Other Titles
Spatial Habits Advance Personal Excellence: Examining School Environments and Well-being [Title Slide]
Abstract
Schools are increasingly becoming the primary access point for health services for students, as families turn to schools to identify and address growing whole health needs. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, over 70% of children received mental health services solely through their schools (Kaskoun & McCabe, 2022). The built environment is a social and structural determinant (World Health Organization, 2010) influencing educational outcomes (Ikegbusi et al., 2022) including the readiness to learn (Colvin, 2024). Still, many schools lack the design necessary to support mental and physical health. There is limited nurse-driven research on how physical attributes impact students during critical transition periods at school. Spatial Habits Advance Personal Excellence (SHAPE) is an interdisciplinary study evaluating the impact of school buildings on student well-being.
SHAPE is a mixed methods feasibility study across diverse school settings. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of each school’s built environment via cartography. A participatory approach was used to examine perceptions of physical spaces via photovoice, focusing on transition areas. Physiological indicators of heart rate and blood pressure were collected in relation to these spaces. Principles on examining built environments from the international Collaborative ReDesign School Group were utilized alongside the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023), a student-centered comprehensive model to improve education and health outcomes. Primary study outcomes included adherence to study protocols, acceptability of data collection methods, and data analysis, including descriptive statistics and content analysis.
Findings included a synergistic relationship between built environment attributes and student perception, the critical importance of student and staff perceptions of their built environment, and preliminary data on physiological responses to transition spaces. Overall, the SHAPE study was feasible to implement across diverse school settings and was positively accepted by each school community.
Nurses are critical to an interdisciplinary approach in designing supportive school environments. By incorporating participatory approaches and exploring physiological measurements, the SHAPE study may inform evidence-based policies for school design that prioritize student well-being and advance health promotion curricula and services.
Notes
References:
Centers for disease control and prevention healthy schools. (2023, February 9). Whole school, whole community, whole child. Centers for disease control and prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/wscc/index.htm
Colvin, D. (2024). Ready to learn: A concept analysis for the intersection of health and education. The Journal of School Nursing. Advanced online publication. doi:10.1177/10598405241276429
Ikegbusi, N.G., Manafa, F.U., & Iheanacho, R.C. (2022). Influence of school facilities on academic achievement of public secondary school students in Lagos state. Journal of Educational Research and Development, 5(2):77-89. https://www.educationalresearchdevelopmentjournal.com/index.php/JERD/article/view/97
Kaskoun, J., & McCabe, E. (2022) Perceptions of school nurses in addressing student mental health concerns: An integrative review. The Journal of School Nursing, 38(1), 35-47. doi: 10.1177/10598405211046223
World health organization. (2010). A conceptual framework for action on the social determinants of health. World health organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241500852
Sigma Membership
Beta Delta at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Mixed/Multi Method Research
Keywords:
Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Public and Community Health, Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary, Well-being, Students, Physical Environment
Recommended Citation
Jester, Megan L.; Loraas, Dawn; Brown, Cian L.; and Henderson, Madelynn, "Spatial Habits Advance Personal Excellence: Examining School Environments and Student Well-Being" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 232.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/232
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Spatial Habits Advance Personal Excellence: Examining School Environments and Student Well-Being
Seattle, Washington, USA
Schools are increasingly becoming the primary access point for health services for students, as families turn to schools to identify and address growing whole health needs. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, over 70% of children received mental health services solely through their schools (Kaskoun & McCabe, 2022). The built environment is a social and structural determinant (World Health Organization, 2010) influencing educational outcomes (Ikegbusi et al., 2022) including the readiness to learn (Colvin, 2024). Still, many schools lack the design necessary to support mental and physical health. There is limited nurse-driven research on how physical attributes impact students during critical transition periods at school. Spatial Habits Advance Personal Excellence (SHAPE) is an interdisciplinary study evaluating the impact of school buildings on student well-being.
SHAPE is a mixed methods feasibility study across diverse school settings. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of each school’s built environment via cartography. A participatory approach was used to examine perceptions of physical spaces via photovoice, focusing on transition areas. Physiological indicators of heart rate and blood pressure were collected in relation to these spaces. Principles on examining built environments from the international Collaborative ReDesign School Group were utilized alongside the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023), a student-centered comprehensive model to improve education and health outcomes. Primary study outcomes included adherence to study protocols, acceptability of data collection methods, and data analysis, including descriptive statistics and content analysis.
Findings included a synergistic relationship between built environment attributes and student perception, the critical importance of student and staff perceptions of their built environment, and preliminary data on physiological responses to transition spaces. Overall, the SHAPE study was feasible to implement across diverse school settings and was positively accepted by each school community.
Nurses are critical to an interdisciplinary approach in designing supportive school environments. By incorporating participatory approaches and exploring physiological measurements, the SHAPE study may inform evidence-based policies for school design that prioritize student well-being and advance health promotion curricula and services.
Description
The SHAPE study examined how school building design affects student well-being through a mixed-methods approach, including mapping school environments, gathering student/staff perspectives via photovoice, and measuring physiological responses in transition spaces. The study proved feasible across different school settings and found important links between building features and student well-being. Results suggest nurses should play a key role in designing health-supportive school environments.