Schools for health, education and development: a call for action

Tang, K.-C., Nutbeam, Donald, Aldinger, C., St Leger, L., Bundy, D., Hoffmann, A. M., Yankah, E., McCall, D., Buijs, G., Arnaout, S., Morales, S., Robinson, F., Torranin, C., Drake, L., Abolfotouh, M., Whitman, C. V., Meresman, S., Odete, C., Joukhadar, A.-H., Avison, C., Wright, C., Huerta, F., Munodawafa, D., Nyamwaya, D. and Heckert, K. (2008) Schools for health, education and development: a call for action. Health Promotion International, 24 (1), 68. (doi:10.1093/heapro/dan037).

Abstract

In 2007, the World Health Organization, together with United Nations
and international organization as well as experts, met to draw upon
existing evidence and practical experience from regions, countries and
individual schools in promoting health through schools. The goal of the
meeting was to identify current and emerging global factors affecting
schools, and to help them respond more effectively to health, education
and development opportunities. At the meeting, a Statement was
developed describing effective approaches and strategies that can be
adopted by schools to promote health, education and development. Five
key challenges were identified. These described the need to continue
building evidence and capturing practical experience in school health;
the importance of improving implementation processes to ensure optimal
transfer of evidence into practice; the need to alleviating social and
economic disadvantage in access to and successful completion of school
education; the opportunity to harness media influences for positive
benefit, and the continuing challenge to improve partnerships among
different sectors and organizations. The participants also identified a
range of actions needed to respond to these challenges, highlighting
the need for action by local school communities, governments and
international organizations to invest in quality education, and to
increase participation of children and young people in school
education. This paper describes the rationale for and process of the
meeting and the development of the Statement and outlines some of the
most immediate efforts made to implement the actions identified in the
Statement. It also suggests further joint actions required for the
implementation of the Statement.

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