School health
WHO's Global School Health Initiative, launched in 1995, seeks to mobilise and strengthen health promotion and education activities at the local, national, regional and global levels. The Initiative is designed to improve the health of students, school personnel, families and other members of the community through schools.
The goal of WHO's Global School Health Initiative is to increase the number of schools that can truly be called "Health-Promoting Schools". Although definitions will vary, depending on need and circumstance, a Health-Promoting School can be characterised as a school constantly strengthening its capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working.
The general direction of WHO's Global School Health Initiative is guided by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986); the Jakarta Declaration of the Fourth International Conference on Health Promotion(1997); and the WHO's Expert Committee Recommendation on Comprehensive School Health Education and Promotion (1995)
Latest publications
Freedom from nicotine and tobacco: guide for schools
Tobacco has negative implications for the environment, the economy and the health of both smokers and non-smokers. All people have a fundamental right...
This topic brief highlights how addressing substance use supports the achievement of education and learning objectives, and explains how intervention benefits...
This topic brief highlights how nutrition and healthy diets support the achievement of education and learning objectives, and explains how intervention...
This topic brief highlights how physical activity supports the achievement of education and learning objectives, and explains how intervention benefits...
This topic brief highlights how improved water, sanitation and hygiene support the achievement of education and learning objectives, and explains how intervention...
This topic brief highlights how promoting mental health and well-being supports the achievement of education and learning objectives, and explains how...
Selected publications
The WHO School Health Technical Meeting was held in Bangkok on 23–25 November 2015 to consolidate what had been learned from regions and countries...
A health promoting school (HPS) is a school that constantly seeks to strengthen its capacity to promote healthy living, learning and working conditions....