HEALTHY SCHOOLS

November 12, 2004

Council of Ontario Medical Officers of Health

Purpose of the Presentation

• Provide a “heads up” regarding the Healthy Schools movement and recent national and Ontario developments

• Seek your support for health promotion in school settings within your respective jurisdictions and circles of influence

Background on the Healthy Schools Concept

• U.S. Comprehensive School Health Education: K-12 Health and Physical Education Curriculum (early 1980’s)

• U.S. Comprehensive School Health Program (late 1980’s)

Services

Curriculum Environment

Comprehensive School Health[Canadian Association for School Health-CASH, 1988-1990 ]

• A broad spectrum of programs, policies and activities

• Involves many partners• Consensus statement on CSH is supported by 20

national organizations

Instruction ServicesSupportive Social

Environment Instruction ServicesSupportive Social

Environment Healthy Physical

EnvironmentInstruction ServicesSupportive Social

Environment

Example: “School Nutrition” Issue

CURRICULUMClassroom education

on nutritionTeacher inservices on

curriculum support resources

SERVICESAccess to dietitians or nutritionists in the

community (in case any students need

assessment and nutrition counselling)

and inpublic health (re food

selections)

SOCIAL SUPPORTUniversal, non-

stigmatizing school breakfast, snack, or lunch

programs & school policies respecting

diversityHEALTHY PHYSICAL

ENVIRONMENTHealthy cafeteria or

tuck shop food selections

Safe food handling

Example: “Bullying” Issue

CURRICULUMEducating teachers,

students, bullies, victims and parents

(classroom, workshops, web site

info)

SERVICESSchool board social work,

psychology and guidance services

Public Health servicesMental Health services

SOCIAL SUPPORTSchool Code of Conduct and no-

harassment policiesPlayground Peer

Leadership Program

HEALTHY PHYSICAL

ENVIRONMENTResponsibility Room Constructive lunch &

recess activitiesLighting; Supervision

(walkie-talkies)

European Origins:

Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, 1986

• Building Healthy Public Policy

• Strengthening Community Action

• Developing Personal Skills

• Creating Healthy Environments

• Reorienting Health Services

Health Promoting Schools [Europe & WHO, 1991/1997]

1. Democracy

2. Equity

3. Empowerment &

Action Competence

4. School Environment

5. Curriculum

6. Teacher Training

7. Measuring Success

8. Collaboration

9. Communities

10. Sustainability

Health Promoting Schools [Australia, 1997]

CURRICULUM, Teaching and Learning

School Organization, Ethos and ENVIRONMENT

Community Links and Partnerships [SERVICES]

Children& Youth

Rationale for Support• International support

(WHO Global School Health Initiative; 41 European countries)

• Research support for comprehensive and multi-sectoral, integrated approaches (see Kendall, 2003)

• Consistent with the Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy (addressing schools, families, workplaces)

• Capacity-building approach (puts sustainable structures & processes in place, e.g. board-level & school health committees)

• Win-win for health and education

• Upstream approach

• Model incorporates most service areas of public health

• Model is a vehicle for delivery of MHPSG

Public Health Service Areas

Healthy Schools Models(n.b. policies/guidelines are included in all 4 components Planning & Policy)

Healthy Physical EnvironmentInstruction Services

Supportive Social Environment

FamilyHealth

HealthyLifestyles

All others

CDC (VPD, TB,OutbreakControl)

Dental

SexualHealth

Healthy Lifestyles

Family Health

Mental Health

Healthy Environ-ments (Food, Water,

Air, Tc)

Animal Services

Nutrition & Body Image &

Food Access

Physical Activity

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco Use Sexual

Health

Bullying/Violence

Mental, Emotional,

Social Health

Injury Prevention Healthy

Living/Chronic Disease Prevention (Cancer, Diabetes,Asthma, Obesity,

Heart Health)

Communicable Disease PreventionFood/Water Borne

Disease

Dental Health

“Healthy Schools”

National Overview• B.C. “Healthy Schools” (1990) & “Action Schools! BC”

(2003) • Alberta “Ever Active Schools” (2003)• Saskatchewan “SchoolPlus” (1999-2000)• Manitoba “Healthy Schools” (2003)• Quebec “Two networks, one objective: the development

of youth” (2003)• New Brunswick “Healthy Learners in School Program”

(2003) & School Communities in ACTION• Nova Scotia “Active Kids, Healthy Kids” (2002)

• PEI “Active Healthy School Communities Initiative”

Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition• Formed in 2000

[Merging of COASH from 1990 & the School Health Workgroups of OPHA and the Centre for Health Promotion]

• Ontario-wide, broad-based [Health units, school boards, hospitals, mental health agencies, universities, health & education organizations, parents, students]

• 45-50 attend 4 teleconferences per year with approximately 20 by teleconference from across Ontario [47 organizational members, 10 individual members]

Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition(cont’d)

Mission

• Raise awareness of the benefits and need for ‘healthy schools’

• Influence policy development and the provision of adequate public funding to guide the implementation of a ‘healthy schools’ approach

• Provide a forum to share new and ongoing initiatives across health, education, and related sectors

Ontario Overview

• Lambton 13 years

• Middlesex-London 10 years

• Sudbury

• Hastings-Prince Edward

Counties

• Durham

• York Region

• Peel

• Ottawa

• Simcoe

• Thunder Bay

• Halton

• Toronto

Living School[Ontario Physical and Health Education Association-

Ophea, 2004]

• Health Policies or Guidelines

• Skills-Based Health and Physical Education Curriculum

• Safe and Supportive School Community Environments

• School Community Programs and Services

Recent Developments• Public Health Agency of Canada

– Centre for Healthy Human Development (CHHD)• Division of Childhood and Adolescence

– Children and Adolescents 7-18 years» School Health

• First Ministers Health Conference

• Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium on School Health (JCSH)– Spearheaded by the Council of Ministers of Education of

Canada and Council of Deputy Ministers of Health– F/P/T representatives met Nov 3-5, 04 at the Communities and

Schools for Health Symposium, Gatineau (Hull), Quebec– 13 P/T governments to identify a school health coordinator and

secretariat in each province/ territory by Dec 15, 04– Launch of consortium early 2005

Recent Developments (cont’d)• Five initial priority issues/working groups for the JCSH

– Schools and Physical Activity/ Sport Participation/ Recreation

– Schools and Social Behaviours

– Schools and Nutrition

– Schools and Immunization, Emergencies and Public Health

– Schools and Aboriginal Student Health

• International School Health Network

• National/ International School Health Research Network– Grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR)– Involves health and education researchers

Recent Developments (cont’d)

• Healthy Schools, Healthy Minds Symposium Oct 15, 04– Ontario Teachers’ Federation & Ontario Teachers’ Insurance

Plan– Concern re Mental Health of Teachers and Students

• Ontario Ministry of Education Announcements– Eliminating junk food/ beverages from vending machines in

elementary schools– 20 minutes of physical activity daily– More phys ed teachers– Making Ontario Schools Healthier Places to Learn

What You Can Do

• Share and Prepare: Share this information with your management team and begin exploring the opportunities these developments present and operational considerations for implementation; connect with Ontario colleagues

• Allocate: Consider aligning current staff and services with this model and establish a coordinating committee from your many service areas, as well as a joint committee involving school board-health unit senior administration

• Advocate: for health promotion in school settings within Public Health Agency of Canada mandate; for frontline public health staff to work with schools/ boards; for inter-ministerial coordination; for CSH in MHPSG

For More Information

Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition www.opha.on.ca/ohsc

Co-Chairs

• Carol MacDougall (416) 338-7864 cmacdoug@toronto.ca

• Barbara Ronson (416) 304-1258 b.ronson@utoronto.ca

Presentation Contributors

• Gayle Bursey: Peel (905) 791-7800 x 2617

• Yvette Laforêt-Fliesser: MLHU (519) 663-5317 x 2242

• Cathy Jaynes: York 1-877-352-1698 x 4534

• Denise Gaulin: Leeds, Grenville, Lanark (613) 345-5685 x 2232