ISHN has been advocating for a systems-based approach to school health promotion for several years, so it is heartening to see articles appearing in the journals. Most of these articles are conceptual in nature, so we need to move on to studies, data collection and reports that use the many concepts from the established systems science field. Two articles in Issue #9, 2017 of American Journal of Public Health discuss how the complexity of settings require systems science applications. As well, issues that can be addressed only through systems thinking and science were recently identified in Issue #2, 2017 of Health Promotion International. These include organizational cultures, sustained implementation/maintenance of multi-component approaches, knowledge management to overcome systemic barriers to cooperation, conflicting values and competing goals between sectors, and the need to negotiate between sectors about their core mandates/business. To learn more about the ISHN discussions about ecological, systems-based approaches, you can review and comment on this draft summary as well as see the list of glossary terms that we are developing. (This item is among the 5-10 highlights posted for ISHN members each week from the ISHN Member information service. Click on the web link to join this service and to support ISHN)
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An insightful article in Issue #7, 2017 of Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance offers some insights into the dilemmas related to health education and physical education. It suggests that teaching to promote student autonomy is a better way to motivate students to be physically active over the life course. The argument for teaching methods that promote student autonomy in PE is a good one, offering both a underlying behavioural theory (Self-Determination) and several practical strategies for interactions with students. The paper also discusses the dilemmas often faced by teachers as they need to control their students to create an orderly learning environment while still encouraging student autonomy. My only hesitation about the article rests with the underlying assumption that HE and PE teachers should be accepting responsibility for the behaviours of their students over the rest of their lives. We do not hold language arts teachers responsible for their students life-long reading habits, only that they can read adequately when they graduate. yes, teaching strategies and methods must consider student motivations and attitudes/values/beliefs and these can be measured and monitored as realistic outputs for instructional programs. But, no, schools should not be held accountable for the many, many other factors in society and in our lives that cause us to establish our life-long habits and preferences. Read more...
(This item is among the 5-10 highlights posted for ISHN members each week from the ISHN Member information service. Click on the web link to join this service and to support ISHN) Most of the research and discussion about school mental health has focused on prevention and early identification of students experiencing difficulties. An articles in Issue #8, 2017 of Psychology in the Schools reminds us about the important role that schools can play in supporting students when they return to school after a crisis. "This paper presents results of a study examining a school-based support program model designed to provide short-term academic, social, and emotional support to help students successfully reacclimatize to school after an extended absence. The paper describes demographic, academic, and clinical characteristics of 189 program participants across eight high schools. Improvements were observed in participants’ day-to-day functioning based on the results of pre/postassessments completed by program clinicians. Preliminary data showed positive trends in participants’ school attendance and high school graduation rates. Finally, the paper considers implications for school-based mental health practice and next steps in related research. Read more...
(This item is among the 5-10 highlights posted for ISHN members each week from the ISHN Member information service. Click on the web link to join this service and to support ISHN) A research review published in the September 2017 issue of the Journal of School Health found that " Seven studies focused on elementary (K-5) populations and 2 studies focused on grades 6-8. Among the 9 identified studies, those with long-term (greater than 1 year) implementation showed more pronounced results with positive impact on reducing overweight/obese BMI measures. This set of studies suggests that long-term nutrition education delivered in the school setting can provide children with tools to attain a healthy weight status. Additional studies examining participants' BMI status years after the initial study, and studies examining programs in grades 9-12 are needed to determine the most effective delivery time and methods." Read more...
(This item is among the 5-10 highlights posted for ISHN members each week from the ISHN Member information service. Click on the web link to join this service and to support ISHN) |
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