WHO INFORMATION SERIES ON SCHOOL HEALTH ... - PAHO/WHO

9
Promoting Physical Activity in Schools
4. PLANNING EFFORTS TO FOSTER PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
The previous sections provided strong arguments about why physical activity is important and why schools
should foster physical activity. This section describes steps to facilitate, organize and implement programmes
to increase physical activity by creating a school health team, performing a situation analysis, shaping
policies and developing goals and objectives for physical activity among students and staff – if time and
resources allow.
4.1 A School Health Team
A School Health Team is a group of persons within the school working together to maintain and promote
the health of all persons who are working and learning at the school. If such a team does not exist, the
introduction of physical activity interventions can be the opportunity of forming one. Depending upon the
resources and staff available in each school, a school health team could be comprised of a physical education
teacher, other interested teachers, head master, management staff, school nurse and representatives of
parents, community members, children and adolescents. Ideally, the team co-ordinates and monitors health
promotion policies and activities, such as preventing tobacco, alcohol and drug use, promoting of physical
activity, healthy nutrition, sun protection, etc. The team itself or a sub-committee could help plan steps for
the promotion of physical activity in schools.
4.2 Situation analysis
A situation analysis is helpful in planning any health promotion programme. It assists to understand the school’s
and community’s strengths, challenges, perceptions and needs which are relevant to planning effective
physical activity programmes. This process also can help build support at the local level.
A situation analysis usually includes three mutually benefiting components as follows:
i) Needs and resource assessment
ii) Data collection, if necessary, and
iii) Political commitment and support
The kind of information that may be useful when undertaking a situation analysis is described in
the box below.
The situation analysis should take account of factors influencing physical activity among young
people: The participation of young people in physical activity is determined by demographic, individual,
interpersonal and environmental factors (1). Demographic factors include gender, age and race and
ethnicity. Research suggests that older children and adolescents are less active than younger children;
girls are often less active than boys (53;54).
WHO Information Series on School Health