RHP&EO is the electronic journal of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education

Health Education For Teenage Immigrants Preparing For Higher Secondary School Education In Skovde

Anders Lindgren

During 1996 a special health education course is being held for about 100 teenage immigrants preparing for higher secondary school education in Skovde. The project is being carried out as part of the Adult Education Department's "Deltautbiidning" programme. It is the result of long-term collaboration between the Adult Education Department, the county council's Public Health Unit and the Institute of Public Health in Stockholm.

The Institute of Public Health has found that health education and "Deltautbildningen" in general are so interesting that it has decided to support the project with altogether 300 000 kronor during 1996. The main aim is to increase teenage immigrants' awareness of the importance of their own lifestyle, their ability to identify different health risks and their possibilities of succeeding in Swedish society. The long-term objective is to develop a health education course that is suitable for integration in "Deitautbildningen".

The students have been divided into four groups according to their knowledge of the Swedish language and follow the same curriculum. They meet various experts recruited from both within and outside the county. The curriculum includes such topics as "Growing into a new culture", "Marriage and living together", "Different dietary habits - good health", "Tobacco - more than just smoking", "The police - role, duties and methods of working", "Dental care", "Achieving influence in the community", "First aid", "Etiquette", "Fear and violence", "Law and order'', HIV, "Anabolic steroids" and "Looking after yourself and others".

The course will comprise altogether 60 hours of lessons during 1996. The curriculum is based on views expressed by teachers engaged in "Deltautbildningen" as well as the students' own wishes as expressed in a course evaluation questionnaire.

An important objective of the course is to clarify the rules that govern behaviour in Sweden and the customs that prevail in our society. But we strive to do this in a multicultural perspective with proper interest and respect for other cultures. This means that much of the course is in the form of a dialogue and emphasis is placed on the teacher and students listening to each other.

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Last modified: October 07, 2000

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