Data Measures. All data used in this analysis was collected by Healthy Beginnings NHN and data manager. Data is then stored in REDCap, a web-based database managing system. The REDCap data system is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) compliant and allows for program coordinators to compile longitudinal, unidentified health histories on the children enrolled in the program. The data was collected via paper forms by the NHN and entered into the system by the data manager and Emory evaluation team interns. The program’s data is collected on an ongoing basis throughout the school year. The data used for this thesis comes from four forms including: Intake Form, NHN Visit Form, Medical Tracking Form, and SOC Exit Form (see appendix). All baseline visits for new cohort members occurred at enrollment in the beginning of the school year and was recorded via the Intake Form. The NHN Visit Form was used throughout the school year to record new health issues for individual children and their families. The Medical Tracking Form was used to follow-up with children who were reported having chronic or developmental conditions. The Exit Form was completed at the end of the year, and its purpose was to record what children are exiting Healthy Beginnings System of Care and their reason for exit. The NHN completes the Intake Form, NHN Visit Form, and Medical Tracking Form and then passes them to the Data Manager who enters the information into the REDCap database. The Exit Form is completed by the Data Manager who obtains this information from Xxxxxxx’s Procare Database.
Data Measures i. Demographic Data Aggregate data for FRL and percent Caucasian were obtained from publically available DOE data from October 7, 2014.73,74 The rationale for using 2014 data instead of 2015 was that schools are designated as “SNAP-Ed” for the 2015-2016 school year based on FRL data from 2014. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility was reported as a continuous variable and encompassed the percentage of students eligible for FRL out of total student enrollment for each school. Race/ethnicity was self-reported by students and categorized by DOE into seven groups including Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, Black, Pacific Islander, White, and two or more races. In the current study, race/ethnicity was measured by percent Caucasian and treated as a continuous variable. Aggregate data for geography were obtained from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) public school database from the 2013-2014 school year since more recent data was not available.20 Thus, schools that were created 2014 or later did not have geography data available (n=5). School geography was grouped by NCES into four categories using the following definitions: city (area in an urbanized area), suburb (area outside a major city but in an urbanized area), town (area in an urban cluster), and rural (Census-defined rural territory).20 Cohort year data was provided by HealthMPowers and was classified into four categories based on the amount of resources received from HealthMPowers: 1, 2, 3-5, and virtual. Cohort years 3-5 received similar resources and were grouped into one category, and since virtual schools were excluded from receiving any materials that are by nature designed to be in-person, these schools were classified as a unique entity in this study.
