Abstract
In isolation, school-based health education is rarely an effective means of preventing youth health-risk behavior. Changing school cultures and classroom climates provides a highly complementary approach to traditional, individually focused health education and other prevention programs in schools in order to promote adolescent health more effectively. These efforts are consistent with the World Health Organization’s definition of a “health promoting setting,” which creates a healthy physical and social environment; integrates health-promotion principles into daily activities; and develops capacity to reach out, beyond the setting, into the broader community to support health. Schools that promote an inclusive ethos, supportive classroom environments, and caring student–teacher relationships can reduce students’ health-risk behaviors and improve academic attainment. This is best achieved through flexible, locally driven interventions. Three examples, from England, Australia, and the USA, are profiled.
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Fletcher, A. (2015). School Culture and Classroom Climate. In: Bosworth, K. (eds) Prevention Science in School Settings. Advances in Prevention Science. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3155-2_13
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