The World Health Organization's 'Health-promoting School' model: a potential avenue for developmental origins of health and disease education in Africa
| dc.contributor.author | Macnab, Andrew J. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-03-12T07:58:23Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-03-12T07:58:23Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020 | |
| dc.description | CITATION: Macnab, A. J. 2020. The World Health Organization's 'Health-promoting School' model: a potential avenue for developmental origins of health and disease education in Africa, in Macnab, A., Daar, A. & Pauw, C. 2020. Health in transition : translating developmental origins of health and disease science to improve future health in Africa. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928357759/12. | |
| dc.description | The original publication is available at https://africansunmedia.store.it.si/za | |
| dc.description.abstract | Traditional health care strategies to manage illness are based on the tenets of prevention and cure. Health promotion is an urgent matter from both a health and economic standpoint, as most non-communicable diseases cannot be cured, and the future costs of management are prohibitive. Hence, a new focus on prevention involving youth has been widely called for, including by the Cape Town Manifesto.2 This chapter reviews the challenge and opportunities of engaging youth in health promotion related to the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) agenda. It explores the potential for using the World Health Organization (WHO)’s ‘Health-Promoting School’ model as part of health initiatives in Africa to promote the adoption of a DOHaD related health agenda. At a societal level, effective disease prevention must often rely on the application of new science and technological innovation, plus legislation to dictate change. However, at an individual level, alterations in health behaviours are required to contain the epidemic of DOHaD-related non-communicable diseases, which can only be achieved through learning and increased awareness driving attitudinal change. The challenge facing DOHaD related health promotion is how we, as a society, can disseminate valid information widely and frame compelling arguments to engage and motivate individuals to improve their health and change their behaviours. The nature of DOHaD also predicates that the most fertile place to invest in prevention and health improvement strategies is the next generation. The WHO estimates are that school-based health promotion has the potential to reach one billion children worldwide. Health-Promoting School programmes are a proven means of providing children with the knowledge and practical ways to improve their health and have been shown to positively impact a range of specific health issues and health behaviours. Importantly in the context of Africa, the integrated educational approach used in Health-Promoting School has proved to be applicable and beneficial even in low- and middle-income settings. Significantly in the context of prevention, children who participate in good Health-Promoting School programmes have been shown to develop improved resilience, self-esteem and self-efficacy; traits recognised to engender a greater desire and increased ability to exercise control over their lives, and characteristics all likely relevant to advancing the DOHaD agenda. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Publisher's version | |
| dc.format.extent | 31 pages | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Macnab, A. J. 2020. The World Health Organization's 'Health-promoting School' model: a potential avenue for developmental origins of health and disease education in Africa, in Macnab, A., Daar, A. & Pauw, C. 2020. Health in transition : translating developmental origins of health and disease science to improve future health in Africa. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928357759/12. | |
| dc.identifier.isbn | 978-1-928357-74-2 (print) | |
| dc.identifier.isbn | 978-1-928357-75-9 (online) | |
| dc.identifier.other | doi:10.18820/9781928357759/12 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/109642 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | African Sun Media | |
| dc.relation.ispartofseries | The STIAS Series | |
| dc.rights.holder | African Sun Media | |
| dc.rights.holder | STIAS | |
| dc.subject | Public health -- Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Diseases -- Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Health education -- Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.title | The World Health Organization's 'Health-promoting School' model: a potential avenue for developmental origins of health and disease education in Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Chapters in Books | en_ZA |