Personal health documents in school health education: a feasibility study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the feasibility of a school intervention using a personal health document adapted for adolescents.


METHODS
The health document was developed in close cooperation with groups of adolescents and tested among seventh-grade students at two junior high schools (n = 339). The document was presented to the students by their regular teachers. For evaluation, an adolescent questionnaire was used at baseline and after one year.


RESULTS
After one year, 87% of adolescents reported having written in the health document, and 77% reported having had classes with discussions on subjects in the document. The health document was perceived as useful by 35% of the adolescents. Factors significantly related to personal usefulness were being born outside Sweden, experiencing fair treatment by teachers, being a nonsmoker, and having a positive school experience.


CONCLUSIONS
Implementation of a personal health document in junior high-school health education was feasible and well accepted.
Jerdén
Lars
L
Epidemiology and Public Health Sciences, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. Lars.Jerden@Ltdalarna.se
Bildt-Ström
Pia
P
Burell
Gunilla
G
Weinehall
Lars
L
Bergström
Erik
E
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004282:Documentation; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000208:ethnology