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Biomedical subjects

L Rowling

Publications and source records attributed to L Rowling.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

MindMatters, a whole-school approach promoting mental health and wellbeing.

OBJECTIVE: MindMatters is an innovative, national mental health promotion program which provides a framework for mental health promotion in Australian schools. Its objectives are to facilitate exemplary practice in the promotion of whole-school approaches to mental health promotion; develop mental health education resources, curriculum and professional development programs which are appropriate to a wide range of schools, students and learning areas; trial guidelines on mental health and suicide prevention and to encourage the development of partnerships between schools, parents, and community support agencies to promote the mental wellbeing of young people. METHOD: A team of academics and health education professionals, supported by a reference group of mental health experts, developed MindMatters. The program was piloted in 24 secondary schools, drawn from all educational systems and each State and Territory in Australia. The pilot program was amended and prepared for dissemination nationally. RESULTS: The program provides a framework for mental health promotion in widely differing school settings. The teacher professional development dimension of the program is central to enhancing the role of schools in broad population mental health promotion. CONCLUSIONS: Promoting the mental health and wellbeing of all young people is a vital part of the core business of teachers by creating a supportive school environment that is conducive to learning. Teachers need to be comfortable and confident in promoting and teaching for mental health. Specific, targeted interventions, provided within a whole-school framework, address the needs of the minority of students who require additional support.

Australia↗
PubMed1997

It's more than literacy: the assimilation effect of the translation model.

Availability and access to correct information is a pre-requisite for people to be able to make informed decisions about their health. This paper will examine the effect of the sole reliance on translation in producing health promotion materials for people from Non English Speaking Background (NESB). In Australia since 1978 there has been a considerable quantitative increase in health-related information translated from English into other languages. The translation of pamphlets from English into other languages presents health educators with a number of problematic issues which often drastically undermine the material's effectiveness. One of the main concerns this paper sets out to explore is that translated information is decontextualised from the sets of knowledge and meanings of the population group to whom the information is directed. Thus, the cultural context underpinning the original version is transferred to different cultural contexts which are treated as homogeneous groups. The paradox here is that the translation model developed as a means of redressing the inequities created by the assimilation policy of the Australian post-war period, in practice maintains the philosophy that underpinned that policy. This can result in a disempowering experience for the community.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1996

The adaptability of the health promoting schools concept: a case study from Australia.

The adoption of the concept of the health promoting school internationally indicates that it is a timely and flexible concept that can be utilized by different countries to accommodate their particular contexts. Political, economic and socio-cultural factors are powerful forces that shape the construction of health promoting schools globally. How some of these factors operate will be exemplified through a description of the health promoting school movement in Australia with commonalities and variations with activities in member countries of the European Network of Health Promoting Schools highlighted. The unique role globally of the Australian Health Promoting Schools Association, as a non-government organization specifically established to promote the concept of the health promoting school, is described. Its contribution is as a neutral body representing diverse interests that can advocate in different settings and at all levels of influence. Additionally it provides a mechanism for networking, awareness raising and information exchange. The structure of the health and education sectors in Australia has shaped the conceptualization of a health promoting school, one that accommodates the country's specific context. Barriers, facilitating factors and challenges that exist for future work in the area are described.

Australia↗
PubMed1991

Towards a model for the provision of comprehensive services for non-English speaking communities.

People from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) tend to utilize Australian health and welfare services less than those people born in Australia. There is also evidence that migrants to Australia tend to increase their consumption of alcohol and other drugs once they have settled. Therefore, NESB people should be a priority focus for the provision of comprehensive services for the prevention and treatment of alcohol and other drug-related problems. To date there has not been a co-ordinated approach to the provision of alcohol and other drug services to NESB communities. This paper proposes a model for the provision of such services, and uses the Sydney Arabic-speaking Lebanese community as an example. This model draws upon available literature and incorporates strategies of community development, namely networking and dissemination of information, and directs efforts at three levels of intervention.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Grief and school communities: the impact of social context, a comparison between Australia and England.

This study investigated whether secondary schools in Australia and England had a plan to manage traumatic incidents and to identify practice and programs related to grief education and suicide intervention and prevention. Ninety-four percent of an Australian sample of 145 schools had such plans in place, compared with only 15% of an English sample of 200 schools. Differing policy contexts for grief, and the lack of teacher training and minimal education about grief in England, were discussed as possible explanations for the variation. It is concluded that a more proactive approach will only be achieved when there is system-level policy and training support, as well as school and individual teacher recognition of their potential contribution to young people's well being.

Australia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Health promoting schools: issues and future directions for Australia and the Asia Pacific Region.

This paper sets out to trace the development of health promoting schools in Australia and the Asia Pacific Region. An overview of conceptual frameworks pertinent to promoting health in school is presented, together with a justification for a focus on schools as settings for health. The challenge ahead for school communities is to move from the simple classroom-based topic focused old style health education, to the whole settings approach and the broad-ranging, comprehensive collection of actions that make up this wider view.

Asia↗