Making school health promotion a participatory learning process! Aspects of a PhD –study Nanna Wurr Stjernqvist 22nd IUHPE, 25 May 2016, Curitiba - Brazil

Agenda We Act – Together for health Theoretical background Tools in We Act Intervention research Preliminary findings Discussion and dialogue

Challenges How to promote children’s health and well-being in a setting that is already overburdened?

Theoretical background The Health Promotion School (HPS) approach Democratic Health Education IVAC approach (Investigation – Vision – Action – Change) Objective Promote children’s action competence in health and health Promote healthy settings Build tools for schools

We Act: Tools and materials Class level IMOVE - Movement in Math IEAT - Food and meals in Danish and Science We Act - Vision workshop in Danish School level Teacher workshop We Act leaflet Start up meetings with the school management IVAC in We Act

Class level tools Movement in Math Food and meals Vision workshop in in Danish/Science Danish

We Act Intervention Research My PhD I Intervention Research Outcome 1 (school) Process study Outcome 2 (staff) Outcome 3 (children) Mix-method Quasi-experimental study 4x4 Theory development Test of tentative hypothesis TOOLS OUTCOMES OF THE INTERVENTION RESEARCH

Research Question How do children perceive and negotiate their participation in We Act – Together for health, compared to their everyday school participation and how is this related to the social environment of the classroom?

Focus-groups and participatory observation at 2 schools Methodology Focus-groups and participatory observation at 2 schools (Test study – School A) 2 focus groups (4-5 children age 12) 10 Focus groups (4-5 children age 11-12). 4 focus group at school A and 6 focus groups at school B Participatory observation from February 2016-Juni 2016 (27 days) SCHOOL A SCHOOL B

Preliminary findings (Test study) Trusting relationships in the school setting is an important prerequisite to pupils’ perceived participation in health activities ,

Implication Future direction on …..Research ….Practice Survey study on the effect of ‘We Act’ on classroom social capital inspired by Putnam Focus on the quality of the social environment of the class when working with participatory processes

Acknowledgement Co-authors: Maria Bruselius-Jensen2, Ane Høstgaard Bonde2, Marianne Sabinsky1, Supervisors: Inge Tetens1 and Bjarne Bruun Jensen2 And to Steno – Diabetes Center A/S and the Danish Technical University for financial support The participatory children and teachers 1 National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, DK - Søborg and 2 Steno – Health, Promotion Research, Steno Diabetes Center A/S, DK- Gentofte

Dialogue with the person next to you What are the challenges in your home country for school health policy inspired by Goof’s presentation? What would you consider to be the challenges of integrating democratic health education into the curriculum in your home country inspired by Nanna’s presentation?