For the past decades, the Swedish social democratic political strategies have included giving equal opportunities for education to all regardless of the family’s socioeconomic position. Such strategies are in fact “hidden” public health strategies to eventually reduce health inequalities from a public health viewpoint. The objectives of this paper are to i) present empirical data on health inequalities among school children in the Nordic countries ii) demonstrate the Swedish school policies and public health strategies to reduce health inequalities. There are gender differences in relation to socioeconomic differences in self-rated health and perceptions of stress among school children in Sweden as well as in other Nordic countries. Empirical data and comparisons with the US will be presented. The Swedish school system is centralized, with a national curriculum and a National Board of Education that is responsible for the evaluation of the entire school system. The main strategies have been to integrate children from different social classes or with different abilities, as a way to provide equalized economic possibilities for equal access to education. The interesting aspect is that the school has also had direct obligations to improve and maintain health among school children. Such obligations include informing about the dangers of alcohol, practical actions towards improving hygiene. In addition, the school has been the place for vaccination and tooth-brushing. Further strategies for ”Health Promoting Schools” and efficiency of such strategies in reducing health inequalities will be presented.
Learning Objectives: The objectives of this paper are to i) present empirical data on health inequalities among school children in the Nordic countries ii) demonstrate the Swedish school policies and public health strategies to reduce health inequalities.
Keywords: School-Based Programs, Public Policy
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: This paper is included in the symposium (ID: 20616) on Health inequalities and public health policies in the Nordic countries.
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.