Where to go next in terms of health promotion in Hungarian schools?

Abstract

The comprehensive institutional health promotion has been a mandatory task for public education institutions for a decade. Recently, however, important international documents have come to light which justify a rethinking and to some extent a reassessment of the national situation. Based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2021 publication “Making every school a health-promoting school” and the Schools for Health in Europe Network’s methodological manual, updated in 2020, we outline the current objectives of health promotion in public education, the theoretical framework and global standards for effective health promotion, and the professional recommendations for implementation. In our view, the more difficult the financial, professional and social situation of public education institutions, the more necessary it is for them to take steps to mitigate the health threats to their communities, in line with the possibilities. In our study, by analysing the above materials, we aim to provide guidance for educators, school health professionals, school leaders and policy makers interested in health promotion.