Introducing Ecohealth education in a Teacher Training Institute in Lao PDR: a case study.

This paper argues the effectiveness of Ecohealth education for improving the quality of health and environmental education and for achieving sustainable development in developing countries. To illustrate the need for Ecohealth education, we review the transitions in health education, environmental education and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in various developing countries. Moreover, we discuss issues relating to these disciplines and consider the possible roles that Ecohealth education can play. Then, drawing on a case study conducted in Lao PDR, we propose a concrete example of the teaching content of Ecohealth education. We conclude that Ecohealth education can embody the concepts of ESD with respect to health and environmental issues, and thus can contribute to improvements in the quality of health and environmental education, and of ESD. In addition, we propose the following five actions for implementing Ecohealth education in developing countries: (i) promote research based on the approaches of public health and anthropology, and develop teaching materials that use the research results, (ii) empower school-aged children, (iii) encourage the active involvement and sharing of problems among communities, (iv) strengthen participatory teaching and learning methodology and (v) build a training system and train relevant teachers.

Factors influencing the National School Health Policy implementation in Lao PDR: a multi-level case study.

In the last decade, a National School Health Policy (NSHP) has been formulated in several developing countries following the recommendations of the Global School Health Initiative. However, NSHP implementations across the country have not been fully shared. This study aimed to identify factors that have influenced implementation of the NSHP in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). We conducted key informant interviews with 20 NSHP implementers and document reviews. Data were collected at the national level and at three lower administrative levels (provincial, district and school) in three areas (north, central and south). Study areas were selected according to the history of NSHP interventions. We applied content analysis using 12 key components of successful policy implementation and a policy triangle framework. We found that scaling up to nationwide implementation was limited. Results showed the NSHP implementation in Lao PDR was influenced by nine interlinked factors, including extensive planning, resource management, monitoring cycle, the perception gap between national and lower administrative officers, national task-force ownership, ongoing coaching of district educational officers, management skills of school principals, priority of school health and decentralization. Furthermore, these nine factors could be integrated into the existing educational system. In conclusion, for sustainable and nationwide implementation of the NSHP in Lao PDR, the following three factors need to be embedded in the educational system: extensive planning with a clear long-term vision at national level, human resource management including well-organized training at each administrative level and a monitoring cycle to understand the real situation at school level.