Health promotion as school development

Abstract

Background: Data obtained from international studies of health behaviour among school-age children show evidence of strong relationships between alienation from school and health behaviour such as smoking, alcohol use, physical activity and food choices. This article discusses these connections between health problems and underachievement. Objective: The aim is to raise the question of whether, and if so, how school development could be a way to handle both the alienation and the health problems. Design and Results: Interviews and observations were accomplished in association with an evaluation study of ''health-promoting school'' projects at 15 compulsory schools in central Sweden. Different kinds of encounters between health promotion work and school development were distinguished. Conclusions: The empirical data indicate possibilities in health promotion projects to develop deliberation and dialogical teaching methods, which include possibilities for dialogue and enhanced learning among underachieving students. These approaches to health promotion could be thought of as salutogenesis or empowerment and are not dissimilar to, and could even be confused with, school development.

The Greek Version of the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29): Psychometric Properties and Associations with Mental Illness, Suicidal Risk and Quality of Life

“…An analysis of the similarities between the learning process and the salutogenic model has been reported, as the learning process is facilitated when the information is structured and comprehensible and thus becomes meaningful [6]. It has been therefore suggested that integrating the salutogenic perspective in all activities and programmes in school also means that health promotion becomes integrated with school development [46]. Finally, one of our main findings was that lower levels of SOC were associated with increased suicidal risk.…”

Antonovsky's sense of coherence scale and its relation with quality of life: a systematic review

“…The salutogenic model here becomes a tool for the enhancement of QoL. Further, integrating the salutogenic perspective in all activities and programmes in school also means that health promotion becomes integrated with school development 77. Further, a model based on the salutogenic perspective has been developed, with the special aim of evaluating education on different levels in the European Union 78…”

Scoping study investigating stakeholder perceptions and use of school canteens in an Australian city

“…Schools are widely recognised as one environment in which healthy lifestyles can be promoted . Due to their structured nature, schools can tackle the obesity epidemic through a combination of strategies: embedding nutrition and healthy living into curriculum, development and modelling of healthy food cultures, effective communication on healthy eating strategies and the availability of healthy food from the school canteen.…”