Original Research Article
Year: 2017 | Month: April | Volume: 7 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 353-359
Implementation Levels of a Life-Skill Based School Health Program in a Caribbean Country
Onuoha, CA1; Dyer-Regis, B1; Onuoha, PC2
1School of Education, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
2UWISoN, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
Corresponding Author: Onuoha, PC
ABSTRACT
Background: The purpose of this study is to determine the levels of implementation of a School health program implemented in schools in a Caribbean Island State. The Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) program was developed and being implemented in the Caribbean Island states with the aim to enable students acquire healthy life styles; this program can be taught through the life-skill approach.
Methods: This qualitative study was done as a case study of a Caribbean Island state, Trinidad and Tobago using key stakeholders namely key informants who have experience with the program and teachers involved in the teaching of the program. A form of triangulation was utilized for data collection as a face to face interviews with key informants was conducted while two sessions of focus group with the participating teachers were done. Themes which in some instances were actual statements of the participants gathered from the interviews and sessions were presented as the results.
Result: Findings from the data collected revealed three (3) levels of implementation of the program as identified by the study participants.
Discussion: The implications of the findings were discussed vis-a-vis literature. Recommendations: Among others, and given the stated benefits of the program from the participants, researchers recommend that the concerted effort be made to accommodate the full implementation of the program.
Key words: Caribbean, School health education, Program assessment.