Assessment of Feasibility for a Health Science Education Programme In Compulsory Primary Schools

This project aimed to evaluate whether a health sciences education programme can be successfully implemented during the first cycle of compulsory school.

Promotion of healthy behaviours is generally considered as one of the essential components of primary prevention. Initiatives aimed at encouraging healthy behaviours (health education programs) are currently being carried out in the Italian compulsory school as recommendations and guidelines.
Such approach, however, has proved to be of limited effectiveness since at this school level the children lack the scientific knowledge required to understand and share the educational message. Health education programmes need to be supported by a systematic training in the field of health sciences, aimed at making the child/adolescent aware of the structural and functional organization of the body and the nature of preventable health risks. Compulsory school at the primary level represents a very important opportunity for intervention because it allows entire age segments to benefit from such activities.

The project was sponsored for its first year by the Accademia Medica di Roma and funded by the Fondazione Roma- Terzo Settore. For its second year the project was co-sponsored by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and received funds from IAP and IAMP

Following the Workshop on Health Science Education in Primary Schools (15 May 2015),  a Report "Crafting a Health Science Education Program for Primary Schools in Italy", authored by Mario Stefanini et al has been published jointly by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and Accademia Medica di Roma.

Download the Report HERE.

Additional Publications

A HEALTH SCIENCE EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN PRIMARY SCHOOL published by the Academia Medica di Roma (May 2015). The English version is available HERE.

L’INSEGNAMENTO DELLE SCIENZE DELLA SALUTE NEL CICLO PRIMARIO DELLA SCUOLA DELL’OBBLIGO (PROGETTO SCIESA) (Maggio 2015). The Italian version is available HERE.

A detailed background summary on this Project is available on the IAMP website HERE.