The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) is a
multicenter trial designed to test the effectiveness of school and fam
ily-based cardiovascular health promotion for preadolescents. CATCH in
terventions target multiple cardiovascular health behaviors such as di
etary intake of fat and sodium, physical activity, and tobacco use. Ev
aluation includes physiological, psychosocial, behavioral, and process
measures. An important aspect of the process evaluation is the assess
ment of environmental factors and ''secular events'' in both intervent
ion and control schools that may affect outcomes independently of the
CATCH interventions. With such information, CATCH investigators are ab
le to isolate the impact of the CATCH intervention from competing (non
-CATCH) factors as well as ''track'' proximal (i.e., immediate and sho
rt term) changes related to the intervention that may in turn lead to
''distal'' (long-term) behavior change. The School Health Questionnair
e, the major process evaluation tool for monitoring secular and enviro
nmental changes in the schools, is described in detail, and data descr
ibing tobacco-related environmental factors and secular events are pre
sented.