CDC 2014 School Health Index – Unified Assessment Tool for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and CDC

Working with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (the Alliance), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its School Health Index (SHI). The 2014 SHI guides school-based obesity prevention and health promotion efforts.

The Alliance has replaced its Healthy Schools Program Inventory with the School Health Index. By offering a unified assessment tool, the CDC and the Alliance make it easier for schools to implement policies and practices that can help students stay healthy and ready to learn. Benefits include:

• Less confusion about which evidence-based assessment tool to use
• Monitoring and alignment of school-based health policies and practices with national surveillance systems
• Better coordination of training and technical assistance between the CDC and the Alliance

Snapshot of the 2014 School Health Index

Two versions of the School Health Index exist and can be accessed from both the CDC and Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program websites.

Version 1: CDC website

The CDC website retains the full comprehensive School Health Index, continuing to address six health topics: nutrition, physical activity, unintentional injury and violence prevention, tobacco use prevention, asthma, and sexual health.

Version 2: Healthy Schools Program website

The Healthy Schools Program website hosts a version of the School Health Index that addresses two health topics: nutrition and physical activity. It also includes resources, access to national experts, and opportunities to earn national awards from the Alliance in addition to the USDA’s HealthierUS School Challenge and Let’s Move! Active Schools.

Both versions of the SHI retain the eight self-assessment modules, an action planning component, and cross-cutting school health questions.