Promotion

84 MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION
have been limited but one evaluation study carried out in Uganda indicated that Child
to Child was successful in developing self-concept and children’s behaviour towards
each other.
School-based programmes
The school’s role in the promotion of health initially focused on education for health
and in offering health services. With the development of the health promotion movement
the school as key health promoting setting has been widely communicated and
programmes have been set up across the world (WHO 1993, 1996, 1997). A health
promoting school constantly strengthens its capacity as a healthy setting for living,
learning and working (WHO 1997). Health promoting schools focus on policies, the
school environment, the formal and informal curriculum, hidden curriculum and
school–community partnerships. Some countries have developed Healthy Schools
Awards where schools can set goals and chart their progress towards the achievement
of health promoting schools. A specific aspect of health such as mental health can be
chosen as a starting point for developing a health promoting school or all aspects of
health can be addressed from the outset. Figure 4.3 illustrates the various elements of
mental health promotion within a health promoting school.
Not all evaluations of health promoting schools (HPSs) have provided specific
reports on mental health outcomes. One which did was the HEA European Network of
Health Promoting Schools evaluation study (Jamison et al. 1996). Levels of self-esteem
rose in most schools but more in primary than secondary schools with some pilot
schools showing greater gains than the reference schools. Pupils in pilot schools
Figure 4.3 A mental health promoting primary school