Cardiovascular health promotion in schools of Delhi, India: A baseline evaluation of environment and policies

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality. Most of the risk factors of CVDs develop early in childhood. Schools immensely influence the thinking pattern of students and can thus shape their behavior. However, no amount of knowledge and aw...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of tropical medicine and public health 2012-03, Vol.5 (2), p.114
Main Authors: Kaur, Ravneet, Mishra, Puneet, Taneja, Davender
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular diseases
Disease prevention
Educational aspects
Food
Fruit juices
Health promotion
Influence
Management
Meetings
Mortality
Nutrition research
Prevention
Risk factors
School environment
School principals
Students
Teachers
Tobacco
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Summary:Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality. Most of the risk factors of CVDs develop early in childhood. Schools immensely influence the thinking pattern of students and can thus shape their behavior. However, no amount of knowledge and awareness can change health behaviours of students until they get support from enabling environment in the schools. The Ottawa charter has also emphasized on building healthy public policy and creating supportive environments for health promotion in schools. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in 10 schools in Delhi, India. School policies, environment, community participation and approach of school health agency were assessed by interviewing authorities, review of related documents and direct observation in schools. Results: It was found that none of the schools had any written health policy. Environment in most of the schools was not conducive for cardiovascular health promotion. Conclusion: The study highlights that the schools lack health policies and environment for cardiovascular health and also points out the approach of school health agency, focusing on medical check-ups and treatment of minor illnesses.
ISSN:1755-6783
0974-6005
DOI:10.4103/1755-6783.95965