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ACHSC Conference ‘2006

Comprehensive School Health: How can we level the playing field with respect to socio-economically disadvantaged school-aged children and youth?. ACHSC Conference ‘2006. Facilitators. Dianne Drummond, Regional Mental Health, Capital Health, Edmonton

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ACHSC Conference ‘2006

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  1. Comprehensive School Health: How can we level the playing field with respect to socio-economically disadvantaged school-aged children and youth? ACHSC Conference ‘2006

  2. Facilitators • Dianne Drummond, Regional Mental Health, Capital Health, Edmonton • Colin Inglis, Coordinator, City Centre Education Project, Edmonton • Fred Sudfeld, Clinical Consultant with The Family Centre, Edmonton

  3. Goals • Familiarize you with the literature • Familiarize you with practical projects addressing this issue • To get you thinking about how you might tackle this concern in your own environment

  4. Background Paper: Socioeconomic Disadvantage: Health and Education Outcomes May 16, 2006 Available at www.achsc.org (new documents June 2006)

  5. Link between SES, Health & Education • Health 50% affected by social environment: • physiological health/disease states, injury, mental health, mortality, self-perceived health, access to health care, smoking, PA & obesity • SES is the strongest predictor of educationalachievement & outcomes: • grades & testing, parental involvement & expectations, truancy, behavior

  6. Interaction between Health & Education • Health status improves with level of education, by: • contributing to adoption of healthier lifestyles & encouraging resilience • Improving access to appropriate health services • Also- healthier people tend to stay in education longer • Positive MH (linked to SES) offers stable advantage to students’ grades • Interaction between all three, so interventions targeting one may also benefit others

  7. The Current State • Socio-economic inequality • Child poverty in Canada 15-20% • Poverty in Alberta 16.2%; Calgary 14.1%; Edmonton 16.2% (Stats Canada 2002) • Health Inequality • Low income men live 5 yr. less; women 2 yr. • Infant mortality is 2/3 higher in low SES • Educational Inequality • 25% of Canadian children have risk for poor success – higher in poverty communities • In Alberta: schools ranking shows that students in higher income communities score higher

  8. Promising Practice • Limited information about interventions & evaluation scarce • No comprehensive school health approaches • Policy Implications: • need an integrated, comprehensive funding approach • approach should encompass early childhood, adult education, parental development & community development • underlying social disparities need to be addressed (but difficult) Government of Canada Policy Research Initiative (Burstein, 2005) ppg. 22-23

  9. Promising Practice (Cont’d) • Interventions: • Nutritional programs • School breakfasts & lunches • Pathways to Education (2001+) • Addresses students living in disadvantaged communities (drop-in tutoring, mentoring, postsecondary scholarships, incentives to complete HS, advocacy)

  10. Summary • The message is clear: Socioeconomic disadvantage produces and perpetuates disadvantage, beginning at young age and operating throughout the course of a lifetime • Health, education & socioeconomic factors are interconnected • Health ↔ education • SES → health • SES → educational attainment & outcomes

  11. Conclusions • Programming aimed at improving outcomes for school-age youth should target variety of facets (Comprehensive School Health) • Few programs are currently available → strong argument for greater time, attention, & evaluation of comprehensive interventions aimed at children, and adolescents, their schools, their families, & their communities

  12. Workshop Questions • What are some of the things that need to happen to make your dream become a reality? • What are some of the challenges; and ways to address the challenges? • What is your commitment (1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year…)

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