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ONTARIO SCHOOLS IDEAL PLACE TO IMPROVE STUDENT HEALTH Toronto (March 18, 2013) � New data from People for Education show that fewer than half of Ontario�s elementary schools have specialist health and physical education teachers � and even when schools have specialists, most are part-time and the majority do not teach all students. The People for Education report, Ready, Set, Go � Building Healthy Schools in Ontario, found that while the province has made significant progress in improving students� achievement in reading, writing and math, Ontario is not doing as well in improving students� health and well-being. According to the report, the province has introduced an array of policies to support students� health over the last decade, but the separate policies don�t add up to one comprehensive school health framework � supported by funding, consistent goals, and an integrated approach. The report, funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, says that it is possible to change the trajectory of children�s prospects for good health, and that schools are the ideal place to start. When schools support comprehensive health programs and resources � integrating all aspects of health and well-being, including mental, physical, social, sexual and relational health � the impacts on students are positive and lasting. �Curriculum is important, but it is not enough,� says Annie Kidder, Executive Director of People for Education. �And it is not enough to focus on only one aspect of children�s health. Ontario�s children need overall healthy schools policy that is supported by funding and that mandates that sectors such as health, education and children�s services work together towards common goals.� Findings show gaps in Ontario Among the findings in the report, based on surveys from 1,000 Ontario schools: � Only 45% of Ontario elementary schools have a specialist Health and Physical Education teacher, and the majority of them are part time. In the GTA, 75% of schools have these specialists, compared to only 22% of Northern elementary schools. � Ontario has instituted 20 minutes of mandatory Daily Physical Activity (DPA) in its elementary schools, but many principals report it is a �low priority� in an �already packed school day.� They say there is insufficient time, equipment, space, and teacher training to implement the program properly. One study in the GTA found that fewer than half of participating children were provided with DPA every day and no children were receiving the full 20 minutes. Principals report that there are often too many competing pressures to allow time for DPA. � 24% of Ontario elementary and 19% of secondary principals report that access to mental health services is poor. � Only 17% of elementary schools and 31% of secondary schools report having a staff member who acts as a liaison with the community. Even in those schools, the position is largely in name only, because three quarters don�t allot any time for the work. � 14% of elementary schools and 17% of secondary schools do not have access to a psychologist, but the numbers vary across the province. In Northern Ontario, 37% of elementary schools report no access, compared to only 4% of elementary schools in the GTA. Comprehensive health programs work The report reviewed a range of Canadian and international research, including research from the Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health, which found that health and education are interdependent: healthy students are better learners, and better-educated individuals are healthier. According to the Joint Consortium, comprehensive school health is an effective way to tap into the links between health and education, thus improving both health and educational outcomes and encouraging healthy behaviours that last a lifetime. At a media conference to release the report, Colleen Hill, Manager of the Heart and Stroke Foundation�s Heart Healthy Children and Youth program, said that the findings in the report will help Heart and Stroke to continue to advocate for increased access to healthy food and physical activity for all children and young people where they live, learn and play. �There is no question that schools� environments are key to influencing children�s health,� she said. �If we want a province of healthy adults, we have to start building healthy kids at the earliest possible age.� �Comprehensive school health calls for collaboration between the education, health, and community sectors to provide healthy school environments for children and youth , says Ken Allison, Senior Scientist, Public Health Ontario. �In order to maximize the potential health, academic, and social benefits that healthy schools can contribute, Public Health Ontario is committed to providing evidence-informed scientific and technical advice to government, and we are currently contributing research on these topics in close collaboration with stakeholders and collaborators in the health and education sectors.� According to John Freeman, Queen�s University, lead author of Canada�s Health Behaviour in Schoolaged Children (HBSC) study, health outcomes for children are inter-related. Looking at a single outcome � smoking, for example � is not the most effective way to have an impact on overall health and education. According to the HBSC findings, �It is possible to change the behaviours of children and young people, but it is vital to take everything into account from school climate, to health programs, to positive relationships.� Models that work Chris Markham, Executive Director of the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association (Ophea), says Ophea has been involved in a number of pilot projects that have proven the effectiveness of the comprehensive approach. �There are numerous examples across Ontario of schools and communities working together in this way and we�ve seen the results. Higher test scores, stronger levels of community attachment, improved self esteem, and better health outcomes for our students � these are the results. Who wouldn�t want this for their kids?� What�s more communities that are able to do this are in a better position to implement and leverage government investments in policies such as Daily Physical Activity (DPA). Recommendations The report contains recommendations for greater cooperation between Ontario�s Ministries of Health and Long Term Care, Education, and Children and Youth Services; stronger alliances between schools and community agencies; a strengthened framework for children�s health including common, measurable outcomes; and revisions to the education funding formula to support school health initiatives and school-based community liaison staff. The report also recommends the immediate implementation of the complete revised elementary and secondary Health and Physical Education curriculum. �Ontario�s schools hold the potential to improve children�s chances for success � academically, physically, socially and emotionally,� says Kidder. �It is clear that if they are to live up to that potential, schools must be supported by integrated, comprehensive and adequately funded policy and programs.�

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Posted at 2019-02-20