School Health Promotion study

The City of Helsinki’s health and wellbeing promotion (HYTE) work is based on comprehensive statistical and research-based information about the wellbeing, health and everyday safety of Helsinki residents. One key source of information regarding the wellbeing, health and safety of children and young people is the School Health Promotion study conducted by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Accordingly, the City of Helsinki makes comprehensive use of the results of the School Health Promotion study in its own operations.

The School Health Promotion study is utilised in a City-wide manner, division-specifically, at schools, educational institutions and student welfare services, and in the City’s cross-administrative working groups and networks. The information yielded by the study serves as the information basis for several measures in the City’s Welfare Plan, in project funding application processes and in needs-based resource targeting. The results of the study serve as a key indicator of the state of and changes in the health, wellbeing and safety of children and young people in endeavours such as the City’s strategy work and wellbeing reports.

Studies and reviews produced by the City of Helsinki Urban Research and Statistics Unit, based on the materials of the study, specify the situational picture, particularly with regard to children and young people living in Helsinki. These analyses take into account aspects such as perspectives related to children’s and young people’s family backgrounds, individual factors or residential areas and how the aforementioned are connected to various phenomena. The results of the study are processed by the HYTE steering group and its networks on a regular basis, and the information yielded by the study influences the operations of these networks. The results steer the management and planning of the services of the City’s different divisions. The City of Helsinki also actively allocates resources to ensuring that study results are processed in school communities with children, young people, parents, school and student welfare workers and the teaching staff in mind.

The City’s designated School Health Promotion study working group coordinates the utilisation of the information yielded by the study in the City’s operations.