Scoping Review of Family and Community Engagement Strategies Used in School-Based Interventions to Promote Healthy Behaviors.
Shannon L Michael, Seraphine Pitt Barnes, Natalie J Wilkins
PMID 37670597WHAT IT FOUND
School-based health programs used six family and community engagement strategies, most often family communication and education.
Because engagement was rarely tested separately, this review cannot show it improved physical activity or eating.
Key findings
01The review organized family and community engagement into six strategies, most often communication with families (41 studies) and educational support (28 studies).
02Most studies did not test family or community engagement separately, so the review cannot attribute outcome changes to those strategies.
03Across studies that assessed outcomes, 27 of 35 physical activity results and 26 of 35 dietary intake results were reported in the expected direction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review only included articles already found in a larger review of school-based physical activity and nutrition interventions, so it may have missed family or community engagement studies. Most interventions were multi-component, so the review could not separate the effect of family or community engagement from the rest of the school program. It reported direction rather than standardized outcomes or effect sizes. Many studies were quasi-experimental, and lack of blinding can introduce detection and social desirability bias. Only three studies compared intervention arms with and without family or community components.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the many expected-direction results as proof that family or community engagement improved physical activity or eating. The engagement strategies were usually part of broader school programs and were not tested separately.