IMPLEMENTATION BARRIERS VS HEALTH OUTCOMES: EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAMS

Abstract

While School Health Programs (SHPs) are frequently faced with structural barriers to implementation, they can also be a valuable instrument to address education–health gaps. This study examines the effectiveness of public school health programs in primary educational schools in Punjab and examines the interaction between the challenge in the school's implementation and the outcomes of health and school enrollment in schools. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design; the quantitative data for analyzing the structural components of health education, school environment and record keeping were obtained from responses of the school teachers and operation personnel of primary schools. The empirical results show that there was a positive and statistically significant correlation between pupils' enrolment and learning behaviors with the successful implementation of health strategies. All these benefits are however, constrained by continuing issues of inadequate financing, lack of health workers, and disjointed implementation of policies. This study demonstrates the transformative potential of school health policies and the need to enhance their implementation at the local level where there exists an important gap between policy making and implementation. It finishes with recommendations for operating the program that implements targeted teacher training within the public school system and stabilize healthcare resource allocation.