dc.description.abstract | To accomplish health for all, a unified approach and effective collaboration by all
stakeholders to promote health is essential. Health Promoting schools were
conceptualised by the World Health Organisation to achieve better health promotion
outcomes. In the process of achieving health promotion status, input from various
stakeholders is essential. Health promoters are seen as an appropriate and costeffective
option to help promote health in a setting such as a school. Health promoters
working in schools are also a relatively new field in South Africa and in the North-West
Province of South Africa. Consequently, limited studies explored health promoters in
school settings, and particularly the profile of health promoters. The identity of and
function of health promoters when they promote health is particularly important given
that national and provincial government depend on health promoters to educate
teachers and students regarding health topics and to guide school communities in
enhancing holistic wellness. This study therefore aimed to create a profile of the health
promoter in the North-West Province, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District, in order to assist
them with social and health challenges they may encounter. Since very little is known
about the profile of the health promoter, a quantitative study was conducted involving
13 participants (11 males; 2 females), who are employed as health promoters in school
settings in the North-West Province, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda district. The Health Promoter
Questionnaire was developed to obtain quantitative data regarding health promoters’
biographical information, training and qualifications, work description, way of
communication, planning, school visits, transportation, support, barriers, coping
strategies and personal health. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics
(frequencies) to create a profile of the health promoter in the North-West Province,
Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District. Findings revealed that the health promoters are mainly
males, relatively young, proficient in two or three languages with matriculation
certificates, but no additional formal training or experience in health-related topics.
Although the Department of Health provided some form of training, the health promoters indicated insufficient knowledge in specific health promotion themes such
as violence prevention, suicide prevention and alcohol and drug prevention. The need
for more training on various other topics such as the handling of conflict, better
communication, reporting of misconduct to appropriate individuals and procedures to
make referrals to professionals was also identified. Apart from health-related barriers
such as HIV/AIDS, violence as well as drugs and alcohol abuse, health promoters also
face additional barriers such as unclear job descriptions, insufficient planning such as
rotation based plans and follow-up visits to schools, as well as insufficient time spent
at schools. Health promoters also receive insufficient support from the Department of
Education and Department of Health in addressing these barriers. The profile of the
health promoter will therefore assist local and provincial government to create and
implement programs and plans that could assist health promoters in the execution of
their duties. Additional recommendations refer to the training of health promoters
regarding the myriad barriers they face, the implementation of clear job descriptions,
as well as relevant support services regarding work and personal problems. As this
study is only focused on health promoters in school settings in the North-West
Province, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District, it is suggested that future studies focus on
health promoters in other contexts and in other provinces in South Africa | en_US |