RESUMEN
Schools have become increasingly important as health promotion settings, seeking to improve pupils' health and wellbeing through adopting a whole-school approach. A strong evidence-base highlights that focusing on the social, emotional and psychological aspects of pupils' wellbeing enables them to flourish, enjoy life and be better equipped to overcome challenges. However, it is acknowledged that further evidence is required regarding: (1) what happens in primary schools, (2) the impact of the English education system, (3) complexity and context, and (4) capturing children's voices. This article, therefore, addresses these gaps by asking the question: How do schools use whole-school wellbeing promotion to enable pupils to flourish? Taking an exploratory approach the study used a three-phase, mixed methods design to address the research problem by undertaking a systematic literature review, a secondary data analysis and a case study to capture multiple stakeholder voices including pupils. As appropriate for this research design, the findings from each phase were integrated into an overarching analysis which is presented in this article. Six broad principles formed consistent threads across the findings: (1) enabling children to flourish, (2) integrating wellbeing with key school goals, (3) promoting wellbeing and building capital, (4) building on virtuous cycles, (5) managing complexity and context, and (6) evaluating wellbeing promotion through listening to different voices. As well as presenting new knowledge addressing the identified research gaps, this study has demonstrated that schools can avoid 'reinventing the wheel' by adopting existing practices and resources and adapting them to their own setting. It is, therefore, hoped the six evidence-based principles of this study are equally transferable to schools within the English education system and more broadly. In addition, the paper highlights recognized challenges to staffing and resourcing and raises the question over whether schools receive sufficient funding to deliver the whole-school initiatives that government recommends. This article provides readers with an exploration of what has been achieved in schools and it is outside its scope to address specific issues about funding and other practical logistics for implementing whole-school wellbeing promotion, therefore further research is recommended.
Asunto(s)
Promoción de la Salud , Instituciones Académicas , Estudiantes , Humanos , Niño , Promoción de la Salud/métodos , Estudiantes/psicología , Servicios de Salud Escolar , Femenino , Práctica Clínica Basada en la Evidencia , MasculinoRESUMEN
Adolescence offers a window of opportunity during which improvements in health behaviours could benefit long-term health, and enable preparation for parenthood-albeit a long way off, passing on good health prospects to future children. This study was carried out to evaluate whether an educational intervention, which engages adolescents in science, can improve their health literacy and behaviours. A cluster-randomised controlled trial of 38 secondary schools in England, UK was conducted. The intervention (LifeLab) drew on principles of education, psychology and public health to engage students with science for health literacy, focused on the message "Me, my health and my children's health". The programme comprised: ⢠Professional development for teachers. ⢠A 2-3 week module of work for 13-14-year-olds. ⢠A "hands-on" practical health science day visit to a dedicated facility in a university teaching hospital. Data were collected from 2929 adolescents (aged 13-14 years) at baseline and 2487 (84.9%) at 12-month follow-up. The primary outcome was change in theoretical health literacy from pre- to 12 months post- intervention. This study is registered (ISRCTN71951436) and the trial status is complete. Participation in the LifeLab educational intervention was associated with an increase in the students' standardised total theoretical health literacy score (adjusted difference between groups = 0.27 SDs (95%CI = 0.12, 0.42)) at 12-month follow-up. There was an indication that intervention participants subsequently judged their own lifestyles more critically than controls, with fewer reporting their behaviours as healthy (53.4% vs. 59.5%; adjusted PRR = 0.94 [0.87, 1.01]). We conclude that experiencing LifeLab led to improved health literacy in adolescents and that they demonstrated a move towards a more critical judgement of health behaviour 12 months after the intervention. Further work is needed to examine whether this leads to sustained behaviour change, and whether other activities are needed to support this change.
Asunto(s)
Conductas Relacionadas con la Salud/fisiología , Alfabetización en Salud/métodos , Instituciones Académicas/organización & administración , Encuestas y Cuestionarios/estadística & datos numéricos , Adolescente , Escolaridad , Inglaterra , Estado de Salud , Humanos , Estilo de Vida , Instituciones Académicas/estadística & datos numéricosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Lifestyle and health behaviours are strongly linked to non-communicable disease risk, but modifying them is challenging. There is an increasing recognition that adolescence is an important time for lifestyle and health behaviours to become embedded. Improving these behaviours in adolescents is important not only for their own health but also for that of their future children. LifeLab Southampton has been developed as a purpose-built classroom and laboratory in University Hospital Southampton. Secondary school students visit LifeLab to learn how childhood, adolescent and parental nutrition influences health, understand the impact of their lifestyle on their cardiovascular and metabolic health, and to inspire them with the excitement of research and future career possibilities in science. The LifeLab visit is part of a programme of work linked to the English National Curriculum. Pilot work has indicated that attitudes towards health can be changed by such LifeLab sessions. METHODS/DESIGN: A cluster randomised controlled trial is being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the LifeLab intervention, the primary outcome being a measurement of the change in nutrition, health and lifestyle literacy from before to after the LifeLab intervention. The LifeLab intervention comprises professional development for the teachers involved; preparatory lessons for the school students, delivered in school; a hands-on practical day at LifeLab, including a 'Meet the Scientist' session; post-visit lessons delivered in school; and the opportunity to participate in the annual LifeLab Schools' Conference. This study aims to recruit approximately 2,500 secondary school students aged 13 to 14 years from 32 schools (the clusters) from Southampton and neighbouring areas. Participating schools will be randomised to control or intervention groups. The intervention will be run over two academic school years, with baseline questionnaire data collected from students at participating schools at the start of the academic year and follow- up questionnaire data collected approximately 12 months later. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Evaluation of LifeLab is a cluster randomised controlled trial ( ISRCTN71951436 , registered 25 March 2015), funded by the British Heart Foundation (PG/14/33/30827).
Asunto(s)
Conducta del Adolescente , Conductas Relacionadas con la Salud , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Estilo de Vida , Ciencia/educación , Adolescente , Factores de Edad , Investigación Biomédica , Selección de Profesión , Curriculum , Inglaterra , Femenino , Alfabetización en Salud , Promoción de la Salud , Estado de Salud , Humanos , Masculino , Estado Nutricional , Evaluación de Programas y Proyectos de Salud , Proyectos de Investigación , Conducta de Reducción del Riesgo , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Teachers are a key part of the wider public health workforce in England. We conducted a survey to find out how they are trained for this role during their initial teacher education (ITE). METHODS: Between 2011 and 2012, we sent an online questionnaire to 220 ITE course managers and conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 19 course managers to explore issues in more depth. RESULTS: The response rate to the questionnaire was 34% (n = 74). Although most of the course managers felt inclusion of health and well-being training in ITE was important, provision across courses was variable. Topics which are public health priorities [e.g. sex and relationships education (SRE) and drugs, alcohol and tobacco] were covered by fewer courses than other topics (e.g. child protection, emotional health and anti-bullying). Perceived barriers to training included lack of time and a belief that health and well-being were low priorities in educational policy. CONCLUSIONS: Not all of tomorrow's teachers are being adequately prepared for their role in helping to address public health priorities. Educational policy does not appear to be supporting the priorities of public health policy, and this is a key barrier to health promotion training in ITE. Keywords children, educational settings, health promotion.