Overcoming Individualisation in Health Promotion: A Key Challenge for Health Promoting Schools

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Overcoming Individualisation in Health
PromotionA Key Challenge for Health Promoting
Schools

• Better Schools Through Health
• The Third European Conference on Health Promoting
  Schools
• Vilnius, 15-17 June, 2009
• Bjarne Bruun Jensen (bjbj_at_steno.dk)
• Steno Health Promotion Centre, Denmark

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Overcoming Individualisation in Health
PromotionA Key Challenge for Health Promoting
Schools

• Individualisation still the dominant ideology
• En example from the Danish context
• Expanding the concept of action
• Joint actions in a health promoting school?
• Young peoples thinking about action for health

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Ten Tips for Better Health (UK)

• Dont smoke. If you can, stop. If you cant, cut
  down
• Follow a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and
  vegetables
• Keep physically active
• Manage stress
• If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation
• Cover up in sun, and protect children from
  sunburn
• Practice safer sex
• Take up cancer screening opportunities
• Be safe on the roads follow the Highway Code
• Learn the First Aid ABC airways, breathing,
  circulation
• (Raphael, 2000)

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Ten Alternative Tips for Better Health (Gordon,
Bristol University)

• Dont be poor. If you can, stop. If you cant,
  try not to be poor for too long
• Dont have poor parents
• Own a car
• Dont work in a stressful, low-paid manual job
• Dont live in damp, low-quality housing
• Be able to afford to go on a foreign holiday and
  sunbathe
• Practice not loosing your job and dont become
  unemployed
• Take up all benefits you are entitled to, if you
  are unemployed, retired or sick or disabled
• Dont live next to a busy major road or near a
  polluting factory
• Learn how to fill in the complex housing
  benefit/asylum application forms before you
  become homeless and destitute

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School health nurses in Denmark

• The overall aim
• .that the child during the time in school learn
  to take care of his/her own health as young and
  as adult (national board for health, 2007)

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Different Forms of Actions- how to escape the
individualistic trap!
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A School - Community Approach to Influence the
Determinants of a Balanced and Healthy Growing Up

• SHAPE UP (www.shapeupeurope.net) 2006-2009
• 20 cities in 19 European countries and five
  competence centres
• Children and young people are considered as
  active agents through their genuine participation
• Schools/young people aim at influencing the
  determinants for their health
• Collaboration between schools and local
  communities
• Health as a positive concept (e.g. food not
  nutrition)

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Shape Up the action perspective
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Shape Up the action perspective
PP in Actions in Community
PP in Actions in school
Pupils Participation
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Poznan, Poland New games and dances..
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Maastricht, The Netherlands Approaching
politicians
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Bonn Renewing the schoolyard
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A Collection of Inspiring Practices
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Shape Up From action to change

• School
• Quality of food, facilities in the school
  canteen, food policy
• Increased number, attractiveness and variety of
  possibilities for physical activity provided by
  the school physical environment
• Opportunities for PE classes, policy for physical
  activity, playground
• Community
• Healthy food at nearby cafés and shops, better
  access, new partnerships
• Increased number, attractiveness and variety of
  possibilities for physical activity provided by
  the environment surrounding the school
• New partnerships with local municipalities and
  different departments of the city council
  focusing on creating more possibilities
• Family
• Awareness among parents, cooperation with parents
• Changed family patterns in terms of
  mobility/bringing children to school, e.g.
  walking as opposed to driving children to school,
  etc.

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Shape Up Working with IVAC

• Would you (LC/LC) recommend the
• IVAC approach to a colleague?
• Yes, definitely 20 (77)
• Most likely 6 (23)
• Most unlikely 0 (0)
• No, definitely not 0 (0)
• Total 26 (100)

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What do children and young people think?
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1.800 13 years old (DK). HBSC-data

• As single individual you cannot promote health -
  you need to collaborate with others
• Totally agree/agree
• Does not agree/disagree
• Totally disagree/disagree

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1.800 13 years old (DK). HBSC-data

• As single individual you cannot promote health -
  you need to collaborate with others
• Totally agree/agree 65
• Does not agree/disagree 25
• Totally disagree/disagree 10

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Achieving influence is very easy (3.660, 13-15
y.o) (Jensen, 2005)

• The students were asked about four different
  settings
• Leisure activities 36
• Family 44
• School 14
• Society 6

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Inequity in health- a topic in schools
curriculum?

• The curriculum guide for health education for the
  Danish Folkeskole (grade 1-9) (Revised 2008)
• As a part of health education pupils have to
  develop ideas for a healthier life and a
  healthier society with more equity in health

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Concluding.

• A Health Promoting School needs to support
  students in developing
• A social understanding of health
• A social understanding of action for health
• as both are important for the development of
  their empowerment and action competence
• and .
• Young people are ready and they are waiting for
  us!