The Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) programme is an accredited obesity prevention programme in the United States, teaching children about nutrition, physical activity, and screen time limits. This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of undergraduate and graduate student leaders’ about their experience delivering the CATCH programme in elementary schools in Northern Illinois school districts during the 2019–2020 school year and its impact on their personal and professional skills and on programme participants. An email questionnaire was sent to eligible students. Grounded theory was used to analyze the students’ responses. Two researchers assigned codes to the data and identified themes. Twenty-one students responded (50% response rate). Six identified themes include “purpose of CATCH programme,” “school facilities and resources,” “university students experience with CATCH lessons and activities,” “benefits to university student,” “benefits to children and teachers,” and “identified weaknesses and suggested improvements to CATCH.” University students delivering the CATCH programme appreciated the opportunity to practice in a real-world setting, gained transferable professional skills, increased programme content knowledge, identified CATCH programme benefits/strengths, and planned to apply lessons learned to future practice.
Objectives The purpose of this research was to explore the perception of Northern Illinois University (NIU) students regarding delivery and benefits of the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) program in northern Illinois elementary schools. Methods The Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) program is a nationally accredited obesity prevention program that teaches children about nutrition, physical activity, and decreasing screen time. Every semester, undergraduate and graduate students from Northern Illinois University (NIU) participate in an experiential learning rotation with CATCH and deliver the program in elementary schools. After undergraduate and graduate NIU students delivered the CATCH program in local elementary schools during the 2019–2020 school year, they were sent an email questionnaire to probe their experience with CATCH and to seek suggestions for program improvement. This questionnaire consisted of 5 demographic prompts, followed by 10 open-ended questions. Grounded theory was used to analyze the responses. Two researchers assigned codes to each meaningful segment of data. From these codes, six common themes were identified. Results A total of 21 students responded (50% response rate) to the email questionnaire. The six identified themes include ‘Purpose of CATCH program’, ‘School facilities and resources’, ‘NIU students experience with CATCH lessons and activities’, ‘Benefits to NIU student’, ‘Benefits to children and teachers’, and ‘Identified weaknesses and suggested improvements to CATCH’. Each theme summarizes the NIU students’ responses relevant to that theme, including quotes from respondents. Conclusions University students that delivered the CATCH program appreciated the opportunity to practice in a real world setting, gained transferable professional skills, and learned CATCH program knowledge. Reflections on program content, delivery, and benefits to children can be used to strengthen CATCH and other future nutrition education programs for children. Funding Sources No funding sources were acquired or needed for this research project.
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