Making every school in the Region of the Americas a health-promoting school: Implementation guide for educational institutions

Abstract

Schools conduct numerous activities daily that help promote the health and well-being of students, families and communities. There is clear evidence of the benefits of the health-promoting schools (HPS) approach, which is to improve the educational community's comprehensive health outcomes (physical, mental, and social) and to obtain better learning results. The term health-promoting school is used here to refer to institutions at all levels of schooling (pre-school, primary, and secondary) that take a comprehensive approach to promoting health and school performance in their communities, using the organizational potential of schools to promote physical, socioemotional, and psychological wellness, all of which will contribute to better health and positive educational outcomes. It is expected that this guide will contribute to both the staff of educational establishments and health personnel and other personnel related to schools, reinforcing their motivation, recognizing each of the initiative's components and promoting its application, adapted and recreated according to the characteristics of the respective contexts. The guide introduces the conceptual and operational bases of the Health Promoting Schools initiative, encouraging the motivation of the teams that coordinate its implementation and provides conceptual and methodological tools that allow for promoting the Health Promoting School initiative in a critical and contextualized manner. This guide will be useful for all personnel working in educational institutions at the initial, primary and secondary levels, including management, teaching, school psychology and auxiliary and administrative personnel. It will also serve professionals from different sectors (education, health and social development) whose activities are linked to health and well-being in educational institutions at the three levels.