Judit Nagy: Health education programmes for school-based health promotion

Many international comparative studies concluded that the health status of the Hungarian population is extremely bad. The discovered problems are very complex and only an interdisciplinary approach could lead to a solution. Consequently, the schools as settings for socialization play a more and more important role in health promotion. In 2004, the Hungarian Public Education Law made it compulsory for schools to include health promoting tasks in their pedagogical programmes. We analysed the health promoting programmes of eleven elementary schools in South of Hungary. Our aim was to research the embedding of the concept of health in educational activities. Our results show the pedagogical programmes comply with the legal requirements and include a health promotion programme with all of its elements and schools also reviewed their pedagogical practices. Besides the promising results, schools’ faculties continue to use the help of external experts like the members of the school health service and other professionals, rather than taking action themselves; they are running campaigns, and miss the concept of properly planned and coordinated interdisciplinary programme activities. The goal of health promotion is not merely the transfer of knowledge „rathes, it is concerned mainly in the shaping of the children’s attitudes and behaviour. The importance of mental health care and the necessity of considering the children’s socio-cultural background was identified, but no specific action was taken and the teacher-parent relationship is not a priority. Schools organise programmes promoting the refusal of health damaging forms of behavior on a regular basis with the help of external experts and, in accordance with the regulations, all of the schools ensure everyday physical activities and open-air education.

MAGYAR PEDAGÓGIA 105. Number 3. 263-282. (2005)

Address for correspondence: Nagy Judit, SZTE Neveléstudományi Tanszék, H-6722 Szeged, Petőfi S. sgt. 30-34.

 
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