School Health Awareness Promotion and Education SHAPE programme
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School Health Awareness
Promotion and Education
SHAPE programme - extracted text
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SDA-RF-CH-2.4
SHAPE
School Health Awareness
Promotion and Education
SHAPE programme
Dr.Nithyakalyani.P MBBS
No: 9, 54th street,
Ashoknagar, Chennai: 600 083
Phone: 489 2799, 3716091
E-mail: nithyapari@eth.net
VEMUST-Value Education for Mutual Understanding &.service
Trust
SHAPE
Project Report
Summary
SHAPE will create awareness of positive health and impart knowledge and skills about health to
adolescent school children. This would empower the children to take informed decisions regarding
the physical, emotional, social and ethical aspects of health and become responsible for maintaining
their overall health. This would help the young people to live a healthier, longer and more
productive lives.
Healthcare crisis in Indian cities
India has achieved tremendous success in reducing mortality and disease since independence.
However, with the urban population steadily increasing and suffering from both communicable and
chronic diseases, Indian cities are facing a looming healthcare crisis.
Life style related diseases are causing a catastrophic impact, leading to increased hospitalisation
and death. This has resulted in skyrocketing of medical treatment costs that the majority of Indians
can ill-afford.
Today, the Indian health care delivery systems are unable to provide solutions for the “double
burden” of communicable diseases and life-style related diseases. The incidence of malaria and
enteric fever has reached epidemic proportions. At the same time the incidence of heart diseases
and Diabetes Mellitus is increasing at an alarming rate.
School health - situation description
Indian children at schools have very little knowledge of healthy living. Though the reasons are
many, the following are the most relevant:
1. The present-day education system is demanding
The competitive nature of examinations puts pressure on the schools to produce good results.
This burdens the children and forces them to be study-orientated and they hardly find time to
develop other aspects of their personality. They are overloaded with schoolwork and homework
and find little time to play.
2. Invasion of television into children’s free time
Television has changed the whole culture of childhood and growing up. A decade ago evenings
were spent in playgrounds. Unfortunately, the present-day children spend most of their
evenings in front of the television.
3. Marketing thrust of multinational food and beverage companies
High profile advertisements are targeted to entice the youngsters. They indulge in junk foods
that provide instant satisfaction but are harmful to their long-term health.
4. Lack of information on healthy living and ignorance of elders
The adolescent years involve ‘growing up’ and coping with the physical, emotional and social
changes. Children need a lot of support, counselling and guidance to channel their energies at
this stage of their lives. There is lack of proper guidance to our youngsters at this critical
period of their lives
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SHAPE
Why is School health promotion important?
The best and most economical option available to curb this crisis is health promotion. As healthy
living is a habit, this health promotion activity should be targeted at children and adolescents so
that they adopt health-promoting practices.
Schools represent an excellent opportunity to address prevention of this urban crisis. The target
group of adolescents are readily available in the schools. The learning environment will make it
conducive to enable health promotion.
The WHO report on the state of world health, highlights the need to invest in promoting adolescent
health to avoid such health crisis-44 Across the world some 2.3 billion people, about 40% of the
total population, are aged under 20. Although teenagers and young adults are generally healthy,
they are among the most vulnerable in terms of the diseases of society - poverty, exploitation,
ignorance and risky behaviour. In squandering the health of its young, the world squanders its
tomorrows. The behaviour patterns established in adolescence, highly influenced by the adult
world, are of immense importance to an individual's life span and to public health as a whole”
The target population, we need to reach out is enormous. The children population in India at the
secondary and senior secondary level (age group 12-16) as projected in 1996-97 by NS SO has
been estimated at 9.66 crores. The total number of high schools and higher secondary schools in
Tamil Nadu is close to 10,000. There are more than 85 lakh students who are studying in these
schools (age group 11-18).
SHAPE - Vision for the 21st century
SHAPE (School Health Awareness Promotion and Education Programme) is our humble
attempt to try and promote health among our young people so as to reverse this unhealthy trend of
our nation’s health.
SHAPE aims to bring about positive health awareness amongst adolescent school children and
empower them with skills for a healthy and productive adulthood.
Goals
i.
To conduct programmes to empower students, teachers and parents with the awareness of
positive health in the spheres of physical, emotional and social well-being
2.
To encourage student participation in adopting healthy lifestyles for lifetime
3.
Make schools health promoting by introducing a comprehensive school health programme to
cater to the needs of students and staff
4.
To introduce health promotion as a part of middle and high school curriculum to inculcate
positive health lifestyles amongst students
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SHAPE
Work plan
_____________
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Beneficiaries
The direct beneficiaries of the project will be students between the age group 14 to 18 years and
teachers. The indirect beneficiaries would be the parents, local community and eventually our
country.
Specific activities
To conduct programmes to empower students, teachers and parents with
the awareness of positive health in the spheres of physical, emotional and
social well-being.
i.
2.
3.
Importance of health promotion and health awareness talks to school management and
teachers.
■
These talks will explain the definition of health and that health is a positive state
of physical, social and emotional well being not just being free from disease.
■
The fact that all aspects of health are interdependent will be emphasised.
■
The reasons and need for health promotion in schools and the role of teachers in
this activity will be highlighted
Six modules of activity-based health awareness program to students in the presence of the
class teachers
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Module-1 - an introduction to positive health and disease
■
Module-2 -food and nutrition - eating the right food and the harmful effects of junk
food.
■
Module-3 -physical fitness - assessing physical fitness. Exercises to become fit.
■
Module-4 - emotional health & stress management.
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Module-5 - reading and remembering for exams the easy way.
■
Module-6 - basis of value-based living.
Health awareness talks in Parent-Teacher Association meetings.
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SHAPE
To encourage student participation in adopting healthy lifestyles for lifetime
4. Formation of peer support group (Kshemam club) to promote student participation.
Student volunteers from standards 8th, 9th and 11th can form groups that will meet
fortnightly or monthly and carry out the following activities on topics relevant to healthy
living:
o
Conduct debates on healthy living
o
Essay writing competition
o
Quiz Programs - related to healthy living
o
Exhibition - on healthy living
To introduce a comprehensive school health programme to cater to the
needs of students and staff_______________________ _________________________
5. Health education
6. Coordinating physical education activities
7. Providing health screening and health services
8. Nutrition services
9. Adolescent counselling and support services
10. Promoting healthy school environment
11. Health promotion for staff
12. Parent and community involvement
To introduce health promotion in the middle and high school curriculum
13. Prepare text books for use in standards 6-12
Impact of activities
Activity
Impact
1,2,3
Will empower students, teachers and parents with the awareness of positive health in
the spheres of physical, emotional and social well-being
4.
Will encourage student participation in adopting healthy lifestyles for lifetime
5-12
Will make schools health promoting and provide healthcare access to students
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Will introduce health promotion in the middle and high school curriculum
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SHAPE
Strategies
Step: 1 Meet school management and impress upon need for health promotion for adolescents
Step: 2. Deliver 2 talks to teachers-
Importance school health promotion in promoting nation ’s health
Positive health awareness
Step: 3. Start activity-based school health promotion modules
Step: 4. Formation of Kshemam clubs and initiate programs
Step: 5. Start comprehensive school health program
Step: 6. Prepare textbooks from standards 6th to 12th
Manpower
Initially a physician will start the programme. Then to carry out the various activities a
core team should be formed consisting of
Health care providing team consisting of:______________________
o
Team of physicians
o
Office secretary
o
Nurse
o
Student counsellor
o
Nutritionist
School health promotion team consisting of:
•
School principal
•
School management representative
•
Teachers ’ representative
•
Parent representative
•
Student representative
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Action plan with dates
2002
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Activity: 1
Activity: 2
Activity: 3
Activity: 4
...................................................................................... .......
■
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Activity: 5
Activity: 6
Activity: 1- Importance of health promotion and health awareness talks to school management and teach
Activity: 2- Six modules of activity-based health awareness program to students in the presence of class
Activity: 3- Health awareness talks in Parent-Teacher Association meetings
Activity: 4-Form Kshemam club and promote the activities such as debates, essay writing competition,
Activity: 5 -comprehensive school health program
Activity: 6 -Prepare textbooks for use in standards 6-12
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Budget
Expenses
Income
Personnel expenses
Physician (Project coordinator)
Office secretary
Nurse
20000.00
Rs.2000.00
Rs.4000.00
Student counsellor
Rs.2500.00
Nutritionist
Rs. 5000.00
Rs.33500.00
hBOlallOib:
Overheads
Rent
Electricity
Telephone
Stationery
Office expenses
Travelling expenses
Subtotal-B
Assets
Computer and Printer
Furniture
Telephone deposit
Rent deposit
Subtotal-C
Annual expenses
Year-1 (A+B) *12 + C
Rs.4000.00
Rs. 500.00
Rs.750.00
Rs.2500.00
Rs. 1000.00
Rs.2000.00
Rs. 10750.00
Earned income- from annual exhibitio
Contributed income- from donors
Total projected income
Rs60000.00
Rs. 15000.00
Rs.3000.00
Rs. 24000.00
Rs.I02000.00
633000.00
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SHAPE
Background information
_______
VEMUST was started in the year 1997 with the vision of reinforcing in society the value
basis of physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual well being.
This Trust was formally registered on the 6th of March 1997 with Mr.M..Keshav an HRD
consultant as its founder and Dr.Arjun Rajagopalan, Dr.R.Parivalavan, Dr.Biswarup Pal,
Dr.V.B. Narayanamurthy and Dr.C.S.Ramachai'idran as member Trustees.
The major objectives set were:
• Invoke in society an empathy towards self, family, colleagues, community, the
country and thereby mankind.
• Empower individuals to realize the potential of intellectual efficiency.
• Create and promote social awareness of systems to sustain positive health.
• Target and give emphasis to adolescent age group in schools to promote positive
and holistic health concepts.
Summary of Activities done to realize the objectives:
YEAR I (1997-98)
Base materials, modules and training curriculum were formulated to promote health
programmes specifically to schools and to targeted audience. The outcome were three
programmes which have been called as KSHEMAM which means - Kindle social
health by medical Advice and management, SHAPE - School health awareness
programme and CAP- Career Awareness Programme.
KSHEMAM: is a health awareness programme with its primary aim to promote health,
prevent life style related diseases and to provide treatment and counselling to people
afflicted with diseases.
SHAPE: is an unique student centred, activity based learning programme consisting of
90 minute modules targeting students of adolescent age. This module covers positive
health concepts, diet & nutrition, tips for every day fitness, mind mechanics, total
personality management and communication skills, improving memory skills.
CAP: Career Awareness Programme is a career guidance program for youngsters
again targeting students of Sth to 12th class. The objective of this programme is to give
the students a ringside view of the various professions to enable them to make a
conscious choice in their careers.
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SHAPE
Year H (1998-99)
VEMUST activities in this year were focused on Schools. A list of schools that were
contacted to promote the school health programme is given below:
Three schools were contacted to initiate the school health programme. They are:
• Grace matriculation higher secondary school, Anna Nagar
• Anna Adharsh Matriculation School, Anna Nagar
• Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Anna Nagar
'
The modules of positive health were conducted in Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Annanagar.
The children of the 8th standard were addressed.
Talks on Pulse polio program and general information on infectious diseases was
delivered in the following institutions:
• Kothari academy
• Anna adharsh matriculation
• Rotary club of Chennai Patna
The above activities enabled VEMUST to make a dent into the educational institutions. As
a second step VEMUST also initiated a clinic where a physician with the same perspective
was posted. This clinic was aptly named as KSHEMAM Family clinic. People in need
could any time walk in for counselling or treatment. This clinic was open on all weekdays
during daytime.
Year HI (1999-2000)
During this year one more school was included for the school health programme:
• Seetha Kingston House school, Chetput.
Health awareness sessions were extended to the community by conducting participatory
programmes to the:
• Anna Nagar A-Block Ladies Association and
• Women of Resident ’s Association of Bharat Petroleum colony, Annanagar.
The KSHEMAM family clinic continued to function. This clinic also enabledVEMUST to
identify the needs of the community and helped us to select areas where we had to
intervene.
An offshoot of such learning was the one-week workshop for teenage girls on health and
fitness. The concept of physical health, mental health, intellectual health, social health and
spiritual health was dealt at length. This age group was chosen as they fall into a specific '
category, being too old for a paediatrician and too young for an adult doctor. This was a
very useful and unique opportunity for the participants to discover themselves and clear all
their doubts on health aspects. They also requested for a follow up to this workshop.
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______
SHAPE
The students of Terapanth Vidyalaya diploma in eves grooming were also given a
workshop on positive health as part of their curriculum.
Year IV (2000-01)
The school health programme was strengthened with the addition of one more school,
• Presidency school for girls, Poonamallee High road.
During mid year a major Diabetic and hypertension screening in the working area was
conducted. This was done through a one-week free camp followed by a half a day diet
workshop for the identified Diabetics. Nearly one hundred adults were screened and
benefited out of this intervention.
To respond to the earlier teenage girl’s request for a follow up, another workshop was
conducted for that target group. This was a two-day workshop. During this workshop,
body skills, mind skills, social skills were introduced, which would lead them to healthy
living and positive thinking.
Also as part of community work working women and housewives of the employees of IIT,
Chennai were addressed to on the subject of positive and holistic health.
Year V (2001-02)
All the programmes thus far done were only through personal donations of well wishers
and Trustees. None was through a formal funding source. We realized that this kind of adhoc contributions cannot achieve much.. Hence we have now initiated the process of
formulating long term, need based, and comprehensive projects to carry out our mission.
The past four years have been a great learning process for the trust. This has inspired the
trust to formulate 3 focus areas for the future.
Future Plans:
•
•
•
Comprehensive school health programmes- SHAPE (this project)
Career awareness Programmes - A day in the life of....
Health insurance programmes for underprivileged students - Arokya Dhan scheme
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