MTA-SZTE Health Promotion Research Group
Final Report
01. September, 2021. – 31. August, 2025.
Title of the research: Innovative action research for the development of an educational methodology for effective health promotion and health education in kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools, and for the identification of the conditions for its implementation.
The undertakings were implemented in accordance with the tasks assigned to the research organization (working groups) established in accordance with the research plan. Publications related to each undertaking are indicated by the numbered items in the file MTA SZTE Health Promotion Research_Group Publications 2021-2025 (P – Publication; K – Conference presentation; I – In progress).
1. Health education history working group
The task was to analyse Hungarian curricula and directives published between 1868 and 2018, examining the history of health education and health promotion in schools. Analyses completed and published:
1.1. Analysis of health education in primary schools between 1917 and 1950 (P1).
1.2. Aspects for interpreting the history of health education in schools (P23)
1.3. Analysis of NCCs for the period 1995–2018 using the QDA-Miner program – from the perspective of transmitting the holistic approach to health (C10, PhD thesis by Mónika Zoé Lipták).
2. Curriculum analysing and comparing working group
Its task, in collaboration with the MTA-PTE Innovative Health Education Research Group, was to conduct a comparative analysis of the current national core curricula of Hungary, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia from a health promotion and health education perspective, and to formulate recommendations for the development of the Hungarian national core curriculum from a health education and health promotion perspective.
2.1. Comparative analysis of Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, and Estonian national core curricula from a health promotion and health education perspective (C33) based on the HECAT (Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool) analysis criteria (P41) and using the QDA Miner document analysis program.
The databases have been compiled for all four core curricula (database available here, as HECAT and QDA Miner database, password: in the sended Report), but the analysis and publication of international comparative research data is still in progress. In the case of the Hungarian national core curricula for the period 1995-2018, we found that the physical health dimension was predominant. The use of HECAT is also part of the dissertation of one PhD student (Erdenezul Uitumen) (P41, P44, P45, C39, C40, C41, C42, C43). Data analysis using the QDA Miner 6.0.13 program in the case of the Hungarian National Core Curriculum(s) is also part of the dissertation of another PhD student (Mónika Zoé Lipták - https://doktori.bibl.u-szeged.hu/id/eprint/12849/) (C10; P15). The supervisor of both students is Dr. habil. Klára Tarkó.
2.2. The analysis of NCC2020 with the help of the QDA Miner 6.0.13. program.
In the analysis, since social issues permeate all areas of literacy, and in this study we classified words and expressions indicating factors affecting health in the broadest sense, the weight of the societal health dimension became significant within the total occurrences (37.19%). However, the second highest weight was given to the physical health dimension (20.29%). Other frequencies of occurrence: social health – 17.12%, spiritual health: 6.92%, emotional health – 4.91%, mental health – 3.02%, complex concept of health – 10.55%.
2.3. Review of the training and learning outcome requirements of bachelor's and master's degree programs in the Hungarian educational training field from the perspective of how they reflect the health promotion and health education tasks assigned to educators by NCC2020 (PhD thesis by Mónika Zoé Lipták).
We examined in detail the training and learning outcome requirements of those degree programs that prepare students for teaching subjects related to health in accordance with NCC2020. These are: lower-primary school teacher training, and from among the disciplines of public education, biology teacher, physical education teacher, remedial physical education teacher, technology and design teacher, physics teacher, chemistry teacher, history teacher, ethics teacher, and natural sciences and environmental studies teacher.
3. Health behaviour working group
Its task was to identify health promotion intervention areas affecting students and teachers through data collection and analysis.
3.1. Questionnaire survey titled Parents’ opinion about the health behaviour of their children.
225 responses were received, 114 from parents of children aged 3-11 and 111 from parents of children aged 12-18. The data collection period was May-June 2022. It included the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), which was translated and validated. The IAT can be divided into two subtests: the Checklist for Problematic and Risky Media Use in Children and the Parent-Child Internet Addiction Test for Adolescents. Result: a measurement tool was developed by the research team for educators, which, with the involvement of parental observations, can help in preparing educational decisions related to children's mental health, both at the individual, class, and school levels (P10, P14, P29, P30, P31, P35, P36, C4, C8, C9, C25, C29, C30, C31, C32).
3.2. Questionnaire survey investigating future teachers' understanding of health and their (mis)conceptions about health.
Our research successfully revealed the existence of misconceptions about health and their impact on the health awareness of students studying to become educators, thus proving that misconceptions play a significant role in teaching and health education. The results showed that the shortcomings of current teacher training may contribute to the persistence and spread of misconceptions (P15, P39, C10, C37, PhD thesis by Mónika Zoé Lipták).
The results of the research have practical implications on several levels. First and foremost, they indicate that the health education and health promotion content currently included in the training of educators is insufficient to develop a holistic approach to health among students. Without this, future educators will not be able to convey a sophisticated, multidimensional understanding of health to their students. The high rate of misconceptions among students justifies the inclusion of health topics in teacher training not only in a biological or physical education context, but also as an independent educational goal and integrated pedagogical content. To this end, it is recommended that training programs for educators be expanded to include topics related to health promotion and health education, and that the health attitudes of future educators be consciously shaped.
Based on the results of the research, it can also be concluded that the health literacy of prospective educators, especially in the area of the holistic dimensions of health, only develops partially during their training. Although the training and learning outcome requirements, as well as the NCC2020 documents, contain elements of health promotion and health education, their integration into the curriculum of teacher training is not comprehensive, and there are significant differences between the various disciplines. The current coverage of health literacy is rather fragmented, with an emphasis on physical health and lifestyle factors, while the social, societal, emotional, and spiritual dimensions are pushed into the background. Students' responses indicate that misconceptions often arise in these areas. All this suggests that health literacy is an area for development in the training of educators. The expected depth of knowledge would not only include knowledge of basic concepts, but also an understanding of the relationships between the six dimensions of health, critical thinking, and the conscious application of health promotion competencies. Based on our findings, it is worth considering what subject and methodological frameworks in educator training can ensure the holistic development of health literacy: the incorporation of more interdisciplinary content, practical health promotion projects, and opportunities for reflective self-assessment for students. This would enable teachers to convey health-related knowledge to students in a more conscious manner, which could also increase the effectiveness of school health promotion programs in the long term. Overall, our research contributes to strengthening the health promotion directions of Hungarian educators' training. The results support the need to introduce a separate course on health education/health promotion, which could help prepare educators to strengthen students' health awareness.
3.3. Lifestyle research based on the holistic health concept and its connections with Antonovsky’s Sense of Coherence, in the Szeged-Csanád Diocese (2018-2021) (Ethical approval No. Is 226/2018-SZTE).
Between 2018 and 2021, we conducted a questionnaire-based research in the Diocese of Szeged-Csanád with 544 adults (259 of them educators). By using data from the indicator questions selected to measure the dimensions of the holistic concept of health and the 29-question Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC29), we have proven that our regression model using the holistic dimensions of health explains 36.7% of the variance of the SOC29, i.e. the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire may be a potential replacement and refinement of the often very long questionnaires used to measure subjective health perceptions, or even of the simplified question: How do you assess your health status (C7, C38). Further statistical analyses are being carried out in line with the MTA research.
3.4. Integrating the sub-results of the researches conducted by the members of PhD research groups and that are in line with the research objectives of the research team. (P3., P4., P16, P19, P21, P26, P27, P33, P34, P42; C2, C3, C12, C13, C14, C16, C17, C39, C40-43; I2, I3)
3.5. Publication of literature reviews, studies, and summaries of research findings on health behaviour and health promotion.
Our dissemination goal with these publications was to introduce readers to Hungarian and international scientific materials related to health promotion, as well as to raise public awareness of the research group and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences' Public Education Development Research Program. (P2, P5, P7, P8, P9, P17, P18, P20, P22, P24, P28, P38, P46-57, P59-69, P71-74, P76-82; P84-87; C1, C34, C36, C38).
3.6. Textbook for Higher Education
Tarkó, K. (2024). Életmód és szabadidő ismeretek: Tankönyv. [Lifestyle and Leisure: Textbook.] Szeged: Juhász Gyula Felsőoktatási Kiadó. https://eta.bibl.u-szeged.hu/5980/ (P37)
4. Working group preparing policy proposals
Its task was to prepare expert recommendations to help improve the well-being of employees and pupils at school in the future.
4.1. Review of the literature and examination of the possibilities for adapting the guidelines of international policy documents in Hungary (Vilaça, T., Darlington, E., Miranda, M. J., Martinis, O., & Masson, J. (2020a). SHE SCHOOL MANUAL 2.0. A Methodological Guidebook to become a health promoting school. Schools for Health in Europe Network Foundation (SHE); WHO (2021a): Making every school a health-promoting school: global standards and indicators for health-promoting schools and systems. Geneva: World Health Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; 2021.) (P11, P12, P13, P32, P58, P70, P75, P83, C6, C44, C45).
4.2. Participatory Action Research (PAR)
During the PAR, those affected by the problem participate in a systematic exploration of the complex background of the problem, an assessment of possible solutions, a consideration of the possibilities for implementation, and the planning of joint action (P6, C5). In our research, we gained a deeper understanding of the difficulties of implementing health-promoting schools by exploring the experiences of Hungarian teachers who are trained in health promotion and work in public education on a daily basis.
The study itself was conducted during the reflection phase of a PAR cycle spanning several years. The research group is hosted by the Institute of Applied Health Sciences and Environmental Education at the University of Szeged, which offers a number of degree programs where our students with educational qualifications—as part of their fieldwork—implement projects in line with the principles of health-promoting schools at their own workplaces, i.e., in public education organizations. When forming our participatory action research group, we reviewed the list of students enrolled in the Institute's Health Promotion, Mental Health Promotion postgraduate specialist training degree course, the Health Promoter, Mental Health Promoter Teachers’ Professional Exam degree course , and the part-time Expert in Mental Health in Relations and Community Development MA , who undertook their field-practice between 2021 and 2025. In the next step, we selected those students with a degree in education who had completed their field practice assignments at a public education institution, primarily at their own workplace. Of these 50 educators, taking several factors into consideration, seven became members of our PAR research group. Attention was paid to ensuring that the research group included educators working with lower primary, upper primary, and secondary school age groups. We also made sure that, in addition to full-time educators, the experiences of part-time educators and educators working in educational support services were also represented. We also strived to ensure that the research group was as diverse as possible in terms of length of service and settlement background (large city, small town, and village).
The essence of PAR is that it combines theory and practice, action and reflection, developing practical solutions to problems within communities. This also applies to the action phase of our research. The implementation of field practice tasks requires not only an understanding of the health promotion approach, but also an understanding of the health-promoting habits that the given workplace community is open to in line with this approach. Based on these habits, a workplace (mental) health promotion project in line with the principles of the health promotion school had to be prepared, planned, implemented, and evaluated. The implementation period for the field practice projects was one month. The observation phase of the PAR was also implemented, as all students documented their field practice tasks in detail in writing.
In the PAR research, we focused on how the health promotion initiatives were received in the schools of these educators during the previous two phases and thereafter. During the reflection phase, three panel discussions were held, one focusing on lower primary school, one on upper primary school, and one on secondary school settings. The panel discussions, consisting of 3-4 people, were audio recorded, and the transcripts were processed by thematic analysis of the semantic units identified in them.
The participatory action research team, which also functioned as a problem-identifying and problem-solving group, revealed that health-promoting schools are not realistic if they ignore the power and significance of public education achievement expectations. Our research also highlighted that the fact that this aspect is not even mentioned in the basic documents on school health promotion greatly hinders the implementation of the approach. Thus, in-service educators receive no professional support in their most important task, namely how to balance these two values—performance and health—in schools. These findings point to the most important directions for changes in public education in the near future.
Based on our findings, teachers trained in health promotion and mental health promotion are needed to put the concept of health-promoting schools into practice. The sound knowledge of health promotion possessed by the participating educators was of enormous value not only to our participatory action research, but also to their schools. An educator certified in health promotion and mental health promotion, a health promotion teacher, or an expert in mental health in relations and community development is capable of authentically representing the core values of health promoting schools to students, colleagues, and parents. In addition, they play a significant role in preparing and implementing health promotion tasks affecting the entire school community, as well as in performing health education tasks aimed at expanding health literacy. Our experiences in other areas also suggest that short, training-style courses are suitable for raising awareness among educators. Educators can obtain a diploma in health promotion and mental health promotion through degree courses that provide expertise in health promotion (I1).
Publishing activity
The MTA-SZTE Health Promotion Research Group has posted 132 publications on the MTMT (Hungarian Scientific Bibliography) site of the research group throughout the entire application cycle (https://m2.mtmt.hu/gui2/?type=institutes&mode=browse&sel=institutes22520) - 21 book chapters, 3 books (including 1 textbook), 73 journal articles (including 3 Q1 and 4 Q2 articles), 24 conference presentations, 2 other conference proceedings, and 9 miscellaneous publications (conference presentations without abstract booklets). For publication types where the MTMT does not offer the option of uploading to the repository, the materials can be found on the research group's website, on the Publications page.
For a detailed list, see MTA-SZTE Health Promotion Research Group Publications 2021-2025 document.
Successful doctoral actions
See: MTA-SZTE Health Promotion Research Group PhD. degrees obtained document.
Dissemination events promoting social impact
Conferences (co)organised by the research group (Conferences page on this site)
12. November, 2021. - „Az egészségfejlesztés jövője, a jövő egészségfejlesztése: egy újabb lépés az egészség holisztikus megismeréséhez.” ["The future of health promotion, promoting health for the future: another step towards a holistic understanding of health."] Number of participants: 30. (C5, C7, C44).
18. November, 2022. - Tudomány: út a világ megismeréséhez – Út az egészségünkhöz. [Science: The way to know the world - the way to health] Number of participants: 35 (C8).
17. November, 2023. - Globális kihívások - globális egészségfejlesztés. [Global Challenges - Global Health Promotion.] Number of participants: 40 (P40; C9, C11, C20, C23, C28).
22. November 2024. - Egészségfejlesztés holnapután: Rendszerszemlélet, Participáció, Együttműködés. ["Health Promotion the Day After Tomorrow: systems thinking, participation, cooperation"] Number of participants: 69 (P43, C6, C15, C18, C22, C24, C26, C27, C45).
28. November 2024. - Egészségfejlesztés, lelki egészségfejlesztés és jóllét a köznevelésben – Bemutatkozik az MTA-SZTE Egészségfejlesztés Kutatócsoport. [Health promotion, mental health promotion and well-being in public education – Introduction of the MTA-SZTE Health Promotion Research Group.] Number of participants: 10 (C35).
Symposium (co)organised by the research group
12. October, 2023. - Egészségfejlesztés felsőfokon szimpózium szervezése a 150 éve a pedagógusképzésért - Neveléstudományi Konferencia keretében. ["Higher Level Health Promotion" within the framework of the Educational Conference "150 years for teacher education"] Number of participants: 70. (C19, C21, C25, C37).
Discussions (News page on this site)
16.05.2023. – Online forum initiated by the Health Education Division of the Hungarian Pedagogical Society on our Special Issue of the Journal Iskolakultúra dedicated to the research group. (P25).
18.09.2023. 17.00-18.30 – School Health Promotion – Motivation Workshop discussions. https://fb.me/e/682iGyLBe
The research group’s homepage:
http://www.jgypk.hu/tanszek/alkegeszseg/mta2021/PagesInEng/HomeInEnglish.html
MTMT (catalogue of Hungarian scientific works) link of the research group’s publications:
https://m2.mtmt.hu/gui2/?type=institutes&mode=browse&sel=institutes22520
Szeged, 30.09.2025.
Dr. habil. Tarkó Klára
RG leader