'We're Not in a Place Where We Can Thrive Yet': A Qualitative Exploration of Systems of Health Promotion in Primary Schools in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Annemarie E Bennett
PMID 39927785WHAT IT FOUND
Primary school teachers and principals described reduced capacity for health promotion after COVID.
They prioritized academics, picked battles, and said schools cannot replace occupational therapists, speech and language therapists or other health professionals.
Key findings
01Participants consistently noted that capacity for health promotion in schools had been curtailed during the pandemic and generally remained suppressed.
02Some aspects of child health were avoided because teachers felt unable to support the fallout and waiting lists for services were long.
03Schools were willing to serve as a conduit through which health professionals could access children, but said they were not trained health professionals.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Participants were self-selected, so teachers who were more interested or available may be over-represented. Private schools were not represented. Some focus groups had only one participant, so group discussion may have been limited. One researcher analysed the data without multiple coders. The study reports teachers' perceptions, not measured child health outcomes or tested interventions.
Declared interests
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as measured child outcomes or proof that a school health-promotion programme works. They are self-reported perceptions from 30 Irish teachers and principals, and the study tested no intervention.