Search results

1 – 5 of 5
Per page
102050
Citations:
Loading...
Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 1 January 2013

Joanna Kirby and Jo Inchley

The wide ranging physical and mental health benefits of physical activity during adolescence are well established and walking has been identified as one of only two forms of…

660

Abstract

Purpose

The wide ranging physical and mental health benefits of physical activity during adolescence are well established and walking has been identified as one of only two forms of physical activity not to show a significant decrease in participation levels across the primary/secondary years. The aim of this paper is to explore the broader context in which adolescent girls walk and to investigate their walking behaviours, experiences and attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

Focus groups discussions and a mapping exercise were carried out with 27 adolescent girls from one urban and one rural school in Scotland.

Findings

Key themes identified focussed on current walking behaviours (e.g. type/purpose), physical environmental (e.g. safety, aesthetics), social environmental (e.g. family/friends) and individual (e.g. motivations, beliefs) factors. Walking was a popular activity among urban and rural girls, although areas in which walking took place, and reasons for walking could differ between geographical locations. Social influences were dominant, regardless of location, and often took precedence over other influencing factors. Walking was acknowledged as being good for health, but rarely a primary reason for choosing to walk. In general, walking was a consequence of meeting up with others, or an opportunity to be with friends.

Research limitations/implications

Findings are limited to Scottish girls aged 11‐14 years in one urban and rural location. Further research involving greater numbers of participants are required to broaden understanding.

Practical implications

Social aspects associated with walking are a key influence. Walking behaviours may take different forms depending on geographical location. Public health interventions need to adapt to match the variety of opportunities for walking.

Originality/value

These pilot study findings have the potential to inform further research as well as context‐specific interventions aimed at increasing and maintaining walking among adolescent girls.

Details

Health Education, vol. 113 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 17 February 2012

Kate Levin, Jo Inchley, Dorothy Currie and Candace Currie

The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of the health promoting school (HPS) on adolescent well‐being.

1824

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of the health promoting school (HPS) on adolescent well‐being.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from the 2006 Health Behaviour in School‐aged Children: WHO‐collaborative Study in Scotland were analysed using multilevel linear regression analyses for outcome measures: happiness, confidence, life satisfaction, feeling left out, helplessness, multiple health complaints (MHC) and self‐rated health.

Findings

Particularly high proportions of both boys and girls reported high life satisfaction and no MHC. For the majority of outcomes, mean proportions of young people reporting positive well‐being were greater for schools that had or were working towards HPS status compared with those that did not. The odds of young people in a HPS never feeling left out were significantly greater than those in a school with no HPS status (OR=1.54, with 95 per cent CI (1.03, 2.29) for boys, OR=1.60 (1.03, 2.50) for girls). Similarly, among girls, the odds of never feeling helpless were also significantly greater (OR=1.57 (1.07, 2.16)). However, the odds of excellent health were lower for girls in a HPS (OR=0.60 (0.38, 0.95)).

Research limitations/implications

The findings suggest that while achieving an atmosphere of inclusion in schools, the HPS may also have increased awareness of health among girls, but may not have had much influence on life satisfaction, confidence or happiness.

Originality/value

The mental well‐being of children and adolescents is a priority area for the World Health Organisation and the Scottish Government. This is a relatively new field with little research undertaken to date looking at the impact of HPS on mental well‐being.

Details

Health Education, vol. 112 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 1 October 2000

Jo Inchley, Candice Currie and Ian Young

The health promoting school concept is now a well‐established framework for the development of health promotion initiatives in schools. Increasingly, attention has focused on the…

1773

Abstract

The health promoting school concept is now a well‐established framework for the development of health promotion initiatives in schools. Increasingly, attention has focused on the evaluation of school‐based health promotion and debate continues over appropriate evaluation designs for the school setting. The authors argue that the case study design provides a useful approach because of its ability to explore the real‐life complexities of social contexts using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, with a strong emphasis on process as well as outcome measures. The current ENHPS project in Scotland uses a multiple‐case study design to evaluate healthy eating initiatives in four schools, based on the principles of the health promoting school. Provides a description of the project and highlights the advantages of case study methodology in addressing key issues around effectiveness of school‐based health promotion based on the health promoting school concept.

Details

Health Education, vol. 100 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 23 October 2007

Saoirse Nic Gabhainn, Jane Sixsmith, Ellen‐Nora Delaney, Miriam Moore, Jo Inchley and Siobhan O'Higgins

The purpose of this paper is to outline a three‐stage process for engaging with students to develop school level indicators of health; in sequential class groups students first…

952

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline a three‐stage process for engaging with students to develop school level indicators of health; in sequential class groups students first generated, then categorised indicators and finally developed schematic representations of their analyses. There is a political and practical need to develop appropriate indicators for health‐promoting schools. As key stakeholders in education, students have the right to be fully engaged in this process.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample in this paper comprised 164 students aged 16‐17 years in three medium‐sized Dublin schools. In the first classroom, students answered the question “If you moved to a new school, what would it need to have to be a healthy place?” on individual flashcards. In the second classroom students classified the flashcards into groups using a variation of the card game “snap”. In the third classroom, students discussed the relationships between the developed categories and determined how the categories should be presented. These procedures were repeated twice in three schools, resulting in six developed schemata.

Findings

The paper finds that the six sets of categories showed remarkable similarity – physical aspects of the school predominated but emotional and social health issues also emerged as potential indicators. The schema demonstrated the holistic perspectives of students. They illustrate the importance of relationships and the physical and psycho‐social environment within schools.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates that students can productively engage in the process of indicator development and have the potential to act as full stakeholders in health‐promoting schools. The methods enabled student control over the data generation, analysis and presentation phases of the research, and provided a positive, fun experience for both students and researchers.

Details

Health Education, vol. 107 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 April 2017

Jeremy Segrott, Jo Holliday, Simon Murphy, Sarah Macdonald, Joan Roberts, Laurence Moore and Ceri Phillips

The teaching of cooking is an important aspect of school-based efforts to promote healthy diets among children, and is frequently done by external agencies. Within a limited…

2919

Abstract

Purpose

The teaching of cooking is an important aspect of school-based efforts to promote healthy diets among children, and is frequently done by external agencies. Within a limited evidence base relating to cooking interventions in schools, there are important questions about how interventions are integrated within school settings. The purpose of this paper is to examine how a mobile classroom (Cooking Bus) sought to strengthen connections between schools and cooking, and drawing on the concept of the sociotechnical network, theorise the interactions between the Bus and school contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

Methods comprised a postal questionnaire to 76 schools which had received a Bus visit, and case studies of the Bus’ work in five schools, including a range of school sizes and urban/rural locations. Case studies comprised observation of Cooking Bus sessions, and interviews with school staff.

Findings

The Cooking Bus forged connections with schools through aligning intervention and schools’ goals, focussing on pupils’ cooking skills, training teachers and contributing to schools’ existing cooking-related activities. The Bus expanded its sociotechnical network through post-visit integration of cooking activities within schools, particularly teachers’ use of intervention cooking kits.

Research limitations/implications

The paper highlights the need for research on the long-term impacts of school cooking interventions, and better understanding of the interaction between interventions and school contexts.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the limited evidence base on school-based cooking interventions by theorising how cooking interventions relate to school settings, and how they may achieve integration.

Details

Health Education, vol. 117 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

1 – 5 of 5
Per page
102050