The HEALTH Passport: A Secondary School Approach

Background
The nation’s health is on a steady decline with cardiovascular disease taking over as the leading cause of death in the UK. Many of the contributing risk factors are modifiable by adhering to a healthy and active lifestyle. By using the HEALTH Passport adults were able to successfully adjust their habits to improve predicted life expectancy. This research aims to investigate if imbedding the HEALTH Passport into the curriculum of secondary school students could equip them with healthy lifestyles choices, to be carried through to adulthood.

Method
A conference of 254 trainee teachers was held to evaluate teaching on risk factors identified, alongside opinions on the new HEALTH Passport. Trainees were provided teaching on the key risk factors and workshops and questionnaires were used to evaluate the new Passport. Thematic analysis was performed on the 119 secondary specific responses in NVivo.

Results
The response to the HEALTH Passport for Secondary schools was overall positive with recurrent additions/amendments mentioned. Participants stated it could be a “hugely valuable resource”, and highlighted noteworthy issues with the curriculum, specifically food education. It was noted that secondary students may not admit to illegal activity (if this was being monitored by teachers.

Key Messages

The HEALTH Passport for Secondary schools has the potential to influence the lifestyle choices of teenagers for the better. It would need to be adapted dependent on age. How data is reviewed and shared with needs to be assessed more thoroughly in order for successful and truthful student engagement.