School health promotion providers’ roles in practice and theory: Results from a case study

• We analysed the work of health promotion (HP) providers in three schools.
• Schools needs – even beyond HP – define the providers work.
• The programme defining the HP approach may be seen as secondary.
• Providers usual health background may not suffice for successful implementation.
• Providers are a good source of information for the analysis of HP processes.

BackgroundImplementation is critical to the success of health promotion (HP) in schools, but little is known about how schools can best be assisted during this process. This article focuses on Austrian HP providers and aspects their roles incorporate.ObjectiveTo investigate the providers’ role in the practice of HP implementation and how it differs from its official description. On the basis of these findings, implications are suggested.MethodsThe data were gathered within the framework of an explorative case study of complex HP interventions. We draw on four interviews with HP organisation staff, five documents from the providers’ organisations and seven interviews with school staff from three schools.ResultsIn practice, providers took up different responsibilities, e.g., acting as emotional support to school staff and supporting the documentation of projects, guided more by the schools’ needs than by the programmes they are helping to implement. Providers focused mostly on the implementation of single activities and did little to emphasize the necessity of organisational change.Policy implicationsOur findings suggest that providers’ background in health should be complemented by a deeper understanding of the importance of organisational change to further support HP implementation.