In order to reduce the impact of major risk factors such as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, the World Health Assembly adopted the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (DPAS) in May 2004 and the School Policy Framework on Diet and Physical Activity. DPAS is a call to Member States to develop and implement policies and programs that promote healthy diets and increase levels of physical activity. Subsequently, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean developed a Regional Framework on Diet and Physical Activity for national policy-makers. The regional framework suggests several approaches to addressing issues of unhealthy diet and physical inactivity including in schools. This guide was reviewed by health-promoting school focal points from 16 countries in the Region and it includes their recommendations. It is a work in progress and is not intended to be prescriptive. Countries are encouraged to adapt the proposed interventions according to their own priority needs and social and cultural contexts and make use of mechanisms and tools already existing in country.
Schools play an important role in promoting healthy diets and good nutrition and can create an enabling environment for children. However, the school food environment is often not conducive to a healthy diet. To address this challenge, and to support Member States in implementing policy measures, as recommended by the Framework for Action from the 2014 Second International Conference on Nutrition, the World Health Organization (WHO) is in the process of developing evidence-informed policy guidelines on the food environment, including school food and nutrition interventions and policies with a focus on five interventions and policies that influence the school food environment. These five include nutrition standards or rules, direct food provision, marketing restrictions, nudging interventions and pricing policies. This review on contextual factors to be considered in the implementation of school food and nutrition policies was prepared as part of the required process for WHO guideline development.
Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.
Children's health has made tremendous strides over the past century. In general, life expectancy has increased by more than thirty years since 1900 and much of this improvement is due to the reduction of infant and early childhood mortality. Given this trajectory toward a healthier childhood, we begin the 21st-century with a shocking developmentâ€"an epidemic of obesity in children and youth. The increased number of obese children throughout the U.S. during the past 25 years has led policymakers to rank it as one of the most critical public health threats of the 21st-century. Preventing Childhood Obesity provides a broad-based examination of the nature, extent, and consequences of obesity in U.S. children and youth, including the social, environmental, medical, and dietary factors responsible for its increased prevalence. The book also offers a prevention-oriented action plan that identifies the most promising array of short-term and longer-term interventions, as well as recommendations for the roles and responsibilities of numerous stakeholders in various sectors of society to reduce its future occurrence. Preventing Childhood Obesity explores the underlying causes of this serious health problem and the actions needed to initiate, support, and sustain the societal and lifestyle changes that can reverse the trend among our children and youth.
A time-tested, landmark approach to health promotion and communication projects and everything that goes into making them successful. For more than 40 years, the PRECEDE-PROCEED model, developed in the early 1970s by Lawrence W. Green and first published as a text in 1980 with Marshall W. Kreuter, Sigrid G. Deeds, and Kay B. Partridge, has been effectively applied worldwide to address a broad range of health issues: risk factors like tobacco and lack of exercise, social determinants of health such as lack of access to transportation and safe housing, and major disease challenges like heart disease and guinea worm disease. In Health Program Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation, Green and his team of senior editors and chapter authors combine their expertise to offer a high-level guide to public health programming. This guide aligns with foundational public health competencies required by increasingly rigorous certification and accreditation standards. Driven by the coronavirus pandemic and a looming climate crisis, the book addresses the rapid changes in modern-day conceptions of disease prevention and health promotion. Today's public health practitioners and researchers are often called upon to address a complex web of factors, including population inequities, that influence health status, from biology to social and structural determinants. Program and policy solutions to population health challenges require systematic planning, implementation, and evaluation. Providing students with knowledge, skills, and a range of tools, the book recognizes new approaches to communication and fresh methods for reaching a greater diversity of communities. The authors highlight the importance of starting the population health planning process with an inclusive assessment of the social needs and quality-of-life concerns of the community. They explain how to assess health problems systematically in epidemiological terms and address the behavioral and environmental determinants of the most important and changeable health problems. They also cover procedures for assessing and developing the capacity of communities and organizations to implement and evaluate programs. Drawing on more than 1,200 published applications of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model, Health Program Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation features numerous case studies and contributions from internationally recognized experts, including governmental, academic, and community public health leaders, giving readers a thorough and well-rounded view of the subject. Ultimately, it is an up-to-date powerhouse for community and global health promotion at all levels. Contributors: Faten Ben Abdelaziz, John P. Allegrante, Patricia Chalela, Cam Escoffery, Maria E. Fernandez, Jonathan E. Fielding, Robert S. Gold, Shelly Golden, Holly Hunt, Vanya C. Jones, Michelle C. Kegler, Gerjo Kok, Lloyd J. Kolbe, Chris Y. Lovato, Rodney Lyn, Guy Parcel, Janey C. Peterson, Nico Pronk, Amelie G. Ramirez, Paul Terry
Teaching Physical Education in Primary School is a valuable resource for both pre-service and practising teachers that conveys the underpinning research and theory. Replete with over 30 illustrations, this essential resource reflects current evidence that a physically active child is also a more engaged learner.
