Background Improving the diet of the Scottish population has been a government focus in recent ye... more Background Improving the diet of the Scottish population has been a government focus in recent years. Health promotion is known to be more effective in affluent groups. Alongside trends in eating behaviour, changes in socioeconomic inequalities must be monitored.
In recent years, healthy eating messages have sought to highlight the advantages of a healthy bal... more In recent years, healthy eating messages have sought to highlight the advantages of a healthy balanced diet, but there is little evidence that the recommendations have been translated into sustained behavioural change. In Scotland, the national diet has become a major focus in key policy documents, and the diet of children and young people has been consistently highlighted as an area of particular concern. This paper reports on dietary trends among Scottish schoolchildren during the 1990s. Data were collected from a representative sample of Scottish schoolchildren as part of the WHO Cross-national Health Behaviour of School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Three consecutive national surveys were undertaken in Scotland, in 1990, 1994 and 1998, using self-completion food frequency questionnaires with 11-, 13- and 15-year-old school pupils. Between 1990 and 1998, fruit and vegetable consumption increased among Scottish schoolchildren, especially among girls, but levels of consumption fell below current dietary recommendations. There has been a concomitant increase in consumption of high-fat and high-sugar foods, and consumption of these foods is higher among boys and children from lower socio-economic groups. The findings emphasize the need for continued health promotion efforts to improve the diet of schoolchildren in Scotland especially among lower socio-economic groups.
Schools have been identified as ideal settings for health promotion (HP) among children, adolesce... more Schools have been identified as ideal settings for health promotion (HP) among children, adolescents and school staff. Most European countries have established strategies to implement HP into their school system, however, little is known about these national strategies and how effective they have been. School HP implementation concerns processes of adoption, adaptation and operation of a complex intervention into a complex setting. This study analyses the processes that have led to school HP implementation in Scotland from the 1980s until now to identify key factors which facilitated and supported effective implementation. In the tradition of case-study research, 14 interviews with representatives of national and local organizations involved in school health, as well as with school staff were conducted. Furthermore, policy documents, reports and guidelines were collected. The data were analysed following a Grounded Theory approach. Four phases of school HP implementation into the Scottish school system were identified: (i) getting started (1980s -1998), (ii) political will and strategic vision (1999)(2000)(2001), (iii) national leadership (2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008), and (iv) integration and embedding into education system (2008 -ongoing). Throughout the phases political will and committed actors, the strategy/tradition to give power to the local authorities and individual schools, and the establishment of partnerships and ownership have supported implementation. Scotland is an interesting case giving important insights into the ways and possibilities of negotiating an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral theme such as HP in schools. Further research concerning different political systems and national implementation processes is important to widen the understanding of national implementation strategies of school HP.
Increasingly, researchers are exploring alternative ways of assessing the impact of 'Health Promo... more Increasingly, researchers are exploring alternative ways of assessing the impact of 'Health Promoting School' (HPS) initiatives, in recognition of the model's emphasis on achieving change that is both enduring and far-reaching. However, it is still assumed that initiatives will lead to immediate change at the individual level. This paper challenges that view and argues that potential markers of success associated with process need to be identified earlier as a means of supporting schools and teachers. Notwithstanding differences in the way the HPS is conceptualized and implemented, four themes are highlighted that have relevance beyond any one school or country. These were drawn from a process evaluation of a European Network of HPSs Project in Scotland. They highlight the ways in which schools were able to successfully adopt HPS principles and the conditions that need to be in place for the HPS concept to flourish. Such indicators need to be given greater recognition as HPS outcomes if schools are to progress beyond the early stages of project implementation.
This multi-methods qualitative study aimed to identify environmental factors that influence physi... more This multi-methods qualitative study aimed to identify environmental factors that influence physical activity participation among young people in Edinburgh, Scotland. School pupils HEALTH EDUCATION RESEARCH 2013 Pages 1-16
differences in blood lipids, insulin, and leptin persist with increasing age these could be of pu... more differences in blood lipids, insulin, and leptin persist with increasing age these could be of public health importance. As the provision of school dinners has changed little in the past five years, 1 the differences could be of continuing relevance. However, the extent to which the differences reflect dissimilarities in the composition of school dinners and home provided school meals or other aspects of the dietary patterns and health behaviours of the two groups remains uncertain.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to outline a three-stage process for engaging with students... more Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to outline a three-stage process for engaging with students to develop school level indicators of health; in sequential class groups students first generated, then categorised indicators and finally developed schematic representations of their analyses. There is a political and practical need to develop appropriate indicators for health-promoting schools. As key stakeholders in education, students have the right to be fully engaged in this process. Design/methodology/approach -The sample in this paper comprised 164 students aged 16-17 years in three medium-sized Dublin schools. In the first classroom, students answered the question "If you moved to a new school, what would it need to have to be a healthy place?" on individual flashcards. In the second classroom students classified the flashcards into groups using a variation of the card game "snap". In the third classroom, students discussed the relationships between the developed categories and determined how the categories should be presented. These procedures were repeated twice in three schools, resulting in six developed schemata. Findings -The paper finds that the six sets of categories showed remarkable similarity -physical aspects of the school predominated but emotional and social health issues also emerged as potential indicators. The schema demonstrated the holistic perspectives of students. They illustrate the importance of relationships and the physical and psycho-social environment within schools. Originality/value -The paper illustrates that students can productively engage in the process of indicator development and have the potential to act as full stakeholders in health-promoting schools. The methods enabled student control over the data generation, analysis and presentation phases of the research, and provided a positive, fun experience for both students and researchers.
Sufficient levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) give substantial health benefi... more Sufficient levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) give substantial health benefits to adolescents. This article examines trends in physical activity (PA) from 2002 to 2010 across 32 countries from Europe and North America. Representative samples included 479 674 pupils (49% boys) aged 11 years (n = 156 383), 13 years (n = 163 729) and 15 years (n = 159 562). The trends in meeting the recommendations for PA (at least 60 min daily) were evaluated using logistic regression. There was a slight overall increase between 2002 and 2010 (17.0% and 18.6%, respectively). MVPA increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) among boys in 16 countries. Conversely, nine countries showed a significant decrease. Among girls, 10 countries showed a significant increase (P ≤ 0.05). Eight countries showed a significant decrease. For all countries combined, girls were slightly less likely to show an increase in PA over time. The majority of adolescents do not meet current recommendations of PA. Furt...
Objectives: To examine overweight prevalence and its association with demographic and lifestyle f... more Objectives: To examine overweight prevalence and its association with demographic and lifestyle factors in 11-15 year olds in the HBSC 2005-2006 survey. Methods: Self-reports of height, weight, eating patterns, physical activity and sedentary behaviours were obtained from nationally representative samples in 41 countries (n=204,534 ).
Background: Studies in youth highlight that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and scr... more Background: Studies in youth highlight that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and screen-time behaviours such as television viewing and PC use are associated with a range of health outcomes. However, little is known about recent trends in these behaviours in adolescents. This paper presents time trends in German adolescents' television time, non-gaming PC use as well as MVPA from 2002 to 2010.
Background Improving the diet of the Scottish population has been a government focus in recent ye... more Background Improving the diet of the Scottish population has been a government focus in recent years. Health promotion is known to be more effective in affluent groups. Alongside trends in eating behaviour, changes in socioeconomic inequalities must be monitored.
In recent years, healthy eating messages have sought to highlight the advantages of a healthy bal... more In recent years, healthy eating messages have sought to highlight the advantages of a healthy balanced diet, but there is little evidence that the recommendations have been translated into sustained behavioural change. In Scotland, the national diet has become a major focus in key policy documents, and the diet of children and young people has been consistently highlighted as an area of particular concern. This paper reports on dietary trends among Scottish schoolchildren during the 1990s. Data were collected from a representative sample of Scottish schoolchildren as part of the WHO Cross-national Health Behaviour of School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Three consecutive national surveys were undertaken in Scotland, in 1990, 1994 and 1998, using self-completion food frequency questionnaires with 11-, 13- and 15-year-old school pupils. Between 1990 and 1998, fruit and vegetable consumption increased among Scottish schoolchildren, especially among girls, but levels of consumption fell below current dietary recommendations. There has been a concomitant increase in consumption of high-fat and high-sugar foods, and consumption of these foods is higher among boys and children from lower socio-economic groups. The findings emphasize the need for continued health promotion efforts to improve the diet of schoolchildren in Scotland especially among lower socio-economic groups.
Schools have been identified as ideal settings for health promotion (HP) among children, adolesce... more Schools have been identified as ideal settings for health promotion (HP) among children, adolescents and school staff. Most European countries have established strategies to implement HP into their school system, however, little is known about these national strategies and how effective they have been. School HP implementation concerns processes of adoption, adaptation and operation of a complex intervention into a complex setting. This study analyses the processes that have led to school HP implementation in Scotland from the 1980s until now to identify key factors which facilitated and supported effective implementation. In the tradition of case-study research, 14 interviews with representatives of national and local organizations involved in school health, as well as with school staff were conducted. Furthermore, policy documents, reports and guidelines were collected. The data were analysed following a Grounded Theory approach. Four phases of school HP implementation into the Scottish school system were identified: (i) getting started (1980s -1998), (ii) political will and strategic vision (1999)(2000)(2001), (iii) national leadership (2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008), and (iv) integration and embedding into education system (2008 -ongoing). Throughout the phases political will and committed actors, the strategy/tradition to give power to the local authorities and individual schools, and the establishment of partnerships and ownership have supported implementation. Scotland is an interesting case giving important insights into the ways and possibilities of negotiating an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral theme such as HP in schools. Further research concerning different political systems and national implementation processes is important to widen the understanding of national implementation strategies of school HP.
Increasingly, researchers are exploring alternative ways of assessing the impact of 'Health Promo... more Increasingly, researchers are exploring alternative ways of assessing the impact of 'Health Promoting School' (HPS) initiatives, in recognition of the model's emphasis on achieving change that is both enduring and far-reaching. However, it is still assumed that initiatives will lead to immediate change at the individual level. This paper challenges that view and argues that potential markers of success associated with process need to be identified earlier as a means of supporting schools and teachers. Notwithstanding differences in the way the HPS is conceptualized and implemented, four themes are highlighted that have relevance beyond any one school or country. These were drawn from a process evaluation of a European Network of HPSs Project in Scotland. They highlight the ways in which schools were able to successfully adopt HPS principles and the conditions that need to be in place for the HPS concept to flourish. Such indicators need to be given greater recognition as HPS outcomes if schools are to progress beyond the early stages of project implementation.
This multi-methods qualitative study aimed to identify environmental factors that influence physi... more This multi-methods qualitative study aimed to identify environmental factors that influence physical activity participation among young people in Edinburgh, Scotland. School pupils HEALTH EDUCATION RESEARCH 2013 Pages 1-16
differences in blood lipids, insulin, and leptin persist with increasing age these could be of pu... more differences in blood lipids, insulin, and leptin persist with increasing age these could be of public health importance. As the provision of school dinners has changed little in the past five years, 1 the differences could be of continuing relevance. However, the extent to which the differences reflect dissimilarities in the composition of school dinners and home provided school meals or other aspects of the dietary patterns and health behaviours of the two groups remains uncertain.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to outline a three-stage process for engaging with students... more Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to outline a three-stage process for engaging with students to develop school level indicators of health; in sequential class groups students first generated, then categorised indicators and finally developed schematic representations of their analyses. There is a political and practical need to develop appropriate indicators for health-promoting schools. As key stakeholders in education, students have the right to be fully engaged in this process. Design/methodology/approach -The sample in this paper comprised 164 students aged 16-17 years in three medium-sized Dublin schools. In the first classroom, students answered the question "If you moved to a new school, what would it need to have to be a healthy place?" on individual flashcards. In the second classroom students classified the flashcards into groups using a variation of the card game "snap". In the third classroom, students discussed the relationships between the developed categories and determined how the categories should be presented. These procedures were repeated twice in three schools, resulting in six developed schemata. Findings -The paper finds that the six sets of categories showed remarkable similarity -physical aspects of the school predominated but emotional and social health issues also emerged as potential indicators. The schema demonstrated the holistic perspectives of students. They illustrate the importance of relationships and the physical and psycho-social environment within schools. Originality/value -The paper illustrates that students can productively engage in the process of indicator development and have the potential to act as full stakeholders in health-promoting schools. The methods enabled student control over the data generation, analysis and presentation phases of the research, and provided a positive, fun experience for both students and researchers.
Sufficient levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) give substantial health benefi... more Sufficient levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) give substantial health benefits to adolescents. This article examines trends in physical activity (PA) from 2002 to 2010 across 32 countries from Europe and North America. Representative samples included 479 674 pupils (49% boys) aged 11 years (n = 156 383), 13 years (n = 163 729) and 15 years (n = 159 562). The trends in meeting the recommendations for PA (at least 60 min daily) were evaluated using logistic regression. There was a slight overall increase between 2002 and 2010 (17.0% and 18.6%, respectively). MVPA increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) among boys in 16 countries. Conversely, nine countries showed a significant decrease. Among girls, 10 countries showed a significant increase (P ≤ 0.05). Eight countries showed a significant decrease. For all countries combined, girls were slightly less likely to show an increase in PA over time. The majority of adolescents do not meet current recommendations of PA. Furt...
Objectives: To examine overweight prevalence and its association with demographic and lifestyle f... more Objectives: To examine overweight prevalence and its association with demographic and lifestyle factors in 11-15 year olds in the HBSC 2005-2006 survey. Methods: Self-reports of height, weight, eating patterns, physical activity and sedentary behaviours were obtained from nationally representative samples in 41 countries (n=204,534 ).
Background: Studies in youth highlight that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and scr... more Background: Studies in youth highlight that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and screen-time behaviours such as television viewing and PC use are associated with a range of health outcomes. However, little is known about recent trends in these behaviours in adolescents. This paper presents time trends in German adolescents' television time, non-gaming PC use as well as MVPA from 2002 to 2010.
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Papers by J. Inchley