Document sans-titre

Health, as defined by WHO , is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion states that: "Health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life; where they learn, work, play and love. Health is created by caring for oneself and others, by being able to take decisions and have control over one's life circumstances, and by ensuring that the society one lives in creates conditions that allow the attainment of health by all its members."

School health programmes include three programmes/components:

1. Healthy school environments
Schools should provide safe and supportive environments for development and learning, including adequate sanitary conditions, comfortable and functional classrooms, and caring interactions between and amongst staff and pupils.

2. School health services

Schools are an ideal location for the delivery of basic health services, including school feeding, immunisation, and screening programmes.

3. Teaching and learning health education

Pupils should learn relevant health knowledge, skills and attitudes that will benefit them and their families in the short and long term.

With the growing array of demands on schools and school systems, school health programmes areoften overlooked. However, individual teachers, through their advocacy and teaching, can make adifference in overcoming existing barriers and in creating school health programmes.

_{Overcoming
barriers to school health programmes}

Creating changes takes time and that, in doing so, there are always barriers to be overcome. Bringing about change in areas that involve people's values or beliefs, such as health practices, can be particularly difficult. However, the rewards of having healthy children are substantial and long term.

Physical barriers to school health may include: lack of classroom and furnishings; lack of safe water and sanitary facilities; lack of electricity; hazardous buildings and grounds, etc. Teachers may go some way to overcoming these barriers by, for example: listing and prioritizing the physical problems of the school environment; recruiting the aid community resources (both people and materials); contacting health agencies and government authorities to find out if support is available.

Socio-economic barriers to school health may include: malnourished, diseased, and disabled pupils and staff; lack of local health service, NGOs, volunteer and community groups and fundamental community resources to support school health programmes; lack of co-ordination amongst those health agencies/providers which do exist; social sensitivity and political controversy surrounding some health issues; etc. Teachers may go some way to overcoming these barriers by, for example: enlisting support from health services further afield; including parents and the community in programme planning; inviting parents and the community to become co-learners in the health education programme; making the local environment the health education "classroom" (eg. community water supply) and involve pupils in realistic tasks with positive outcomes for the community

Educational barriers to school health may include: lack of recognition by health and education officials of the inter-relationship of education and health; teachers with limited knowledge and skills in the field of health education; fragmentation of health education with lack of co-ordination of isolated "experts"; competition for curriculum time and resources; competition for funding between different educational sectors, etc. Teachers may go some way to overcoming these barriers by, for example: gathering data (needs analysis) on the local health issues and concerns, and their consequences, and inform the local, regional and national authorities; recruiting a small team of interested teachers to devise a strategic plan and co-ordinate activities; sharing knowledge and resources and contacting community agencies for further information; access health information, strategies or perhaps in-service education materials via information technology.

		SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
		SCHOOL HEALTH AND NUTRITION
HOMEPAGE SCHOOL HEALTH PROMOTING HEALTH IN SCHOOLS QUESTIONS WHICH MAY INFORM A SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAMME	_{SCHOOL HEALTH} _{PROMOTING HEALTH IN SCHOOLS}
	Health, as defined by WHO , is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion states that: "Health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life; where they learn, work, play and love. Health is created by caring for oneself and others, by being able to take decisions and have control over one's life circumstances, and by ensuring that the society one lives in creates conditions that allow the attainment of health by all its members." School health programmes include three programmes/components: 1. Healthy school environments Schools should provide safe and supportive environments for development and learning, including adequate sanitary conditions, comfortable and functional classrooms, and caring interactions between and amongst staff and pupils. 2. School health services Schools are an ideal location for the delivery of basic health services, including school feeding, immunisation, and screening programmes. 3. Teaching and learning health education Pupils should learn relevant health knowledge, skills and attitudes that will benefit them and their families in the short and long term. With the growing array of demands on schools and school systems, school health programmes areoften overlooked. However, individual teachers, through their advocacy and teaching, can make adifference in overcoming existing barriers and in creating school health programmes. _{Overcoming barriers to school health programmes} Creating changes takes time and that, in doing so, there are always barriers to be overcome. Bringing about change in areas that involve people's values or beliefs, such as health practices, can be particularly difficult. However, the rewards of having healthy children are substantial and long term. Physical barriers to school health may include: lack of classroom and furnishings; lack of safe water and sanitary facilities; lack of electricity; hazardous buildings and grounds, etc. Teachers may go some way to overcoming these barriers by, for example: listing and prioritizing the physical problems of the school environment; recruiting the aid community resources (both people and materials); contacting health agencies and government authorities to find out if support is available. Socio-economic barriers to school health may include: malnourished, diseased, and disabled pupils and staff; lack of local health service, NGOs, volunteer and community groups and fundamental community resources to support school health programmes; lack of co-ordination amongst those health agencies/providers which do exist; social sensitivity and political controversy surrounding some health issues; etc. Teachers may go some way to overcoming these barriers by, for example: enlisting support from health services further afield; including parents and the community in programme planning; inviting parents and the community to become co-learners in the health education programme; making the local environment the health education "classroom" (eg. community water supply) and involve pupils in realistic tasks with positive outcomes for the community Educational barriers to school health may include: lack of recognition by health and education officials of the inter-relationship of education and health; teachers with limited knowledge and skills in the field of health education; fragmentation of health education with lack of co-ordination of isolated "experts"; competition for curriculum time and resources; competition for funding between different educational sectors, etc. Teachers may go some way to overcoming these barriers by, for example: gathering data (needs analysis) on the local health issues and concerns, and their consequences, and inform the local, regional and national authorities; recruiting a small team of interested teachers to devise a strategic plan and co-ordinate activities; sharing knowledge and resources and contacting community agencies for further information; access health information, strategies or perhaps in-service education materials via information technology.
Last update: Janvier, 2000. For problems or questions regarding this website contact am.barthes@unesco.org.