1. UCCS-UCM Health and Wellness Consortium Planning
Academic-Community Collaboration to Improve Child Health and Wellness in Schools of Underserved Communities
Sarah Kennedy, MEd1, Todd Barnett2, and Anna Volerman, MD3
1University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, 2University of Chicago Charter School, 3University of Chicago Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics
Background
Specific Aims
Results
Conclusions
UCCS-UCM Health and Wellness Consortium Planning
2014 – 2015
Over the last decade, the rate of childhood obesity in the US has tripled to 16.8%1 
Chicago Public School students are more overweight on average (figure 1)
On the South Side of Chicago, the rate of overweight and obese is 56.4% among non-Hispanic, black students1 
Low income limits food choice
There is little funding to promote health in schools
Urban, African American families report they do not have information regarding child health2
The University of Chicago Charter School (UCCS) is a non-selective public charter school on Chicago’s South Side3
4 campuses with 1,900 students in pre-kindergarten to 12th grade
96.7% are African American 
82% qualify for free or reduced price lunch
100% of graduates accepted to college for last four years ( )
To take inventory of the health education assets at each of the school’s four campus and share best practices among them
To identify programming needs for building a wellness-conscious school culture that promotes educational success
To reduce health disparities faced by the underserved population at these school campuses
The needs assessment allowed the consortium to identify existing assets and gaps in health and wellness across the school’s four campuses
Shifts in school culture are slow and must be implemented in small, manageable pieces with buy-in from leaders
Bringing all stakeholders to the table in academic-community collaborations is crucial to success
This innovative academic-community collaboration effort has fostered a stronger relationship between the academic medical center and its surrounding underserved communities
Next steps are focused on implementation, including identifying priority areas, securing funding, building upon community resources to implement the wellness plan incrementally
Health and wellness consortium formed
Members brainstorm and discuss current status of health and wellness
Medical students conduct wellness assessment at
all campuses and model school
(figure 2) 
Health and wellness policy written
Annual implementation plan written
Spring 2015
Budget prepared
Family wellness night
Fall 2015
5K run / walk
Strict food policy
Movement activities in class
Professional development for PE and health teachers
Staff wellness initiatives
Preventive health
Nutrition
Physical activity and education
Social and emotional
well-being
Reproductive health
Health education
Staff wellness
Methods
Health and Wellness Consortium developed in summer 2014
Physicians, residents, and medical students from University of Chicago Medicine + school administrators, nurses, and physical education and health teachers
Monthly meetings to foster collaboration
Aim to develop, implement, and assess programs related to wellness
Pritzker School of Medicine students created and implemented a targeted school wellness tool
Adapted from validated assessments School Health Index5 and WellSAT6
Completed assessment based on direct observation and discussion with teachers, administrators, and students
Visited each of the four campuses during school day
Also visited model school for wellness programming in Chicago
Acknowledgements
Figure 1. Overweight or obesity prevalence among Chicago Public Schools students4
Figure 2. Selected results from targeted wellness assessment tool implemented at each charter school campus and a local model school
This project was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health through Grant Number UL1 TR
We thank the faculty, staff and administration at each campus for generous assistance in survey completion.
Special thank you to all members of the Health and Wellness Consortium in its inaugural year in
Donohue
(PreK-5)
Carter G. Woodson
(6-8)
Woodlawn
(6-12)
N. Kenwood/
Oakland
UCCS
Model school
Outside food policy
No formal policy
Strict policy listing allowable healthy snacks that may be brought for special occasions
Physical education
Two 60 minute PE classes per week
Daily for 60 minutes
Health education
Provided for high school students for one trimester; taught by physical education teacher when possible for other grades
Integrated into morning routine in every classroom, preK to 8th grade
Recess structure
Unregulated after lunch
Activity stations before lunch
References
Margellos-Anast H, Shah AM, Whitman S. Prevalance of Obesity Among Children in Six Chicago Communities: Findings from a Health Survey. Public Health Rep. 2008; 123(2):
Burnet DL, Plaut, AJ, Ossowski K, Ahmad A, Quinn MT, Radovick S, Gorawara-Bhat R, Chin MH. Community and Family Perspectives on Addressing Overweight in Urban, African-American Youth. J Gen Intern Med 2008; 23(2):
UChicago Charter School. The University of Chicago Urban Education Institute. Accessed Sept 28, 2014.
Jones, RC, Morita J, Ramirez E, Bocskay KA, Lakhani A, Lionberger A, Harvey-Gintoft BC. Whyte S. Overweight and Obesity among Chicago Public Schools Students, City of Chicago, 2013.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. School Health Index: A Self- Assessment and Planning Guide. Elementary school version
Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. WellSAT: Wellness School Assessment Tool