To evaluate the sustaining effects of Tai chi Qigong in improving the physiological health for COPD patients at sixth month. A randomized controlled trial. Subjects were in three randomly assigned groups: Tai chi Qigong group, exercise group, and control group. The 206 subjects were recruited from five general outpatient clinics. Tai chi Qigong group completed a 3-month Tai chi Qigong program. Exercise group practiced breathing and walking as an exercise. Control group received usual care. Primary outcomes included six-minute walking distance and lung functions. Secondary outcomes were dyspnea and fatigue levels, number of exacerbations and hospital admissions. Tai chi Qigong group showed a steady improvement in exercise capacity (P<.001) from baseline to the sixth month. The mean walking distance increased from 298 to 349 meters (+17%). No significant changes were noted in the other two groups. Tai chi Qigong group also showed improvement in lung functions (P<.001). Mean forced expiratory volume in 1s increased from .89 to .99l (+11%). No significant change was noted in the exercise group. Deterioration was found in the control group, with mean volume decreased from .89 to .84l (-5.67%). Significant decreased in the number of exacerbations was observed in the Tai chi Qigong group. No changes in dyspnea and fatigue levels were noted among the three groups. Tai chi Qigong has sustaining effects in improving the physiological health and is a useful and appropriate exercise for COPD patients.

Background: The Health Promoting School (HPS) is a WHO sponsored framework, compiled to enable education and health sectors to be more effective in school based initiatives. Aims: This study attempted to test the hypothesis that students from schools that had comprehensively embraced the HPS concept as indicated by the Healthy School Award, were better, in terms of health risk behaviour, self reported health status, and academic results, than students from schools that did not reach the standard of the award. Methods and Results: The results presented came from nine schools (four primary and five secondary) applying for accreditation of the Healthy Schools Award after adopting the HPS framework for two years. Regular consultancy support and training were available to all schools. Students had completed before and after surveys to assess their health behaviours, self reported health status, and academic standing before the two year intervention, and at its end. Data from the before and after surveys of the students attending schools that reached certain level of HPS standard as indicated by the award, were compared with students whose schools did not receive the award, and the results showed differences. Some differences were found to be more significant among the primary school students than secondary schools students. This illustrated early intervention for lifestyle changes to be more effective. Students’ satisfaction with life also improved if their schools adopted the concept of HPS comprehensively. Conclusions: The results suggest that comprehensive implementation of HPS would contribute to differences in certain behaviours and self reported health and academic status.

The concept of a Health Promoting School has been found to be effective to improve health and well-being of students as well as a help with teaching and learning in school. Effective implementation of Health Promoting School is a complex intervention involving multi-factorial and innovative activity in many domains such as curriculum, school environment and community. Many studies evaluating Health Promoting School do not include outcomes reflecting the organisational or structural change as many of those studies are quantitative in nature and the statistical assumptions are not valid reflecting the organisational structure changes. Recent global meetings of experts have reviewed the impact on student health from the perspectives of school environment, school policies on health, action competencies on healthy living and community linkage. The English Wessex Healthy School Award Scheme and the Hong Kong Healthy School Awards Scheme have developed detailed systems to analyse whether each individual school has reached the standard of a model Health Promoting School reflecting a more holistic appreciation and understanding of all the effects of school-based health promotion with positive award-related changes. However, not many schools are able to implement Health Promoting School in its entirety, so cores indicators are needed as a starting point for wider implementation. Hong Kong Healthy School Awards Scheme is still ongoing with data for analysis of indicators with significant correlation with better health and well-being. We identified the core indicators and substantiated the requirements for successful outcomes by supplementing the established award-scheme framework with a review of recent literature and documents. Framework of Health Promoting School would go beyond improvement of health literacy to enable a more efficient system for education and health on children, hence a good investment in children.

Both health and education are linked to economic performance. The success of education depends on good health, and vice versa. Modern education should help young people to determine values, and accept responsibility for their health and social behaviour. The success of health promotion in schools requires the joint efforts of both the health and education sectors. A comprehensive programme is needed to include teachers’ training, curriculum development, community participation, changing policies and practices, and research. All these components are needed to build up a successful model of a health promoting school. The “Healthy Schools Programme” in Hong Kong gives a good example of close partnership between the health and education sectors, and moves towards a multidisciplinary approach and active learning towards health promotion.