ABSTRACT
School-based health promotion is drastically disrupted by school closures during public health emergencies or natural disasters. Climate change will likely accelerate the frequency of these events and hence school closures. We identified innovative health promotion practices delivered during COVID-19 school closures and sought consensus among education experts on their future utility. Fifteen health promotion practices delivered in 87 schools across Alberta, Canada during COVID-19 school closures in Spring 2020, were grouped into: 'awareness of healthy lifestyle behaviours and mental wellness', 'virtual events', 'tangible supports' and 'school-student-family connectedness'. Two expert panels (23 school-level practitioners and 20 decision-makers at the school board and provincial levels) rated practices on feasibility, acceptability, reach, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and other criteria in three rounds of online Delphi surveys. Consensus was reached if 70% or more participants (strongly) agreed with a statement, (strongly) disagreed or neither. Participants agreed all practices require planning, preparation and training before implementation and additional staff time and most require external support or partnerships. Participants rated 'awareness of healthy lifestyle behaviours and mental wellness' and 'virtual events' as easy and quick to implement, effective and cost-effective, sustainable, easy to integrate into curriculum, well received by students and teachers, benefit school culture and require no additional funding/resources. 'Tangible supports' (equipment, food) and 'school-student-family connectedness' were rated as most likely to reach vulnerable students and families. Health promotion practices presented herein can inform emergency preparedness plans and are critical to ensuring health remains a priority during public health emergencies and natural disasters.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Public Health , Humans , Emergencies , Consensus , Health Promotion , School Health Services , COVID-19/prevention & control , AlbertaABSTRACT
This qualitative study highlights parents' perspectives on pandemic-related changes to health promotion programming. We conducted 60-minute, semi-structured telephone interviews with 15 parents (all mothers) of children in Grades 4 to 6 between December 2020 and February 2021 in two western Canadian provinces. Transcripts were analyzed through thematic analysis. While some parents found the health promotion materials helpful, most were overwhelmed and did not access the materials, finding them intrusive, being preoccupied with other things and facing their own personal stressors. This study highlights key factors to be addressed and further investigated to ensure the successful delivery of health promotion programming during future crises.
Schools modified health promotion programming in response to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and relied on parents to facilitate health promotion at home. Qualitative interviews with parents of children in Grades 4 to 6 revealed that parents were overwhelmed and often did not access health promotion materials. In the event of a future public health crisis, we identified strategies that can be used to increase parental engagement in facilitating health promotion at home.
Les écoles ont modifié leurs programmes de promotion de la santé à la suite des fermetures liées à la pandémie de COVID19 et ont compté sur les parents pour faciliter la promotion de la santé à la maison. Les entrevues qualitatives réalisées avec des parents d'enfants de la 4e à la 6e année ont révélé que les parents étaient débordés et qu'ils ont été peu nombreux à consulter les documents de promotion de la santé. Nous avons cerné des stratégies aptes à favoriser la participation des parents à la promotion de la santé à la maison dans l'éventualité d'une nouvelle crise de santé publique.
