The Department of Health will tomorrow release its inaugural School Health Reports & Recommendations, tailored to each school participating in the Whole School Health Programme (WSHP).

During the 2024-25 school year, 808 schools participated in the WSHP, covering nearly 70% of schools in Hong Kong.

The department will issue a health report and provide targeted health promotion recommendations tailored to each participating school's specific circumstances. This will assist the schools in formulating strategies for health promotion.

After distributing the reports to the schools tomorrow, the department’s professional healthcare teams will visit each participating school between mid-August and late September to provide in-depth explanations of their recommendations.

The department’s Consultant Community Medicine (Family & Student Health) Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said participating schools have strengthened implementation of various measures under the Health Promoting School (HPS) framework. This includes integrating four major health themes – physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and social well-being – into the school curriculum.

Other measures include setting up a task group to support students and staff members with emotional issues; recording and analysing students' health conditions; establishing a mechanism to assist students at risk of self-harm or suicide; and addressing bullying issues.

Dr Chuang said the results to date have been satisfactory.

The department also commended 11 outstanding schools that have been upgraded to “Advanced School” status under the WSHP.

Dr Chuang added that evidence from international research shows that the implementation of the HPS framework can have a positive impact on the health of students. She said it has been found to help reduce the incidence of smoking, lower the number of bullying cases and improve the body mass index of students, in addition to increasing their physical activity levels and their intake of fruit and vegetables.

She appealed to schools which have not yet joined the WSHP to contact the department’s Health Promoting School Division regarding registration.