The Importance of School Leaders’ Attitudes and Health Literacy to the Implementation of a Health-Promoting Schools Approach

Betschart, Simona; Sandmeier, Anita; Skedsmo, Guri; Hascher, Tina; Okan, Orkan; Dadaczynski, Kevin

doi:10.3390/ijerph192214829

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…The majority of senior leaders in this study reported low well-being, lower than the general adult population pre-pandemic [ 60 ] and COVID-HL international study data from Hong Kong [ 33 , 34 ] and Switzerland [ 35 ]. Elsewhere, reports from 2020 to 2022 suggest negative impacts of the sustained work-related pressures on senior leaders’ well-being and mental health [ 20 , 61 , 62 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The well-being and work-related stress of senior school leaders in Wales and Northern Ireland during COVID-19 “educational leadership crisis”: A cross-sectional descriptive study

Marchant,

Dowd,

Bray

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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The COVID-19 pandemic caused far-reaching societal changes, including significant educational impacts affecting over 1.6 billion pupils and 100 million education practitioners globally. Senior school leaders were at the forefront and were exposed to particularly high demands during a period of “crisis leadership”. This occupation were already reporting high work-related stress and large numbers leaving the profession preceding COVID-19. This cross-sectional descriptive study through the international COVID-Health Literacy network aimed to examine the well-being and work-related stress of senior school leaders (n = 323) in Wales (n = 172) and Northern Ireland (n = 151) during COVID-19 (2021–2022). Findings suggest that senior school leaders reported high workloads (54.22±11.30 hours/week), low well-being (65.2% n = 202, mean WHO-5 40.85±21.57), depressive symptoms (WHO-5 34.8% n = 108) and high work-related stress (PSS-10: 29.91±4.92). High exhaustion (BAT: high/very high 89.0% n = 285) and specific psychosomatic complaints (experiencing muscle pain 48.2% n = 151) were also reported, and females had statistically higher outcomes in these areas. School leaders were engaging in self-endangering working behaviours; 74.7% (n = 239) gave up leisure activities in favour of work and 63.4% (n = 202) sacrificed sufficient sleep, which was statistically higher for females. These findings are concerning given that the UK is currently experiencing a “crisis” in educational leadership against a backdrop of pandemic-related pressures. Senior leaders’ high attrition rates further exacerbate this, proving costly to educational systems and placing additional financial and other pressures on educational settings and policy response. This has implications for senior leaders and pupil-level outcomes including health, well-being and educational attainment, requiring urgent tailored and targeted support from the education and health sectors. This is particularly pertinent for Wales and Northern Ireland as devolved nations in the UK, who are both implementing or contemplating major education system level reforms, including new statutory national curricula, requiring significant leadership, engagement and ownership from the education profession.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The well-being and work-related stress of senior school leaders in Wales and Northern Ireland during COVID-19 “educational leadership crisis”: A cross-sectional descriptive study

Marchant,

Dowd,

Bray

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The HL for “understanding” (aOR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.7; 3.0) and “applying” (aOR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.7; 3.0) was significantly associated with HPS-principles. As Betschart et al [ 48 ] indicated, attitudes toward health promotion amplified the positive relationship between HL and HPS approach. Specifically, when positive attitudes and understanding toward health promotion occurs, school principals’ HL is significantly associated with HPS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between Polish school principals’ health literacy and implementation of the Health Promoting School approach during the COVID-19 pandemic

Leksy,

Gawron,

Rosário

2024

PLoS ONE

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The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to increasing the responsibility of school principals for the health of all school community members. Moreover, evidence confirms the significant role of school principals’ health literacy (HL) for health promotion in schools. Therefore, the presented study aims to evaluate the associations between Polish school principals HL and the implementation of the Health Promoting School (HPS) approach in Polish schools. The present study was conducted as part of an international survey on the global COVID-HL network (www.covid-hl.eu) between June 2021 and December 2021. Three subscales of the HPS were considered and an exploratory analysis were used in this study. Associations between the median split of each subscale of HPS (outcome) and health literacy (predictor) were performed using logistic regression. Research results showed that the highest level of HPS implementation was directed at pupils. Principals perceived themselves as having the highest HL on the ‘accessibility’ subscale and these respondents had significantly higher odds of implementing learning opportunities for students. The study suggests that principals with adequate HL may be more likely to effectively implement HPS strategies in schools. This research could provide insights into the complex interplay between HL and the HPS approach and inform the development of more effective strategies for promoting health and HL in schools.

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“…At the same time, HSCs sometimes indicated a lack of a sense of authority to act on their changing role, for example in asking people to actively join the HPS team. This highlights the need to invest in the commitment of formal school leaders for the successful implementation of the HPS framework ( Betschart et al ., 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing community capacity to improve the implementation of Health Promoting Schools: barriers and facilitators from the FLASH intervention

van Dongen,

Ridder,

Wolters

et al. 2023

Health Promotion International

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Building community capacity is important for the successful implementation of a Health Promoting School. To identify how capacity building can be encouraged in secondary schools, four schools engaged in the Fit Lifestyle at School and at Home (FLASH) intervention for 3 years. This study explores barriers and facilitators that school personnel, parents and pupils experienced in the capacity-building process. Thirty-one stakeholders were interviewed. Transcripts were analysed thematically based on the five actions of the intervention: (i) appoint a Healthy School coordinator and build a team, (ii) determine ambitions, (iii) design and (iv) implement the action plan and (v) evaluate and improve. The time and support allocated to coordinators helped them evolve their role from executors of health-promotion activities to coordinators, instigators and gatekeepers of the implementation process. Participatory tools helped identify shared values among stakeholders to determine context-specific ambitions and leverage points for interventions. Coordinators indicated that they lacked the skills and authority to engage pupils and parents and to reach the broader community. Coordinators struggled with translating promising ideas into action plans of coherent and mutually supportive activities and embedding them into policy. Strong leadership of Healthy School coordinators, who focus on the capacity-building process and foster collaborative relationships, is essential to build community capacity. In this process, more guidance is needed on how to involve the broader community in various phases. Furthermore, coordinators can benefit from professional development to align jointly designed activities into a comprehensive action plan embedded into Healthy School policies.

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The Importance of School Leaders’ Attitudes and Health Literacy to the Implementation of a Health-Promoting Schools Approach

Cited by 15 publications

References 67 publications

The well-being and work-related stress of senior school leaders in Wales and Northern Ireland during COVID-19 “educational leadership crisis”: A cross-sectional descriptive study

The well-being and work-related stress of senior school leaders in Wales and Northern Ireland during COVID-19 “educational leadership crisis”: A cross-sectional descriptive study

Associations between Polish school principals’ health literacy and implementation of the Health Promoting School approach during the COVID-19 pandemic

Increasing community capacity to improve the implementation of Health Promoting Schools: barriers and facilitators from the FLASH intervention

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