Background: An interdisciplinary health promotion module, using the
community-based teaching approach, is offered by the University of the Western Cape
(UWC). Schools in Delft, a poor socio-economic area with high unemployment, crime
and a range of social problems, are used as the teaching site.
Aim: To assess the status of the health promotion initiatives in schools where students
were placed.
Method: A self-administered structured questionnaire for teachers and principals.
Variables included were demographic data, views of health promotion, health promotion
activities at the school, barriers and opportunities to implement health promotion
activities.
Results: A response rate of 68.75 % (n = 55) for teachers and 100 % (n = 4) for principals
was obtained. Most (87%) teachers felt that health promotion has a place within the
curriculum. They reportedly focused on topics related to health within the school
curriculum. Partners, such as public health nurses, university students, and a
pharmaceutical company, offer additional health promotion initiatives. These include
general health checks, HIV/AIDS information, adolescent health and dental health.
Barriers to initiate and sustain programmes include lack of resources, insufficient staff
training, lack of commitment by both teaching staff and the community, insufficient time,
the heavy workload of teachers, and communication problems as a result of language
barriers. Only 36% of teachers felt the school environment was conducive to learning.
Conclusion: Health promotion initiatives in the schools concerned are uncoordinated,
erratic, based on the resources that the school has access to at a given time and the
demands of the curriculum.