement, and (f) responses of school administrators and faculty to program messages, teaching techniques, and the need for consistent implementation. Because adolescent health promotion efforts often involve in-school interventions, the practical lessons from Healthy for Life are invaluable for anyone planning school-based programming or research.