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Healthy lifestyle education in high schools: A three‐year follow‐up study
Author(s) -
Simons Leon A.,
Simons Judith
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1984.tb113063.x
Subject(s) - medicine , health education , cigarette smoking , gerontology , family medicine , environmental health , public health , nursing
An experimental “healthy lifestyle programme” was initiated in Year 7 (first year of high school) in selected high schools in 1980 and was conducted over a three‐year period. The programme had two main objectives: (i) to influence attitudes and increase knowledge about health matters, in order to improve lifestyle; and (ii) to strengthen the general case for the more organized instruction of schoolchildren in this field. As part of the programme, children were given lessons on nutrition, physical activity and fitness, and on alcohol, tobacco and drugs. The programme was reasonably implemented in three of the four schools which took part in the experiment. Significant improvements, over three years, in attitudes and knowledge about health and nutrition and a reduction in cigarette smoking, were noted among children in schools where the programme had been implemented reasonably. The reasons for the partial success of the programme are discussed.