Healthy School Environment

Attachment F

OMB Control # 0584-0524

Expiration Date: 03/31/2013

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0524. The time to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

USDA/FNS Formative Messaging & Supporting Content

Mini Group Moderator’s Guide (Middle School Students)

60 minutes

i. WELCOME AND GROUND RULES (5 minutes)

[OMB Statement read to parents and children before groups begin]

1. First of all, I want to thank you for coming in today. My name is and I am very excited that you could all join us, and we should have a fun discussion. The group discussion will last only one hour. Do any of you need anything before we start? If you need to go to the bathroom during the next hour just let me know and a co-worker will show you where it is.

2. Have any of you ever been to a group discussion like this before? Moderator to review and explain to the kids the details of the room.

Well, I want to tell you a few things before we begin. There are microphones in the room that are recording what is said. I have to write a report after I am done today, and it makes it easy for me to be able to go back and listen to everything we talked about.

Behind me is a one-way mirror, which means there are a few people behind the mirror watching. A few other people working on this project with me are observing this discussion and taking notes since I can’t write down everything you say.

Because we are taping, it is important that you try to speak one at a time. It is my only “rule” of the day. So if everyone can be polite and try not to talk over each other I would appreciate it. It will also help the people taking notes to not hear everyone talking one at a time!

3. Before we start I want everyone to know that there are no wrong answers. We just want to hear your most honest thoughts, so don’t worry if you have different ideas or opinions than someone else in the group. The more thoughts you can share the better! I know you all have great thoughts to share and I can’t wait to hear them.

II. INTRODUCTION (5 minutes)

• Ok, so now that I have told you all about the room, let’s take a minute before we start to introduce ourselves. Moderator to go first by saying name again and fun fact about herself – for example favorite thing to do in her free time.

• Ok, so now that you know a little bit about me, I would love to hear all about you! Let’s go around the room and everyone can just say their first name, age and grade as well as their favorite activity.

III. WARM UP/HELPING CHILDREN STAY HEALTHY (5 minutes)

1. Let’s begin our discussion this evening by discussing how you stay healthy.

1. In general, what are some things that you do to stay healthy? [WRITE ON EASEL. IF NOT MENTIONED, PROBE NUTRITION/PHYSICAL ACTIVITY]

2. Of the items we have on this list, which are the easiest for you? Which do you think are harder to do?

3. What about making sure you eat right and get exercise? How easy or hard is that for you? What makes you say that?

4. How much do you think about making sure you eat healthy foods? Why do you think that is?

5. How much do you think about making sure you get enough exercise? Why do you think that is?

6. Think about back when you were in elementary school. Was it easier or harder to make sure you ate healthy foods and got exercise when you were in elementary school, compared to now? Why do you say that?

IV. ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL VS. COMMUNITY (5 minutes)

1. Now let’s talk a little bit more about nutrition and getting exercise.

   1. How much do you think it is your responsibility to make sure you eat healthy foods and get enough exercise?

   2. What about your parents? Is it their responsibility as well? What makes you say that? What, if anything, do they do to make sure you eat healthy and get enough exercise?

   3. What about your teachers? What, if anything, do they do to make sure you eat healthy and get enough exercise?

   4. Are there other people or places you go where you think they really care about whether or not you eat healthy foods or get enough exercise? Who/what are they?

V. WHAT HAPPENS AT SCHOOL (5 minutes)

1. Think about a regular day at school. What are some ways you think you could make sure that you and your friends ate healthier foods?

   1. What makes it hard to get people to eat healthier while at school?

   2. Now, what are some ways you think you could make sure that you and your friends got more exercise while at school? What makes it hard for people to get more exercise while at school?

VI. MESSAGES and MESSAGE CONCEPTS (20 minutes)

1. Thank you for that information. Now, we are going to do something a bit different. As you can tell, much of this discussion is about how to get students like you to play a part in making your school a healthier place to be, in terms of nutrition and physical activity. Now, we are going to read some statements that were written to try to convince you to be part of a program that will try to make middle schools healthier places to be (in terms of nutrition and exercise).

Here are the statements. Each statement is written on this handout. I would like you to put a green sticker next to the two statements you find to be most convincing in terms of getting you to participate with other members of your community to try to make your school a healthier environment in terms of nutrition and physical activity. You will also see a red pen next to your handout. Next, I want you to put a red line through the statement that does the worst job.

[NOTE TO MODERATOR: To the extent possible, try to get respondents to ignore issues with grammar and/or word choice. The key is to have them focus on the messages.]

Number	Student Messages
150	Tomorrow’s leaders start today. When you help your school get healthier food choices and more physical activity, you’re learning how to be a leader.
152	Creating a healthier school environment is a great learning project, with lasting results. Your work will help make more healthy food and physical activity choices available at school, and you’ll build leadership, communication, and advocacy skills.
153	Make time. Take time. No gym time every day? No safe place to walk around your school? Not enough healthy foods to choose from at school? Not good, and certainly not good enough for you and your school.
155	You are what you eat. You are what you do. Regular physical activity and healthy eating help you have more energy and stamina for everything you do.
156	You have a say. You can’t control everything in your life, but you can be in charge of what you eat and how much physical activity you get. It’s your school. Play a part in helping to make it a healthier place to be.
157	Strong bones and teeth, shiny hair, bright sparkling eyes, strong muscles. These and other “beauty secrets” can be yours by making healthy choices and getting regular exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle.
158	Get in shape for school. Eating well and moving more, helps you pay attention in the classroom and do better in school.
159	How does your school stack up? Help make your school a place that wins awards for having healthy foods and physical activity for students.

[GO AROUND TABLE:] Which ones did the best job? Take a moment and explain why you selected those as your top two? [PROBE: likes, main idea/takeaway]

1. Sometimes words can create pictures in your mind. Take a moment and take another look at the statements you placed green stickers next to. What images or pictures come to mind as you read it?

2. How does reading this statement make you feel? [PROBE: hopeful, strong, guilty, bored]

3. [GO AROUND TABLE:] Now, let’s look at the other side of the coin. Which ONE did not speak to you at all? [IF NECESSARY:] Which statement did you draw a red line through? Please explain why you thought this statement did a bad job.

4. Were any of the statements confusing to you? Which one(s)? What about them were confusing?

[The following section is designed to get at the message concepts/motivators.]

2. In a moment, I am going to ask you a few questions about each statement. But, before we get there, I want to talk to you about what you just read in a different way. Who do you think these messages are coming from (PROBE: teacher, parent, another student)?

3. Who do you think these statements are written for? Someone your age? Someone older? Younger? What makes you say that?

4. Let’s say that you were the person selected in your class to get some friends to join a club to help make your school a healthier place? What would you say to get other people to join this club?

MESSAGE SPECIFIC PROBES:

[This section will contain a few probing questions for each message included in testing. They will explore the use of specific words and phrases as appropriate. In the interest of time, only probes on the messages that receive the most positive and negative feedback will be asked]

Message 150: Tomorrow’s leaders start today. When you help your school get healthier food choices and more physical activity, you’re learning how to be a leader.

1. How important is it to you to learn how to be a leader? What makes you say that?

Message 152: Creating a healthier school environment is a great learning project, with lasting results. Your work will help make more healthy food and physical activity choices available at school, and you’ll build leadership, communication, and advocacy skills.

1. Do you like the idea of being part of a project that can have lasting results on the health of your school? What makes you say that?

2. What does the phrase, “advocacy skills” mean to you?

Message 153: Make time. Take time. No gym time every day? No safe place to walk around your school? Not enough healthy foods to choose from at school? Not good, and certainly not good enough for you and your school.

1. How does this statement make you feel?

2. Does it make you want to do something about it? What makes you say that?

Message 155: You are what you eat. You are what you do. Regular physical activity and healthy eating help you have more energy and stamina for everything you do.

1. How do you feel about the term “you are what you eat.” Does it mean anything to you? What makes you say that?

2. How important is it to you to have more energy? What makes you say that?

Message 156: You have a say. You can’t control everything in your life, but you can be in charge of what you eat and how much physical activity you get. It’s your school. Play a part in helping to make it a healthier place to be.

a. Do you want to have a say in how much you eat and how much exercise you get? Does that matter to you? What makes you say that?

b. Are these the words you would use to get a friend to help you in this project? What makes you say that? Would you say it differently?

Message 157: Strong bones and teeth, shiny hair, bright sparkling eyes, strong muscles. These and other “beauty secrets” can be yours by making healthy choices and getting regular exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle.

a. How do you feel about the phrase “beauty secrets”? Would this phrase motivate you to make your school a healthier place? What makes you say that?

Message 158: Get in shape for school. Eating well and moving more, helps you pay attention in the classroom and do better in school.

a. Do you feel like you need to be “in shape” to do well at school? What makes you say that?

Message 159: How does your school stack up? Help make your school a place that wins awards for having healthy foods and physical activity for students.

1. How do you feel when your school wins an award? How important is that, to you?

2. What if you played a part in helping your school win the award? Does that matter to you? What makes you say that?

VII. SUPPORTING CONTENT (10 minutes)

We also want to get your opinion on additional information that could be provided to kids like you to try and get students involved in making their middle school healthier through better nutrition and physical activity.

Take a quick look through this material [DISTRIBUTE PACKET OF SUPPORTING CONTENT]. Look through all of the materials and put a mark on the one page that would most convince you to get involved.

1. What is your first reaction to the material you just looked through?

2. Which page did you mark that you found most interesting to you? Why did you pick that page?

3. Which page did you like the least? What makes you say that?

4. Let’s say that we are making a brochure, and we only had room for one piece of information in the materials I provided to you. What would be the one thing that you would include? What makes you say that?

VIII. COMMUNICATION TOOLS (5 minutes)

1. Still thinking about the things we just read, let’s say there was a new club at your school to make your school a healthier environment through eating better and more exercise. How do you think you would hear about it? Who at your school would tell you about it? (PROBE: Handouts, word of mouth, classroom lessons, teachers, parents, principals).

2. In general, where do you usually get information about eating healthy or getting exercise? [PROBE: parent, online, doctor’s office, school, etc.]

3. Do you have a computer and Internet access at home?

   1. [If yes] Have you ever gone online to look for information about being healthy, eating healthy foods, or getting exercise? Where did you go? If you had to find this kind of information, where do you think you would go?

   2. [If no access] Do you go anywhere to access the Internet?

IX. FALSE CLOSE (5 minutes)

1. [BRIEF] Today, we have talked and read about ways to convince kids like you to get involved in their schools to help make them healthier places in terms of nutrition and physical activity.

2. Before we leave, can you take a moment and answer the question on Handout B. It says, “What would be the one thing you would say to a friend to get him/her to join a club to make your middle school a healthier place.”

Thank you very much for your coming! Have a great day/evening!

Attachment F1

OMB Control # 0584-0524

Expiration Date: 03/31/2013

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 2 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.  Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Research, Nutrition and Analysis, Alexandria, VA 22302 (0584-0524).  Do not return the completed form to this address.

First Name: ______________

Date: ____/____/2010

Location: ________________

Session #: _____

Handout A

Take a look at your handout. Please place a green sticker next to the two statements that you like best.

Next, draw a red line through the one statement you like least.

Please note that the materials to follow will be printed on a handout.

Number	Student Messages
150	Tomorrow’s leaders start today. When you help your school get healthier food choices and more physical activity, you’re learning how to be a leader.
152	Creating a healthier school environment is a great learning project, with lasting results. Your work will help make more healthy food and physical activity choices available at school, and you’ll build leadership, communication, and advocacy skills.
153	Make time. Take time. No gym time every day? No safe place to walk around your school? Not enough healthy foods to choose from at school? Not good, and certainly not good enough for you and your school.
155	You are what you eat. You are what you do. Regular physical activity and healthy eating help you have more energy and stamina for everything you do.
156	You have a say. You can’t control everything in your life, but you can be in charge of what you eat and how much physical activity you get. It’s your school. Play a part in helping to make it a healthier place to be.
157	Strong bones and teeth, shiny hair, bright sparkling eyes, strong muscles. These and other “beauty secrets” can be yours by making healthy choices and getting regular exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle.
158	Get in shape for school. Eating well and moving more, helps you pay attention in the classroom and do better in school.
159	How does your school stack up? Help make your school a place that wins awards for having healthy foods and physical activity for students.

Attachment F2

OMB Control # 0584-0524

Expiration Date: 03/31/2013

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 2 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.  Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Research, Nutrition and Analysis, Alexandria, VA 22302 (0584-0524).  Do not return the completed form to this address.

First Name: ______________

Date: ____/____/2010

Location: ________________

Session #: _____

Supporting Content Packet

You can lead the way. Step up and be a student leader of the healthy school movement. Join with other students and teachers to make a plan and get things going.

Get everyone on board. Work with your teachers and parent groups to bring partners into the school to provide fun wellness activities.

Get yourself a plan. Investigate how well your school makes healthy food and physical activity choices available to students. Work with other students to suggest ideas for improvement to your school wellness council, principal or cafeteria manager.

Be the Student Voice on Wellness. Find out if your school has a wellness committee and ask to be part of it. Look at your school’s wellness policy and see if your school is following it.

Try, try and keep on trying. Help plan the menu and find ways to offer more physical activity at your school. Ask your cafeteria manager if you can do a student survey on food favorites. Ask the physical education teacher to help you start a before or after school physical activity club.

Get competitive. Create a healthy eating or physical activity challenge between grades at your school. Get teachers, parents and others to help.

Speak up! Practice being a healthy school advocate so you can get better at it each year. Speak up and get involved in clubs, the school paper, student government and other activities where your voice can be heard.

Become a fan of healthier food and physical activity. Work with teachers and the principal to put messages about healthy food and regular activity all over your school. Make posters or videos. Create recipes and share them with your class. Collect healthy tips on your Facebook page.

Try it. Taste it. Do it. Find an activity you enjoy doing and ask others to join you. Try the same with healthier foods by having a taste test, recipe swap, or making a healthy dessert to share at a class outing or party.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 2 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.  Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Research, Nutrition and Analysis, Alexandria, VA 22302 (0584-0524).  Do not return the completed form to this address.

Attachment F3

OMB Control # 0584-0524

Expiration Date: 03/31/2013

Handout B

First Name: ______________

Session #: _____

1. What is the one thing you would tell a friend if you were going to try and motivate them to help the students at their school eat healthier and get more physically active while at school?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________