The Health Dialogue concept School children's Self-Reported-Health in a Swedish Context

Abstract: The overall aim of this thesis was to explore and describe schoolchildren's selfreported-health based on the Health Dialogue concept as well as to identify healthindicators and their possible associations in the perspective of 6 to 16 year-olds,and to provide an analysis of school nurses´ experiences of using the HealthDialogue concept, in the County of Västernorrland. The thesis was based on fourstudies (I-IV). Study I was qualitative using a descriptive design, based onindividual interviews with school nurses who had working experience of using theHealth Dialogue concept. Studies II-IV were quantitative with cross sectional andlongitudinal design based on statistical data from the Health Dialogue concept, apopulation survey among schoolchildren. The data were analyzed usingqualitative content analysis (I) and regression analyses (II-IV).Study I showed that the school nurses had developed their own commonapproach, a health promotion model derived from experiences of working with theHealth Dialogue concept. Study II showed that the most important health variablesinfluencing pre-schoolchildren´s positive self-reported-health were experience ofcomfort in preschool, good sleep, absence of headaches, being physicalactive/playing daily, and not being a victim for bullying. Both boys and girlsneeded to experience comfort, being physical active, and not being bullied. Forgirls, positive self-reported-health seemed to be more dependent on comfort, beingphysical active/playing, and not being bullied, whereas boy’s health was moredependent on eating school lunch daily and not experiencing headaches.Study III revealed that in 10-year-old children´s positive self-reported-health,comfort in school, normal iso- body mass index and absence of headaches wereshown to be significantly important health indicators. Normal iso- body massindex (girls) and absence of headaches (boys) were shown to have a potentiallycausal effect on 10-year-old children's positive self-reported-health. Study IVrevealed several significantly important health indicators in schoolchildren´shealth during three school transitions in the Swedish Education system (betweenthe ages of 6-10, 10-13 and 13-16); not experiencing being sad/depressed,afraid/worried, experiencing the school environment positively (schoolyard andivrestrooms), not being bullied, having good sleep, daily physical activity/play andability to concentrate. Gender and age differences were also identified. The HealthDialogue concept, contributes increased knowledge and a new cross sectional andlongitudinal perspective to individual, school, community and organization’sperception of schoolchildren´s self-reported-health. Furthermore, these resultsdemonstrate the importance and validity of children´s experiences in the context ofhealth and should contribute to future health promotion activities and schoolbasedinterventions.Key words: Health promotion, health dialogue, longitudinal design, school nurses,schoolchildren, self-reported-health.