AHI CIO requests permission for the Affordable Health Initiative (AHI) Health Promoting School (HPS) model to be implemented. AHI CIO also considers request for the AHI HPS model to be used in an alternative format. The conditions set out for permission to implement the AHI HPS model have been put together to protect the misuse of the school intervention and can be obtained by request. AHI CIO do not charge royalty to implement the AHI HPS model and the use of electronic forms to assess health needs, monitor implementation and evaluate the impact of the school intervention. Implementing the AHI HPS model without permission is regarded as theft and is a criminal offence.

Affordable Health Initiative Health Promoting School

Implementation Agenda

A typical strategy to transform schools in HPS and implement the AHI HPS model includes obtaining support from the local department of health and department of education to implement and run the activities associated with the AHI HPS model, and identify an university to assess the impact of the intervention. Two good alternative strategies are work in partnership with other charities operating at school level or to fund raising locally to run the AHI HPS model. For this purpose a local AHI committee need to be formally formed. See the AHI HPS model description and the operational model for details.

-form Committees

In order to implement the AHI HPS model two committees should be formed. Initially, a ‘research committee’ is formed composed of at least an educator, a public health professional, a doctor, a dentist and a physical educator. Ideally, it would also include a nurse, a school teacher and a parents’ representative. The main roles of this committee are prepare the implementation the AHI HPS model, assess the appropriateness of the interventions to the local community and if necessary, and suggest cultural adaptation to the local values in line with the AHi HPS conceptual framework.

Following, an ‘AHI CIO local committee’ should be formed composed by members of society. The main roles of this committee are to monitor the implementation of the AHI HPS model in the locality and fund raising to cover the cost of implementing and running the school intervention.

Both committees should meet together twice a year in order to discuss the factors affecting implementation, the processes of implementation, and the results of implementation, including how to introduce potential solutions into the AHI health promotion strategy or how to promote their large-scale use and sustainability. The School Activities Coordinators should circulate a three-month report a week prior to the meeting to all members of the committee. The local research committee should also organise a major open academic meeting yearly with participation of all parts involved in the project, in particular school staff, school children and their families, community leaders and local authorities. This should take a conference format and serves to present in simple language the impact of AHI HPS model on school children health, social behaviour and educational achievements, as well as progress of each school towards becoming a health promoting school and a UNICEF WASH three stars school. The event will also serves to discuss issues related to the implementation of AHI HPS model with the local community.

All members of the of the two committees must:

• Understand and contribute to culturally adapt the AHI HPS model;

• Understand and apply the AHI policies and

• Understand the AHI code of conduct.

-Nominate a school activities coordinator (SAC) and sign a school and the AHi agreement.

-Contact the following authorities to obtain approval and support to run the AHI HPS model.

• Department of Health

• Department of Education

• School Headteachers

-Identify schools serving low-income communities, in accordance with AHi mission

Note: if funds are limited, identify a school that are reasonably equipped to run the AHI HPS model.

-Apply for approval of local ethics committees

-Assess the intention to transform the school in a health promoting school (Mixed methods research).

Note: Protocols and assessment tools are available at Affordable Health Research Centre, under request.

-discuss with the head teacher and school teachers the implementation of the AHi HPS model.

Agenda:

Delivering the educational activities

a.     Identify and recruit school teachers to run this activity; 

b.     Agree topics with the head teacher and school teachers (health literacy, human development and life skills teaching);

c.     Agree aim of individual topics and train school teachers to run this activity;

d.     Plan with school teachers the delivery of the exercise (materials);

e.     Agree with the head teacher the time tabling to run this activity.

Delivering of the classroom-based physical activity breaks;

a.     Agree with the head teacher the time tabling to run this activity.;

b.      Agree a range of physical activities and train school teachers to run them;

d.     Plan with school teachers the delivery of the activity.

Delivering of the basic hygiene practices activity

a.     Identify and recruit school teachers to run this activity; 

b.     Plan with school teachers the delivery of this activity (materials);

c.     Train school teachers to run this activity;

d.     Agree with the head teacher the time tabling to run this activity.

Delivering of the gardening activity

a.     Agree with the head teacher the time tabling and gardening space to run this activity.;

b.      Agree with school teachers a range of plants (vegetables and flowers) to plant;

c.     Plan with school teachers the delivery of the activity (materials);

 -Plan evening talks to the community.

Agenda:

a.     Agree topics;

b.     Identify and recruit speakers;

c.     Agree aim of the talk with the speaker;

d.     Identify and book a room for the talk;

e.     Organise reasonable requirements, i.e.: PowerPoint presentation.

 -Plan the community quiz game night.

Agenda:

a.     Identify and recruit a coordinator;

b.     Prepare a set of questions related to the talk topic in previous week to be used in the quiz game;

c.     Identify and book a room to run the quiz game.

Note: evening talks and quiz game nights are run alternatively on Friday evenings, thus a room could be booked for the whole term for these activities.

-Plan the health detective game.

Agenda:

a.     Identify and recruit instructors;

b.     Agree topics with instructors;

c.     Agree aim of the game with instructors;

d.     Plan the delivery of the exercise and train the instructors;

e.     Identify and book a room to explaining the game to participants;

f.      Deliver the exercise (use PowerPoint presentation).

-Plan the fitness game.

Agenda:

a.     Identify and recruit physical assessors;

b.     Plan the delivery of the game;

c.     Train the instructors;

d.    Identify and book a room to explaining the game to participants;

e.     Identify and book a room to carry out the physical assessment of participants;

f.      Deliver the exercise (use PowerPoint presentation).

-Plan the sport training and tournaments.

Agenda:

a.     Identify and recruit instructors;

b.     Agree on the appropriate physical activity (sport, martial art, street dance);

c.     Plan the delivery of the activity;

d.     Identify and book the physical space to run the activity.

-Plan the healthy food distribution.

Agenda:

a.     Identify and recruit donors;

b.     Identify and recruit volunteers to collect and pack the food itens;

c.     Plan food items storage;

d.     Plan food items distribution (school meals and family households)

-Plan the dental primary health care

Agenda:

a.     Identify and recruit a dentist and a dental nurse;

b.    Identify a space in the school to carry out the oral health assessment and dental treatment;

c.     Train dentist and dental nurse to run the AHI dental care protocol;

d.     Organise referrals to the local primary dental health care;

e.     Deliver the dental care at school and referral to local primary dental health care.

-Plan the general health primary health care

Agenda:

a.     Identify and recruit a coordinator and collaborators (assessors);

b.     Agree the provision of treatment with local primary health care services;

c.     Train assessors to carry out screening on schoolchildren for health-related behaviour, obesity, audition, vision, taste, and parasites diseases;

d.     Train assessors to check the immunisation status of schoolchildren;

e.     Organise a referral system in partnership with local primary health care services for the treatment of health problems identified in the health screening and for the immunisation of the children missing vaccination.

assess the implementation and the impact of AHI HPS model.

Agenda:

-Identify and recruit leading researchers to assess the implementation and the impact of the AHI HPS model;

-Identify means to fund the research;

-Train the data collection team (interviewers, recorders and clinical examiners) on AHI procedures and assessments criteria.

-Run a pilot study;

-Collect baseline data using the AHI data collection tools;

-Collect follow up data using the AHI data collection tools.

Note: Detailed protocols are available at the Affordable Health Research Centre, under request.