An empirical model for school health promotion: the Western Australian school health project model

Models of school health promotion simplify and support the complexprocess of encouraging schools to adopt health promotion aspart of their organizational practice by outlining phases andareas that bear on adoption and scope of activity. Models providea value conceptual framework on which to base action and a standardagainst which to measure success. The Western Australian SchoolHealth (WASH) model is an empirically designed model that canassist both internal and external agents seeking to interestschools in developing comprehensive school health promotionprograms. The WASH Model schematically represents the main elementsof the WASH Project's process of initiating and developing healthpromotion with Western Australian schools. The model is basedon the project's practical implementation experience (1992–1995)as an external intervention with its own specific health promotionagenda, operating in a setting that requires a participativeapproach to maximize outcomes. The model draws on system theoryrelated to organizational change processes and on previous modelsof school health promotion. The WASH Project, which used thismodel in its interaction with schools, was able to demonstratechange in the level of health promotion activity and structuralsupport in participating schools. Accordingly, the model providesa tested framework on which to base approaches and activityfor school health promotion initiation, development and continuity.