Implementation of Healthy Learning Institutions Program in The Last Mile Elementary Schools, Deped Bohol

Abstract

The DOH and DepEd launched the Healthy Learning Institutions (HLI) Program in eight provinces and one city in the Philippines in 2022 as HLI pilot sites. This study examined 15 pilot last-mile elementary schools (LMES) in DepEd Bohol. These schools were divided into a control and two intervention groups. An extensive quantitative descriptive-correlational analysis examined the HLI Program pilot. The World Health Organization's Six Pillars of a Health-Promoting School (HPS)—Healthy School Policy, Physical School Environment, Social School Environment, Community Links, Health Skills and Education, and Access to Health Care—were used to evaluate HLI implementation and a survey was completed by 41 school staff. The study also examined the health literacy of 187 students in sexual reproductive health (SRH), mental health, and immunization from 10 LMES and how it relates to program implementation. Five of the six HPS pillars were highly implemented, while Access to Health Care was moderately implemented. Health literacy was strong in all three areas. There were no significant differences between school groups and pretest and posttest results, although SRH Literacy scores improved. Contrary to expectations, deploying the HLI program did not significantly impact health literacy. Findings inform an improvement plan to refine implementation.