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Centre for Adolescent Health

Health Promoting Schools

  • Background

    The Centre for Adolescent Health is proud to be a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Adolescent Health.

    In 2019 we were engaged by WHO and United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to develop new global standards, indicators, and implementation guidance for Health-Promoting Schools (HPS) to support their global initiative: "Making every school a health-promoting school.”

    What we did

    Our work aimed to strengthen the WHO's global approach to Health-Promoting Schools through a series of interconnected projects including:

    • Policy Review: We analysed nearly 200 existing HPS policies and guidelines published in English, French, and Spanish across low-, middle-, and high-income countries.
    • Evidence Review: We conducted a systematic review of global peer-reviewed literature published in English, French, and Spanish to identify barriers and enablers to implementing whole-school approaches to health promoting in low-, middle-, and high-income countries.?
    • Country Case Studies: We conducted eight in-depth case studies on HPS implementation in low- and middle-income countries: Bhutan, Indonesia, Paraguay, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Ukraine
      • Country Case Studies:?
    • Global Standards and Implementation Guidance: We developed Global Standards, and Implementation Guidance to strengthen global implementation of HPS
    • This work was informed by multiple rounds of peer review by WHO, UNESCO and other UN organisations, an internal Advisory Committee (convened by the Centre for Adolescent Health) and an international consultation process.
      • Global Standards and Indicators:??|??|?
      • Implementation Guidance:??|??|??| ?

    Building on this work, we have also led related initiatives aligned with Health-Promoting Schools to develop:

    • Policy Briefs: We have developed a series of evidence-informed Briefs to support school systems in addressing key adolescent health and wellbeing issues. Aimed at education, health, and related sectors, the briefs strengthen school health systems by outlining whole-school approaches and a shared framework, including practical ideas aligned with the eight Global Standards for Health-Promoting Schools.?
    • WHO Guideline on School Health Services: We led the development of the WHO guidance on evidence-based school health services, highlighting schools as scalable platforms to address preventable health needs and support student wellbeing, learning, and development.
      • Guideline on School Health Services:?

    Our Team

    This work was undertaken by a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners with expertise at the intersection of health and education including child and adolescent development, whole-school approaches, and school health services.

    Lead: ?

    Postdoctoral Researcher:

    Public Health and Health Promotion Specialist: Ms Kristina Bennett?
    Education and Evaluation Specialist: Dr Ruth Aston (Centre for Program Evaluation, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne)?
    Consultant and Translator: Ms Cristina de Nicolás Izquierdo

    Communications Specialist: Ms Molly O'Sullivan

    Research Assistants: Dr Ella Cehun, Dr Anna Ross, Catherine Waters, and Monika Fridgant.


    Past Volunteers and Interns

    Ms Manon Duay
    Ms Catherine Waters

    Administrative Support: Mrs Charmaine Sambathkumar, Mrs Laura Griffith?

    Technical Support: Ms Kate Francis, Ms Poh Chua, Mr Bill Reid?

    Internal Advisory Group?

    Ms Israt Jahan Baki, Dr Helen Butler, Ms Andrea Krelle, Dr Lisa Mundy, Professor George Patton, Prof Nicola Reavley, Dr Jenny Proimos, Dr Anitra Wierenga, Dr Sachin Shinde, and Dr Jon Quach

    Collaboration and Funding

    This work was conducted in partnership with the WHO and UNESCO and was funded by the WHO.

    Key publications

    Sawyer, S. M., Raniti, M., & Aston, R. (2021). The Lancet. Child & adolescent health, S2352-4642(21)00190-5.

    Raniti, M., Aston, R., Bennett, K., de Nicolás, C., Fridgant, M., Cehun, E., Sawyer, S.M. (2020). Melbourne: Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

    Aston, R., Raniti, M., Bennett, K., de Nicolás,? C., Fridgant, M., Cehun, E., Sawyer, S.M. (2020). Melbourne: Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

    Margaretha, M., Azzopardi, P. S., Fisher, J., & Sawyer, S. M. (2023). . Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1126767.

    Bennett, K., Raniti, M., de Nicolás, C., Cehun, E., Waters, C., Fridgant, M., Sawyer, S.M. (2020). A global review of policy, standards and guideline documentation for Health Promoting Schools. Melbourne: Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. (in press)

    Raniti, M., Fridgant, M., Ross, A., de Nicolás, C., Bennett, K., Cehun, E., Reavley, N., Sawyer, S.M. (2020). A systematic review of the enablers and barriers of Health Promoting Schools. Melbourne: Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. (in press)

    Presentations

    July 2021: Global Health Forum, Melbourne Children's Campus |

    June 2021: Launch by WHO and UNESCO of Global Standards and Indicators of Health-Promoting Schools and Systems |

    March 2020: Global consultation of HPS evidence reviews with WHO and UNESCO external advisory group

    Media

    • | Pursuit
    • | MJA InSight+
    • | The Age
    • | EurekAlert

    Podcast

    MJA Podcasts 2021 Episode 24: Health Promoting Schools, with Prof Susan Sawyer, Dr Monika Raniti and Dr Ruth Aston |

    Further information

    For further information, please contact?Dr Monika Raniti.