Thesis (M.Psych.Org.) - University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.S.P.D.) - University of Queensland, 2006. / Includes bibliography.

Health promotion interventions in schools have grown in popularity and have demonstrated varying degrees of effectiveness on the health of the school and its individuals. The School Based Youth Health Nurse (SBYHN) Program introduced in 1999 by Queensland Health into state secondary schools supports and encourages use of the Health Promoting Schools (HPS) approach in addressing health issues, in addition to providing individual health consultations to the school community. This Program is unique in that a health service is entering into the education system with a role of supporting implementation of a comprehensive approach to addressing health issues. The study investigates how SBYHNs support the implementation of the HPS approach in the secondary school setting and explores the health outcomes for the school community. A statewide survey of SBYHNs examines the variety of health promotion and HPS work being undertaken within schools and identifies key implementation and practice issues. Qualitative case studies of three schools further investigates the barriers faced by nurses in supporting HPS implementation, and explores the perceived outcomes of implementing the HPS approach that have begun to emerge within the school community. Results found that nurses have the capacity to support the implementation of whole-of-school health promotion, with the presence of enablers influencing the comprehensiveness with which schools address health issues or decide to adopt the HPS approach. The study also indicated several outcomes of nurse and school-supported, comprehensive school health promotion across three major areas corresponding with the HPS framework (curriculum, teaching and learning; school organisation, ethos and environment; partnerships and services) and the addition of outcomes in specific health issues. Implications for future developments in health promotion-orientated, school health service interventions and research into the evidence of effectiveness of the HPS approach are discussed.