Implementation trial of school staff health promotion: Polish experiences

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the trial implementation of staff health promotion in the Health Promoting Schools (HPS) programme in Poland. The design and key results of the summative evaluation of the 3-year project and activities of schools after completion of the project are described. Over 900 teachers and non-teaching employees from 21 schools participated in the project. Its purpose was to verify the schools' ability to take action related to the promotion of staff health in the HPSs in Poland. The results of the summative evaluation of the project were considered positive and promising. The percentage of persons who declared that they take greater care of their health, and teachers who described their health as very good, increased. Most employees introduced beneficial changes in their health behaviours. In all schools, changes in working conditions and personnel relations were introduced. Eighty-two per cent of teachers and seventy-five per cent of other employees had a positive attitude to the project and ninety per cent declared that the activities ought to be continued. Nearly all the schools' project leaders considered it a valuable initiative, had personal benefits and satisfaction from its implementation. After completing the project, 16/20 schools continued activities promoting the health of employees. Since the trial implementation of health promotion among school staff was considered a success, in 2016 some indicators relating to school staff health were included in the self-evaluation of HPS, and work began to prepare coordinators of regional and district HPS networks to work with the schools.

Health Literacy as a Major Contributor to Health-Promoting Behaviors among Korean Teachers

“…To overcome these limitations, Poland, for example, has attempted a new project that includes promoting the health of teachers by expanding the existing student-centered health promotion activities. The investigators found that healthcare knowledge had increased among most of the staff following the intervention and that healthy behaviors among the staff had increased as well [47]. More efforts should be added for direct intervention to promote teachers' health behaviors.…”

“…Schools are the best settings for encouraging children's physical activity [46]. Although teachers are exposed to these environments, teachers' physical activity may still be low because school policies to improve teachers' health are lacking [47]. The lack of policies to improve teacher health may be due to teachers being viewed as resources that are not the proper subject of school health efforts [48].…”

Health Promoting Special Schools for Children and Young People With Intellectual Disabilities in Poland: Development of Standards and Self-Evaluation Procedures

“…e development of HPS in Poland was closely linked with the evolution of the concept in Europe. It's main directives were set by the resolutions/positions of four European Conferences on Health Promoting Schools (Halkidiki, 1997;Egmond, 2002;Vilnus, 2009;Odense, 2014) (Woynarowska-Sołdan, 2015). Over the last decade, the course of HPS activities was guided by the pillars and values of the approach adopted by the SHE network (SHE, 2009).…”

“…School is not only a place of learning for students; it is also a workplace for many employees. IJSE e possibilities of taking such actions, implementation strategies and outcomes were evaluated in Poland as part of the project "Promoting health of sta members in health promoting schools" (2012)(2013)(2014)(2015), carried out at 21 schools (Woynarowska-Sołdan, 2016;Woynarowska-Sołdan, 2018). It's theoretical underpinnings included: the concept of health promotion with its speci c approaches and values; the fundamental theories of the settings approach and concepts for changing health-related behaviour (Woynarowska-Sołdan, 2016).…”

“…IJSE e possibilities of taking such actions, implementation strategies and outcomes were evaluated in Poland as part of the project "Promoting health of sta members in health promoting schools" (2012)(2013)(2014)(2015), carried out at 21 schools (Woynarowska-Sołdan, 2016;Woynarowska-Sołdan, 2018). It's theoretical underpinnings included: the concept of health promotion with its speci c approaches and values; the fundamental theories of the settings approach and concepts for changing health-related behaviour (Woynarowska-Sołdan, 2016). e inclusion of sta -oriented health promotion in the scope of HPS activities is a unique feature of these schools and one of the aspects that distinguish them from other schools.…”