Children as change agents for family health

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (5) ◽  
pp. 498-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisette Burrows
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
School Health ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Family Health ◽  
School Health Promotion ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agents Of Change

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore ways in which children and young people are being positioned as change agents for families through school health promotion initiatives in New Zealand. Design/methodology/approach The paper maps and describes the kinds of policies and initiatives that directly or indirectly regard children as conduits of healthy eating and exercise messages/practices for families. Drawing on post-structural theoretical frameworks, it explores what these resources suggest in terms of how healthy families should live. Findings Families are positioned as central to school health promotion initiatives in New Zealand, especially in relation to obesity prevention policies and strategies. Children are further positioned as agents of change for families in many of the resources/policies/initiatives reviewed. They are represented as key transmitters and translators of school-based health knowledge and as capable of, and responsible for, helping their families eat well and exercise more. Social implications While recognising children’s agency and capacity to translate health messages is a powerful and welcome message at one level, the author need to consider the implications of requiring children to convey health information, to judge their family practices and, at times, to be expected to change these. This may create anxiety, family division and expect too much of children. Originality/value The paper takes a novel post-structural perspective on a familiar health promotion issue. Given the proliferation of family-focussed health initiatives in New Zealand and elsewhere, this perspective may help us to explore, critique and understand more fully how children are expected to be engaged in these initiatives, and the potentially harmful implications of these expectations.

Fostering social relationships through food rituals in a New Zealand school

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (5) ◽  
pp. 434-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Neely ◽  
Mat Walton ◽  
Christine Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
School Health ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
School Health Promotion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Year ◽  
Unexplored Area

Purpose – Food practices, including associated routines, rituals, and habits, are an unexplored area in school health promotion. The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap through exploring how food rituals act as vehicles for young people to establish, maintain, and strengthen social relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Through an ethnographic inquiry, including observations and interviews with teachers and 16-18 years old students in New Zealand, everyday practices were explored in-depth across one school year. Findings – The findings include three food rituals as significant for young people in managing their social relationships, including the lunch walk, ritualised sharing, and gifting food. The findings highlight the importance of everyday food rituals for young people’s social relationships. For instance, gifting cake mediated care to friends, showed trust in the relationship, and allowed to reciprocate; the lunch walk encouraged social interaction and was a means by which young people could integrate into a new group; and ritualised sharing food involved negotiating friendship boundaries. Research limitations/implications – The study is exploratory with findings reported from one school. Further research exploring how young people use food rituals in their everyday lives for managing social relationships is needed. Originality/value – A focus on social relationships in settings such as schools could broaden the scope of nutrition promotion to promote health in physical, mental, and social dimensions. Implications for school health promotion are discussed.

The role of principals in school health promotion in South Africa: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siphokazi Kwatubana ◽  
Velaphi Aaron Nhlapo ◽  
Nomsa Moteetee
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
School Health ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Development Programme ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
School Health Promotion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Teacher

PurposeSchool principals are presumed to be pillars of school health promotion implementation. Their understanding of their role could enhance school health promotion. This study aims to investigate how principals understood their role in school health promotion.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six school principals who participated and completed the first cycle of the Continuous Professional Teacher Development programme that was offered by the South African Council of Educators. Snowball sampling was used to sample participants.FindingsThe findings of this study showed that principals did not differentiate between concepts of health-promoting schools and school health promotion, the meaning was the same for them. They focused on any health improvement within the schools, regardless of its conceptual nature. The second finding pertains to the role of the principal as a manager, while the third was on expedition of collaborations and partnerships.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was limited to school principals who completed the Continuous Professional Teacher Development programme. It, therefore, does not include perceptions of other principals.Originality/valueThe study findings suggest that despite inability of schools in poor communities to implement effective school health programmes, the principals of the sampled schools were aware of their roles. This is positive, as the efforts to enhance health promotion initiatives would focus on developing and empowering principals to improve their performance.

Socio-ecological school environments and children’s health and wellbeing outcomes

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 420-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yetunde O. John-Akinola ◽  
Saoirse Nic Gabhainn
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Health ◽  
School Policy ◽  
Ecological Environment ◽  
School Health Promotion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Health Promoting

Purpose – Attention to improving the school environment is a common activity in school health promotion. The role of the school environment in supporting improved health and wellbeing has a theoretical base, but has rarely been directly investigated empirically. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the associations between school socio-ecological environment and health and wellbeing outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaire data were collected from 231 pupils in nine primary schools: urban and rural; single and mixed gender; disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged; and health promoting schools (HPS) and non-HPS. Questionnaire items included perceptions of the school socio- ecological environment (school perception, class relationships, teacher relationships, school policy and parental participation) and health and wellbeing outcomes. Findings – Reported school perception (OR 1.21, 95 per cent CI 1.12-1.30), class relationships (OR 1.13, 95 per cent CI 1.06-1.21), relationship with teacher (OR 1.20, 95 per cent CI 1.11-1.29), perception of school policy (OR 1.25, 95 per cent CI 1.13-1.37) and parents’ participation in school life (OR 1.32, 95 per cent CI 1.15-1.51) were all significantly associated with health and wellbeing outcomes for all groups of pupils. Very few differences emerged between different school types on the measures of either school socio-ecological environment or measures of health and wellbeing. Originality/value – The socio-ecological environment is clearly related to general health and wellbeing outcomes, which underlines its relevance to school health promotion. The lack of discernable differences between HPS and non-HPS demonstrate the lack of clarity in definitions of the health promoting status of schools.

Conceptualizations of professional competencies in school health promotion

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (5) ◽  
pp. 489-509
Author(s):  
Monica Carlsson
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
School Health ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Core Competency ◽  
Professional Competencies ◽  
School Health Promotion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Narrow Focus ◽  
Competency Domains

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to contribute to the conceptualization and discussion of professional competencies needed for supporting the development of the whole-school approach in school health promotion (SHP). Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a conceptual synthesis of literature, guided by a theoretical perspective on health promotion agency and professional competencies to identify core competency domains and elements. This is followed by a discussion of focus, gaps and links in conceptualizations of competency domains and elements. Findings – The synthesis identifies five core competency domains: policy-development; organizational development; professional development; development of students’ learning; and development of health promotion activities. Three critical gaps in the conceptualizations of competency domains and elements are identified and discussed: the downplay of the development of learning domain and the narrow focus on cognitive elements within it; the narrow focus on cognitive elements and technical-organizational elements in the development of HP activities domain; and the downplay of affective competency elements across domains. Practical implications – The five competency domains may provide an overall guiding tool for professionals tasked with practice and competency development in SHP, and a point of departure for the development of conceptualizations of professional competencies in concrete practice contexts. Originality/value – The paper delineates an overall professional competency model for SHP, discusses the specific demands on professional competencies within this field in relation to this model, and addresses three critical gaps in the conceptualizations of competency.

scholarly journals A multiple-case study of intersectoral collaboration in comprehensive school health promotion using the DIagnosis of Sustainable Collaboration (DISC) model

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 301-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.K. Pucher ◽  
M.J.J.M. Candel ◽  
N.M.W.M. Boot ◽  
A.J.A. van Raak ◽  
N. K. de Vries
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Change Management ◽  
School Health ◽  
Comprehensive School ◽  
Intersectoral Collaboration ◽  
School Health Promotion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Comprehensive School Health ◽  
Disc Model

Purpose – Intersectoral collaboration is often a prerequisite for effective interventions in public health. The purpose of this paper is to assess the facilitating and hindering conditions regarding intersectoral collaboration between health authorities, public health services (PHSs), public services stakeholders (PPSs) and the education sector in comprehensive school health promotion (CSHP) in the Netherlands. Design/methodology/approach – CSHP collaborations in five Dutch regions were studied using a questionnaire based on the DIagnosis of Sustainable Collaboration (DISC) model, focusing on: change management; perceptions, intentions and actions of collaborating parties; project organization; and factors in the wider context. Univariate and multivariate analyses with bootstrapping were applied to 106 respondents (62 percent response). Findings – A similar pattern of facilitating and hindering conditions emerged for the five regions, showing positive perceptions, but fewer positive intentions and actions. An overall favorable internal and external context for collaboration was found, but limited by bureaucratic procedures and prioritizing stakeholders’ own organizational goals. Change management was rarely applied. Some differences between sectors emerged, with greatest support for collaboration found among the coordinating organizations (PHSs) and least support among the financing organization (municipalities). Research limitations/implications – The generalization of the findings is limited to the initial formation stage of collaboration, and may be affected by selection bias, small sample size and possible impact of interdepartmental collaboration within organizations. Practical implications – The authors recommend establishing stronger change management to facilitate translation of positive perceptions into intentions and actions, and coordination of divergent organizational structures and orientations among collaborating parties. Originality/value – The results show that it is valuable for collaborating parties to conduct DISC analyses to improve intersectoral collaboration in CSHP.

scholarly journals Open letters about health dialogues reveal school staff and students' expectations of school health promotion leadership

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catrine Kostenius ◽  
Catarina Lundqvist
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
School Health ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
First Year ◽  
School Health Promotion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Promotion Policy ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Successful School

PurposeThis study explores to what extent health promotion policy in practice and leadership engagement is reflected in school actors' experiences of health dialogues (HDs) and their ideas about promoting health and learning in schools.Design/methodology/approachThe 93 participants consisted of 44 school nurses, 37 students in grades 4, 7 or the first year of high school and 12 teachers, who shared their experiences with HDs by writing open letters.FindingsThe qualitative content analysis resulted in four themes: Putting health on the agenda, Finding a common goal, Walking side by side and Pointing out a healthy direction. The participants' expectations of school health promotion leadership are revealed in suggestions on how the HDs can fulfill both the educational assignment and promote student health.Practical implicationsBased on the findings, we argue that for successful school health promotion leaders need to acknowledge the field of tension where leadership has to take place, anchor health promotion policy and administer “a Sandwich approach” – a top-down and bottom-up leadership simultaneously that facilitates school-based health promotion.Originality/valueWhen different school actors (school nurses, teachers and students) are given a voice, a collective picture of HDs can emerge and help develop health promotion practices.

scholarly journals Associations between Perceived Child-Parent Relationships and School Engagement among 9–11 Aged Children

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 595
Author(s):  
Pirita Markkula ◽  
Anja Rantanen ◽  
Anna-Maija Koivisto ◽  
Katja Joronen
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Confidence Intervals ◽  
School Engagement ◽  
School Health ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
School Health Promotion ◽  
Parent Relationships ◽  
School Burnout ◽  
Finnish Study

School engagement has been shown to protect students from dropping out of education, depression and school burnout. The aim of this Finnish study was to explore the association between child-parent relationships and how much 99,686 children aged 9–11 years liked school. The data were based on the 2019 School Health Promotion Study, conducted by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. This asked children whether they liked school or not and about their child-parent relationships. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine the data separately for boys and girls and the results are presented as odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). According to the results, girls showed more school engagement than boys (81.9% versus 74.0%), and it was more common in children who felt that their parents communicated with them in a supportive way. This association was slightly stronger for girls than boys (OR 2.46 95% CI 2.33–2.59 versus OR 2.10 95% CI 2.02–2.20). It is important that child-parent relationships and communication are considered during school health examinations, so that children who have lower support at home can be identified.

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