"First we need to raise the awareness, only then we can start to educate the students and work with health" : - Aquality study of what conditions there are to work with health education in a Maldivian school.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Statistics show that the number of individuals that are overweight or obese has increased and is expected to further rise over the next the years in the Maldives. The factors that determine people’s health and wellbeing are established during childhood. Therefore, it is important to supply children with a supportive environment that encourages a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, it is essential to investigate how the Maldivian school system provides appropriate support to promote children to enhance their health. OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study is to investigate how the staff at one Maldivian school perceives health. Furthermore, this study aims to create a deeper understanding of what conditions there are to work with health education by using a social context approach in the school. METHOD: This field study was conducted using a qualitative approach. Seven interviews with the staff at the school were conducted and six observations were undertaken where we observed the students’ physical education in a lecture setting at six different occasions. The material from the interviews was analyzed by using a qualitative content analysis method and we chose to thematize the interviews. After the observation the field notes was analyzed and significant information that matched the aim was chosen. RESULTS: The results show that various staff members perceive health differently. Moreover, the school management encourages an open mindset when working with health education and advocates discussions about the various aspects that affect health. The obstacles that were expressed towards when working with health education was the lack of commitment from parents, the teachers’ limited knowledge about health and the technological resources. CONCLUSION: The school has a great potential to implement health education in the social context of the school. However, the lack of support from the students’ parents and the limited knowledge can hamper the initiatives taken by the school. In order to truly create conditions for health education the school must provide education to the staff and prioritize collaboration between the parents and the school.