DH distributes individualised school health reports to schools participating in Whole School Health Programme
The Student Health Service (SHS) of the Department of Health (DH) will start releasing the "School Health Reports and Recommendations" (health reports) tailored to each participating school for the 2025/26 school year under the Whole School Health Programme (WSHP) tomorrow(June 26). Based on the overall health status of students in each school, the health reports provide tailored and targeted school-based health promotion measures. In addition, the DH will arrange school visits by health professionals to provide in-depth explanations of the health reports and recommendations, aiming to assist schools in continuing to implement or roll out relevant health promotion initiatives in the new school year, thereby further promoting students' physical and mental well-being in schools.
The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address announced that the WSHP would be strengthened and extended to cover all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. Based on the overall health status of students in each school, health reports will also be compiled for each participating school to recommend targeted school-based health promotion measures for physical activities, meals and other matters, to improve students' physical and psychological well-being. This year marks the second time the DH has distributed the health reports.
Currently, 901 schools (415 primary schools, 428 secondary schools and 58 special schools) have participated in the WSHP, covering nearly 80 per cent (77.8 per cent) of all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. Based on the progress of health promotion measures implemented, participating schools will be upgraded from "Pledged Schools" to "Action Schools", and ultimately promoted to "Advanced Schools" if they have fully implemented the Health Promoting School (HPS) framework, with a view to achieving the World Health Organization (WHO)'s vision of "making every school a health-promoting school". This year, a total of 254 schools have been classified as "Pledged Schools", 622 as "Action Schools" and 25 as "Advanced Schools" (see Annex). The number of "Advanced Schools" has doubled compared to last year, reflecting the education sector's active promotion of students' physical and psychological well-being. The DH expressed gratitude to the participating schools for actively promoting healthy schools and working together to create a safer, healthier and more positive environment in which students can flourish.
"The DH has comprehensively reviewed and analysed the overall results of the health reports. The proportion of participating schools implementing health promotion measures in the 2025/26 school year is generally higher than in the 2024/25 school year, and the progress is satisfactory. In particular, based on the aggregated data from the checklists submitted by schools, all schools have integrated the four major health themes, namely physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and social well-being, into their school curricula. There is still room for improvement in certain areas, such as inviting stakeholders in the community to provide advice for HPS, and providing space for staff and students to relax," the Consultant Community Medicine (Family and Student Health) of the DH, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, said.
Dr Chuang encouraged schools that have not yet joined the WSHP to do so as soon as possible. The WSHP is divided into three phases. First, the DH provides participating schools with guidelines and a checklist, referencing the HPS framework advocated by the WHO, to help them systematically review and formulate health promotion measures. Next, the DH will conduct an in-depth analysis of the annual health assessment data of students attending Student Health Service Centres and the checklists submitted by the schools. Finally, based on these assessments, the DH will compile a health report and provide targeted health promotion recommendations tailored to each school's specific circumstances to assist schools in establishing priorities and strategies for their school-based health promotion work.
"Evidence from international research shows that implementation of the HPS framework can bring about positive impacts on the health of students, such as effectively reducing the risk of smoking among students, reducing bullying cases, helping to improve the body mass index of students, as well as increasing their physical activity and intake of fruits and vegetables. Schools that have not yet joined the WSHP may visit the DH's designated webpage and sign the Whole School Health Charter,or call 3163 4574 to contact the DH's Health Promoting School Division to register for the WSHP," Dr Chuang said.
In addition, the SHS of the DH provides a comprehensive and free annual health assessment service for all primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong, including growth monitoring; screenings for vision, hearing and scoliosis; physical examination; health assessment questionnaires on health behaviours and psychosocial well-being; individual health counselling; health education; and mop-up vaccinations. Through these comprehensive assessments, the DH enables parents to understand their children's health condition and identify potential health problems early. The DH's healthcare professionals will offer health advice and recommendations based on students' health conditions. Referrals will be made for students in need of further assessment and follow-up at the Special Assessment Service of the SHS of the DH, specialist clinics, or other organisations as appropriate, thereby safeguarding the physical and psychological well-being of students. Furthermore, data from the annual health assessment service, with personal data removed, will be used to compile individualised school health reports for schools participating in the WSHP.
Photo source: studenthealth.gov.hk
