Process of accreditation of health promoting schools worldwide: A systematic review

Abstract

The scope of this article is to analyze the accreditation criteria of the studies that evaluated actions of health promotion and risk factor prevention of Health Promoting Schools (HPS). A systematic review was conducted based on the recommendations proposed in the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (Prisma)” protocol of articles that assessed HPS in the following databases: SciELO, Lilacs, Medline, PubMed and Portal Capes. From the analysis of the three pillars for accreditation of HPS, three of the studies analyzed did not include all the criteria for certification as HPS on the “Planning Process” and “Health Promotion Activities Developed” pillars. The schools cited in these studies perform health education, prevention and/or health promotion activities, however, it is misleading to refer to themselves as HPS. The main challenges for implementation, development and continuity of HPS were identified as being intersectionality and insufficient financial and qualified human resources. HPS need to be certified and submitted to an ongoing evaluation process. It is also suggested the topic of health promotion be included in the syllabuses of training courses of health education teachers and other health education professionals.