Background and Methodology

Background
The 2002 State Survey of School-Based Health Center Initiatives gathers information on the number of school-based health centers in each state, their location within the state, and how they are funded. The survey also asks about state and financial policies regarding school-based health centers. From July to October 2002, the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools surveyed all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

Methodology

Characteristics of survey respondents

• In most states, the survey respondent was a representative from state health department. In a few states, the survey respondent was a representative from the state education department.
• For many states, the state representative did not have a complete count of the number of school-based health centers. In order to gather this information (Questions 1 and 2), staff at the Center called individual school-based health centers in each state to confirm the total number. This process involved staff utilizing various resources to identify the number of centers including a database from The National Assembly on School-Based Health Care containing the names of SBHCs in each state and lists of SBHCs from previous surveys conducted by The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools. These resources and lists were double-checked for a final list and a total number of school-based health centers.

Questionnaire

• The survey or questionnaire developed by the Center consisted of 10 areas. Each area consists of several questions for a total number of 31 questions.
• The survey instrument was available to respondents both online at the Center's website www.healthinschools.org/sbhcs/questionnaire2002.asp and in a paper version.

Questionnaire - Online survey

• The survey was available on line at www.healthinschools.org/sbhcs/questionnaire2002.asp. Instructions were also provided online to participants to aid in filling out the survey.
• Login IDs and passwords were assigned by Center staff and delivered to the state respondent. The survey respondent was able to login to a secure site to fill out the survey.

Questionnaire - Paper version

• Survey respondents were given the choice of filling out the survey in the paper format. After the Center received the survey from individual states, a staff member at the Center entered in the data online.
• The data from the online survey were automatically transferred into a Microsoft Access database.

Verification of data and final approval

• Once the state respondent filled out the survey (either online or in paper copy), a hard copy of the completed survey was printed out for final approval. Senior staff reviewed each survey to ensure that answers were consistent.
• After the review process and correspondence, if needed, with survey respondents on questions concerning possible misunderstanding of specific questions, the survey was sent back for final review and approval.
• The Center received a final approval form signed by the representative in each state and the District of Columbia.

For more information on the 2002 State Survey of School-Based Health Center Initiatives, please contact:

Nancy Eichner, MUP
Senior Program Manager The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools
1350 Connecticut Ave., NW #500
Washington, DC 20036
Ph: (202) 466-3396
Fax: (202) 466-3467
Email: neichner@gwu.edu

Julia Graham Lear, PhD
Director
The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools
1350 Connecticut Ave., NW #500
Washington, Dc 20036
pH: (202) 466-3396
Fax: (202) 466-3467
Email: jgl@gwu.edu

The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS), funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a nonpartisan policy and program resource center located at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.