I NCREASING H EALTHY B EHAVIORS THROUGH O RGANIZATIONAL C ULTURE C HANGE Marion Terenzio PhD (Bloomfield College) Patricia OConnor PhD (The Sage Colleges) Presented at the 2011 Hawaii Cross-Culture Health Care Conference Honolulu, October 7, 2011

S ETTING FOR C HANGE Higher education institutions: o Primary mission: education o Secondary mission: enhance quality of student life to enable learning

S ETTING FOR C HANGE Student health concerns domain of Wellness Centers

S ETTING FOR C HANGE Current structures for health have expanded: 1. Wellness centers 2. Co-curricular activities 3. Academic supports

C ONTEXT FOR C HANGE : N EED FOR I NTERVENTIONS Known relationships: Poor student health = decreased academic success (Von Ah et al. 2005) Healthy students = greater capacity for involvement in educational experiences (Silverman et al. 2008)

C ONTEXT FOR C HANGE Early recognition that effective health promotion strategies should : Take culture into account Incorporate health promotion into curriculum (Keeling 1991) Healthy faculty (and staff) encourage better learning environment (Silverman et al. 2008)

F RAMEWORK FOR C HANGE Higher education institutions Changing organizational culture focus on inclusion of health concerns

F RAMEWORK FOR C HANGE BTtoP domains critical for student engagement: 1. Student mental health and well-being 2. Engaged learning 3. Civic development AAC&U: Finley & Swaner 2008)

O UR S ETTING : B LOOMFIELD C OLLEGE Minority-serving institution Low rates of academic success Fewer healthy behaviors among students

BC S TUDENTS C OMPARED … American College Health Association (ACHA) National Assessment (2008)

T HE I NTERVENTION : C HANGING C ULTURE Application of BTtoP domains $2.4mil funding through PBI for four years

T HE I NTERVENTION : C ONTEXT o PBI (predominantly Black institution) o Inclusive Excellence model adopted (AAC&U 2005) Active efforts toward diversity Use of scorecard to measure achievement

P ROJECT A IM To increase healthy behaviors, developing them as life-long habits, among all BC students through a systematic change in the organizational culture of BC.

B ASIC I NTERVENTION P RINCIPLES I. All student-connected units will assess the evidence of their commitment to, and implementation, of a healthy habits perspective.

M ONITORING BY Healthy Habits team: Student Affairs Academic Affairs Academic depts. Faculty Enrollment Mgmt Food services Advisement Office Human Resources Finance/Administration Evaluator

R OLE OF H EALTHY H ABITS T EAM Address identified gaps Lack of culture of healthy lifestyles Low retention Lack of optimal services and opportunities to increase academic success Lack of understanding of diversity in healthcare professions Lack of technology to assist in data- driven decisions

B ASIC I NTERVENTION P RINCIPLES II. Evaluation of programmatic efforts in two ways: 1. Feedback loop through process evaluations 2. Outcome evaluations

P ROGRAM O NE Develop outreach plan focusing on the physical, psychosocial well being of students. Evaluation : baseline data

P HASES IN P ROGRAM O NE 1. Target first year students, transitioning from high school to college Evaluation 2. Create outreach education program for continuing students Evaluation 3. Develop inventory of College-wide policies and practices Evaluation

P ROGRAM T WO Develop and implement CHAMPS (Coaching Health for AA Males to Promote Success) Program. Evaluation

P ROGRAM T HREE Support collaborative research opportunities for faculty and students in health related fields, focusing on enhancing the health of the entire BC community. Evaluation

P ROGRAM F OUR Create health-focused study abroad experiences. Evaluation

P ROGRAM F IVE Develop and implement a data-based decision-making model for Healthy Habits interventions. Evaluation

P ROGRAM S IX Create a faculty development program to encourage and support faculty innovations related to Healthy Habits in the classroom and in their curricula, particularly enhancing student engagement. Evaluation