MTA-SZTE Health Promotion Research Group
Research Topic
Health as a basic resource is one of the universally accepted human values that is central to all actions, at all ages. Health is defined by the natural and social environment around the individual, the resources available, the ability to overcome problems, and the sense of achievement and satisfaction. The complexity of health is best captured by the holistic concept of health, with its physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social and societal dimensions. The myriad of factors influencing health can be grouped into hereditary factors, environmental factors, the functioning of the health care system and lifestyle factors, the latter having the greatest impact on health outcomes.
As health is a complex phenomenon with many components, a systems approach is needed to understand and research it. A systems approach to health helps both to understand health and to identify its determinants. The model suggests that health is a product of the system including the individual, not merely a property of the individual, because the needs and the drives of the individual interact with the environment and together form a system. It follows that the health of the individual can only be understood in the broader context of the individual's interaction with the environment, and that changing health will require systemic intervention.
According to 2019 data on children's health, around 80% of the loss caused by health risk factors among 5-14 year olds can be attributed to behaviour, compared to 85% for 15-19 year olds. Several studies highlight the poor health status of children in Hungary, the lack of healthy lifestyle habits and the prevalence of health risk behaviours. A number of studies show that childhood health has an impact not only on learning but also on the whole life of the individual. Health promotion, and in particular healthy lifestyle education, is therefore a priority for education and training institutions.
The idea behind the setting approach to health promotion is that the long years spent in public education provide a good opportunity to experience health preservation and health promotion in all aspects of pre-school and school life, in addition to preparing for life. Modern health education is a form of health promotion which, in addition to the transfer of knowledge and skills, places great emphasis on the development and shaping of skills and attitudes, encouraging and supporting the cooperation of participants through active involvement, personal experiences and experiential learning.
Our research group aims to improve the overall effectiveness of institutional health promotion and health education, which, in addition to the pedagogical work, also includes all actors and conditions (environment) of the education system. Our overall aim is to develop, test and evaluate a methodology and holistic approach to health that will transform schools into "healthy", i.e. a comprehensive approach that covers several (pedagogical, community, environmental) areas, enabling and motivating children to live healthy lives, both now and later as adults.
The Head of the Research Group
Dr. habil. Klára Klára College Professor, Head of Department, Head of Institute
Vice-Dean for Education and Innovation
Introduction of the Research Group
The members of the research group are educators-researchers committed to health promotion. The host institute of the research group is the Institute of Applied Health Sciences and Environmental Education (and its predecessors) at the Juhász Gyula Faculty of Education, University of Szeged which educates health promoter and mental health promoter professionals since 1992. The graduates of the Institute are competent in promoting health in the communities and organizations that have the greatest impact on everyday life, for the sake of helping people gain more influence over the natural and social environment that determines their health and well-being, as well as change their own lifestyle and habits. The research, grant and publication activities of the Institute also serve the above purpose. The host institute works in close cooperation with the head of the Institute of Applied Pedagogy at the Juhász Gyula Faculty of Education and the vice-director of the Centre for Teacher Training at the University of Szeged, as well as with professionals from Eötvös Loránd University, the National Public Health Centre, the Centre for Social Sciences and the Association for the Renewal of Hungarian Public Health - Public Health 3.0. Find out more about the members of the research team here.
About the Research Group on the website of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Our introduction on the website of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences is available here.