Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) and the PinC

Within the framework of the “National information and communication programme to support the objectives of Gain Health (PinC)” and of the HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) survey, communication instruments were developed to be shared in an educational pathway involving the regional contact persons coordinating the HBSC. The HBSC, in which Italy has been participating since 2002, is a multi-centric international study conducted every 4 years in partnership with the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe. The survey involves children of 11, 13, and 15 years of age with the aim of increasing their understanding of the health and wellbeing of adolescents and of using the results obtained in orienting both national and international health promotion practices and policies targeting youths. The communication instruments were developed by taking into consideration the indications drawn from scientific literature and the elements capable to contribute to determining the state of health of adolescents and to initiatives capable of favouring protection factors. It is very important that they be used in a coordinated manner within a planned communication process.

Target: Lower and upper secondary students and teachers.
Products: in paper format, available at the following addresses
http://www.hbsc.unito.it/it/index.php/pubblicazioni/focusnpapers.html;
https://www.epicentro.iss.it/guadagnaresalute/comunicazione/materiali/pieghevole-genitori.pdf
In multimedia format, available at the following address
http://www.epicentro.iss.it/guadagnare-salute/comunicazione/OpenMind

Focus papers

Four focus papers have been written on some of the most important themes concerning the lifestyles of Italian adolescents: alcohol, smoking, school, eating habits and physical activity. The focus papers are communication instruments that integrate informative aspects with orientation for action. They were conceived to support local workers in their activities to inform and involve social actors or, better said, social partners (the intermediate recipients) who can play an important role in establishing a relationship with youths and can facilitate and/or support changes in behaviour by changing the living environment in which youths act. In short, they are advocacy instruments. Developed in 2010, they supported the dissemination of the data collected in the 2010 and 2014 surveys. The 2019 survey, which envisages the use of this instrument, is presently underway. They have already been used by the almost 60,000 youths that took part in each one of the data collection campaigns.

Available, but they cannot be presented as isolated instruments but rather within a planned communication strategy, concerted locally between schools and the health sector.

Open Mind

Open Mind is a multimedia educational kit particularly addressed to lower and upper secondary schools and developed by the Ministry of Health, the ISS and the MIUR. It can be defined as a “tool kit” containing a CD-ROM addressed to the whole classroom and a booklet for each student in it. It is easy to use as it features an intuitive interface and is aimed at encouraging and supporting the exchange of ideas, opinions and experiences on three main themes: alcohol consumption and its effects; tobacco smoking and its consequences on health; the relationship between adolescents and life skills.

Date of its development: it was developed in 2013 and it supported the dissemination of the data collected in the 2010 and 2014 surveys. It has already been used by the almost 60,000 youths who took part in each one of the data collection campaigns.
Available, but it cannot be presented as an isolated instrument but rather within a planned communication strategy, concerted locally between schools and the health sector.

Booklet for parents

The information booklet addressed to parents of adolescents maintains the graphic line and content of the focus papers. It is focudes on issues concerning school, nutrition and physical activity, smoking and alcohol and, through a language tuned onto the target group, sheds light on behaviours capable of favouring the promotion of adolescents’ health with the cooperation of their family. Developed in 2013, it supported the dissemination of the data collected in the 2010 and 2014 surveys. It has already been used by the almost 60,000 youths who took part in each one of the data collection campaigns.
Available, but it cannot be presented as an isolated instrument but rather within a planned communication strategy, concerted locally between schools and the health sector.

Organization of Reference: National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Contact persons: Paola Nardone, Barbara De Mei