School health promotion in South‐East Asia by Japan and partners

• Published in: Pediatrics international Vol. 62; no. 9; pp. 1029 - 1038
• Main Authors: Estrada, Crystal Amiel M., Gregorio, Ernesto R., Kanyasan, Kethsana, Hun, Jeudyla, Tomokawa, Sachi, Dumlao, Maria Corazon, Kobayashi, Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-09-2020
• Subjects: Asia, Southeastern; Communicable Disease Control - methods; Global Health; Health promotion; Health Promotion - methods; Humans; International organizations; Intersectoral Collaboration; Japan; Medical personnel; Nutritional Sciences - education; Pediatrics; Program Development; Public Health; Sanitation; Sanitation - methods; School districts; school health promotion; School Health Services - organization & administration; South‐East Asia; Asia, Southeastern; Japan; East Asia; South-East Asia; Japan; school health promotion
• ISSN: 1328-8067; 1442-200X
• DOI: 10.1111/ped.14284

School health promotion in South‐East Asia has developed rapidly in recent years, and Japan has been one of the significant contributors to the reinforcement of school health promotion in the region. Starting from the Hashimoto Initiative on global parasite control, Japan advocated for international partnerships with several agencies for the development of school health programs in South‐East Asia. Through a strengthened collaboration with international organizations, countries such as the Lao PDR, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Thailand have created and implemented school health programs on nutrition, sanitation, and deworming, among others. In addition to school health program formulation and implementation, the expanded network in South‐East Asia led to more capable school health personnel, with many workers in the education and health sectors benefitting from the training programs jointly held by collaborating organizations.