The purpose of this presentation is to describe the processes involved in capacity building for primary prevention through improved physical and mental health wellness among students in the after-school program of a local middle school. Examples of strategies used to promote interprofessional collaboration are described to highlight the key elements of the service-learning partnership.
Strategies for collaboration included interprofessional education at each phase of the project, from assessment with Photovoice methods to implementation with skills-based health promotion workshops. Assessment findings led students to design workshops focused on basic food skills, cooking, and mental health resilience. PHN students implemented the PHN process using the Healthy People 2020 MAP-IT framework (United States Department of Health & Human Services, 2018) to support evidence-based program planning, development, and evaluation/tracking. PHN students also implemented the Food Literacy Framework for Action (Cullen, Hatch, Martin, Higgins, & Sheppard, 2015).
Through an in-depth analysis of the PHN process, PHN students documented growth in food literacy competencies in the adolescent students participating in an after-school program. In addition, PHN students incorporated best practices for adolescent mental health promotion and explored avenues for nature-based strategies to support resilience.
Strategies for interprofessional collaboration enhanced the service-learning partnership between teams of PHN students, faculty, and school leaders. Through analysis of outcomes and lessons learned over the course of three years, student teams have increased the capacity for food literacy and mental health resilience among middle school students in an after-school program.