Department of Community Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, Wardha, 442001, Maharashtra, India.
Integrated Department of Health Policy, Epidemiology, Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics, Foundation for People-Centric Health Systems, New Delhi, 110029, India.
Indian J Pediatr. 2023 Dec;90(Suppl 1):116-124. doi: 10.1007/s12098-023-04852-x. Epub 2023 Sep 26.
Schools provide a crucial platform for health and well-being interventions targeting children and adolescents. Early promotive and preventive initiatives are vital for enabling children and adolescents to reach their optimal potential, thereby adding to the country's social return-on-investment, creating a favourable demographic dividend. This review analyses the evolution of school health initiatives in India, including the current curriculum proposed under the Ayushman Bharat program. The manuscript highlights the challenges, and gaps in implementation of the current school health programs and proposes potential pathways for bridging these gaps for promotion of adolescent well-being. The review also discusses the concept of Health Promoting Schools and suggests adaptations and key recommendations to Indian context regarding 'how' to translate it into on-field reality based on the appraisal of successful case studies from other countries. Though India started school health services more than 100 y ago, the school health programmes in most Indian states are weak and fragmented, with piecemeal health screening with minimal focus on health promotion and well-being. The recently launched School Health and Wellness initiative under the Ayushman Bharat program has lots of promise. However, it needs to be translated into effective implementation to prevent it from meeting the fate of its forerunner programs. The school health program needs to move beyond the screening centric approach and be aspirational and holistic in nature focusing upon the overall well-being of the adolescents. Concerted efforts through intersectoral convergence are needed to optimally utilise the platforms of schools for promotion of adolescent well-being.
学校为针对儿童和青少年的健康和福祉干预措施提供了一个至关重要的平台。早期的促进和预防措施对于使儿童和青少年发挥最佳潜力至关重要，从而为国家的社会投资回报增添价值，创造有利的人口红利。本综述分析了印度学校卫生倡议的演变，包括 Ayushman Bharat 计划下目前提出的课程。本文稿强调了当前学校卫生计划实施中的挑战和差距，并为促进青少年健康提出了潜在的途径。该综述还讨论了促进健康学校的概念，并根据其他国家成功案例的评估，就如何将其转化为基于现场的现实提出了印度国情的调整和关键建议。尽管印度早在 100 多年前就开始提供学校卫生服务，但大多数印度邦的学校卫生计划薄弱且分散，零星进行健康筛查，对健康促进和福祉的关注极少。最近在 Ayushman Bharat 计划下推出的学校健康和健康倡议有很大的希望。然而，需要将其转化为有效的实施，以防止其重蹈其前身计划的覆辙。学校卫生计划需要超越以筛查为中心的方法，具有抱负和整体性，关注青少年的整体福祉。需要通过部门间的协同努力，充分利用学校平台促进青少年健康。
