[HealthyTribes] Update on school-based health surveys

[Thirstrup Ashley]

Dear Tribal Prevention Teams,

Beginning in 2020, Oregon Health Authority's Public Health Division will administer a new school-based survey of youth health called the Student Health Survey (SHS). This survey will replace OHA's two current youth surveys, Oregon Healthy Teens and the Oregon Student Wellness Survey, and will survey 6th, 8th, and 11th graders every two years. The SHS will include questions on school climate, positive youth development, behavioral health risks such as substance use, mental health, and nutrition and physical activity. Combining the existing surveys will reduce the time and resources asked of schools and students, simplify the assessment process, and improve data consistency.

Data from youth surveys are used to track progress of school success and identify health risk and resiliency among youth. The data are important to inform strategic planning, support evaluation of programs and interventions, and serve local and tribal prevention efforts. The results can also highlight social issues that relate to learning and academic success.

In the coming months, OHA will be contacting tribes and other partners to explain the changes planned with the new Student Health Survey, as well as to ask for feedback via surveys and listening sessions. In the spring of 2019, OHA will come back to partners to share how their input has been used to refine the survey. Throughout 2019, OHA will communicate with schools to help them prepare for the new survey, which will be conducted in the first half of 2020.

At the request of the tribes, OHA will continue to collect tribal enrollment data and share tribal data with specific tribes. We expect to share the data from the 2018 Student Wellness Survey in November.

If you would like me to attend the December Tribal Prevention Coordinators meeting to discuss the transition to the Student Health Survey further, please contact Julie Johnson so that can get scheduled. We are also sharing this message with the Tribal Health Directors and offering to attend their December OHA Tribal Monthly Meeting for further discussion.

We look forward to engaging with all partners in an ongoing conversation about youth surveys and how they can serve tribes, communities, and schools to improve the health and achievement of all students.

Tom

Thomas Jeanne, MD, MPH
Deputy State Health Officer/Epidemiologist
OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY
Public Health Division
Office of the State Public Health Director
Desk: 971-673-0233
Cell: 503-679-8735
Email:  thomas.l.jeanne at state.or.us<mailto:thomas.l.jeanne at state.or.us>

Julie A. Johnson
Tribal Affairs Director
Oregon Health Authority
Desk: 503-945-9703
Cell: 503-569-5802
julie.a.johnson at state.or.us<mailto:julie.a.johnson at state.or.us>

In everything we do, have you asked yourself, will this affect Oregon Tribes and the Urban Indian Program?

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/healthytribes/attachments/20181018/f21ccd0c/attachment.html>