“Since most children spend the majority of their day in school, this setting has considerable potential to contribute to their overall health. Students can be taught about healthy behaviours and changes can be made in their surroundings to encourage positive health outcomes.”
What you will find
These resources provide Canadian and international information to help you plan programs in to promote the health of school-age children in your community. For more information, please visit the Best Practices section for interventions related to Promoting Health of School-Aged Children.
Data
A first step to planning a program to promote the health of children in schools is to understand the topic through surveillance data.
Canadian Data
- Chronic Disease Infobase Data Cubes, interactive database. Public Health Agency of Canada
- Children and Youth, Statistics Canada.
- Health behaviour in school-age children: Trends report 1990-2010, Public Health Agency of Canada (2014).
- Development of the core indicators and measurements framework for school health and student achievement in Canada (PDF document), Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health (2013).
- School-based mental health in Canada: A final report, Mental Health Commission of Canada (2013).
- The health of Canada’s young people: A mental health focus (2011), Public Health Agency of Canada.
- National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, Statistics Canada (2010).
Provincial/Territorial Data
- Provincial and territorial profiles, Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health.
- Health profile, January 2013, Statistics Canada.
Manitoba
- Youth health survey report 2009: Students in Manitoba (Grades 9-12), Partners in Planning for Healthy Living.
New Brunswick
- 2012-2013 Student Wellness Survey Data, New Brunswick Healthy and Inclusive Communities (2014).
- Children and youth snapshot, 2013 (PDF document), New Brunswick Health Council.
- New Brunswick student drug use survey report (PDF document), Government of New Brunswick (2013).
Prince Edward Island
- 2012-2013 Prince Edward Island Student health profile, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
International Data
Australia
- Findings from the Australian early development census, Presents the key findings from a data collection that represents 96.5% of Australian children in their first year of full-time school. Government of Australia (2012).
- Global school based student health survey, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2009).
Europe
- Mapping of national school food policies across the EU28 plus Norway and Switzerland, European Commission (2014).
New Zealand
- Child and youth health data and stats, Ministry of Health.
United Kingdom
- Child health profiles, Public Health England.
- Young people’s profiles, Public Health England.
- National child and maternal health intelligence network, Public Health England (2015).
United States
- Adolescent and school health: Summary of surveillance activities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Health data interactive, Customizable data tables with national health statistics for infants, children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Health and academic achievement, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014).
- School health profiles, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010).
World Health Organization
World Health Organization (Europe), Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Reports (2012).
- Social determinants of health and well-being among young people International report from the 2009/10 survey.
- Alcohol: Why pay attention to this issue during adolescence?
- Eating habits: Key findings fact sheet.
- Physical activity: Why pay attention to this issue?
- Mental health and well-being: Why pay attention to this issue during adolescence?
- Sexual health: Why pay attention to this issue during adolescence?
- Tobacco: Why pay attention to this issue during adolescence? (PDF document)
Government Strategies (Frameworks, Action Plans, etc.)
Canadian Strategies
- School health, Public Health Agency of Canada.
- Children and healthy eating, Health Canada.
- Healthy settings for young people in Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada (2011).
Aboriginal Strategies
- A framework for Indigenous School Health: Foundations in cultural principles (PDF document), National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health (2010).
Provincial/Territorial Strategies
Alberta
- Alberta’s Plan for Promoting Healthy Relationships and Preventing Bullying (PDF document), Government of Alberta (2015).
- Framework for comprehensive school health approach, Alberta Health Services (2012).
British Columbia
- BC’s healthy schools strategy/Comprehensive school health, BC Ministry of Health.
Manitoba
- The Comprehensive school health framework is the foundation of Manitoba’s healthy schools approach. Government of Manitoba.
New Brunswick
- Healthy learners in schools programme, Government of New Brunswick.
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Living healthy: Healthy students, healthy schools, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nova Scotia
- SchoolsPlus, Government of Nova Scotia.
Ontario
- Healthy schools: Foundations for a healthy school, Ontario Ministry of Education.
- No time to wait: The healthy kids strategy, Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (2013).
- Stepping up: A strategic framework to help Ontario’s youth succeed, Ministry of Children and Youth Services (2013).
- Healthy schools strategy (PDF document), Ministry of Education: Auditor General’s Annual Report (2013).
Quebec
- Going the healthy route at school, (Framework on healthy eating and active living), Government of Quebec.
Saskatchewan
- Saskatchewan’s action plan to address bullying and cyberbullying (PDF document), Ministry of Education (2013).
- Nourishing minds: Eat well, learn well, live well, Government of Saskatchewan (2012).
International Strategies
- FRESH: A comprehensive school health approach to achieve EFA (PDF document), UNESCO and partners (2002). A foundational document.
Australia
- The national safe schools framework (PDF document), Department of Education (2013).
New Zealand
- New Zealand health promoting schools national framework – Section One: Executive Report (PDF document), Ministry of Health (2011).
United Kingdom
- Improving young people’s health and well-being: A framework for public health, Public Health England (2015).
- Healthy lives brighter futures – The strategy for children’s and young people’s health, Department of Health (2009).
United States
- School health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Physical activity guidelines for Americans midcourse report: Strategies to increase physical activity among youth, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2012).
World Health Organization
- WHO school policy framework (2008).
Guidance
Canadian Guidance
- Comprehensive school health, Public Health Agency of Canada.
- Healthy School Planner, Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health.
- Youth engagement toolkit, Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health (2014).
- JCSH Positive mental health toolkit, Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health (2012).
Provincial/Territorial Guidance
Alberta
- Bullying prevention, Government of Alberta (2015).
British Columbia
- Comprehensive school health resources for health professionals, Government of BC.
- Comprehensive school health knowledge guide, Government of British Columbia (2013).
- Model core program paper: Healthy school development (PDF document), BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport (2009).
Manitoba
- Best practices in school-based suicide prevention: A comprehensive approach (PDF document), Government of Manitoba (2014).
- Manitoba school nutrition handbook: Getting started with guidelines and policies, Government of Manitoba.
New Brunswick
- On the right track: Guide to mental fitness and resilience (PDF document), Government of New Brunswick (2014).
Ontario
- Achieving excellence: A renewed vision for education in Ontario, Ministry of Education (2014).
- Supporting minds: An educator’s guide to promoting students’ mental health and well-being (PDF document), Ministry of Education (2013).
- School health guidance document (PDF document), Ministry of Health Promotion (2010).
Quebec
- Educational success, health and well-being: Effective action in schools: Synthesis of recommendations (PDF document), Institut national de santé publique du Québec (2010).
Saskatchewan
- Inspiring movement: Towards comprehensive school community health: Guidelines for physical activity in Saskatchewan schools, Ministry of Education (2010).
International Guidance
UNESCO
- Monitoring and evaluation guidance for school health programs: Eight core indicators to support FRESH, FRESH M&E Coordinating Group (2013).
- Monitoring and evaluation guidance for school health programs: Thematic indicators (PDF document), FRESH M&E Coordinating Group (2013).
United Kingdom
- Healthy schools: Tools and planning aids, Department of Education.
United States
- School health programs: Improving the health of our nation’s youth (PDF document), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Division of Adolescent and School Health (2011).
- School health guidelines to promote healthy eating and physical activity (PDF document), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011).
World Health Organization
- WHO Information series on school health.
- Global school health initiative.
- Young and physically active: A blueprint for making physical activity appealing to youth Europe (2012).
- School policy framework: Implementation of the WHO global strategy on diet, physical activity and health (PDF document) (2008).
Systematic Reviews of the Research
Selected reviews from HealthEvidence.org:
- The WHO Health promoting school framework for improving the health and well-being of students and their academic achievement (2014).
- Effect of intervention programs in schools to reduce screen time: A meta-analysis (2014).
- The effect of participation in school-based nutrition education interventions on body mass index: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled community trials (2013).
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based interventions to improve daily fruit and vegetable intake in children aged 5 to 12 years (2012).
- A systematic review of school-based interventions to prevent risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases (2012).
Search more systematic reviews.