A health promotion initiative in French primary schools based on teacher training and support

Abstract

This article presents a health promotion initiative in French school settings. This initiative aims to promote children’s social, emotional and physical health. The main strategy is the development of teachers’ health-promoting practices and schools’ health-promoting environment. The initiative was implemented in 115 primary schools in six French regions. Three types of evidence were used to develop the initiative: scientific, professional contextual, and critical evidence. The evidence was translated into the programme through a training and support process. According to their position, the actors used the evidence differently. The importance of the local context and actors’ involvement is further explored.

Keywords

evidence-based practice health promotion organizational case studies public health schools

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Donaldson SI In search of the blueprint for an evidence-based global society. In: Donaldson SI , Christie CA and Mark MM (eds). What counts as credible evidence in applied research and evaluation practice? Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc; 2009, pp. 2-18.

Julnes G. and Rog D. Evaluation methods for producing actionable evidence. In: Donaldson SI, Christie CA and Mark MM (eds). What counts as credible evidence in applied research and evaluation practice? Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc ; 2009, pp. 96-131.

Fullan M. Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 2001.

Graham C. , Cagiltay K. , Lim BR , Craner J. and Duffy TM Seven principles of effective teaching: a practical lens for evaluating online courses. The Technology Source. 2001 ; March/April.

St Leger L. , Kolbe L. , Lee A. , McCall DS and Young IM School health promotion: achievements, challenges and priorities. In: McQueen DV and Jones CM (eds) Global Perspectives on Health Promotion Effectiveness . New York: Springer; 2007, pp. 107-124.

Grieg Viig N. and Wold B. Facilitating teachers’ participation in school-based health promotion: a qualitative study. Scand J Educ Res. 2005; 49(1): 83-109.

Commission on Social Determinants of Health , WHO. Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health: final report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Geneva : WHO; 2008.

Pommier J. , Guével MR and Jourdan D. Evaluation of health promotion in schools: a realistic evaluation approach using mixed methods. BMC Public Health. 2010 ; 10(43).

Hamel M. , Blanchet L. and Martin C. 6, 12, 17 Nous serons bien mieux! Les déterminants de la santé et du bien-être des enfants d’âge scolaire. Québec: Publications du Québec; 2001.