If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractDescribes how school nurses estimated their goal attainment in view of the contents and methods of health counselling and their roles and possibilities as health promoters in the school community. Data were collected from the school nurses (n = 31) of the Finnish European Network of Health-Promoting schools, using a semi-structured questionnaire specifically developed for the study. The response rate was 77 per cent (n = 24). The results show that the traditional aspects of health counselling were mostly covered well. Counselling on sexual health was partly achieved well, but contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted disease were less emphasised in school nurses' health counselling. To foster the empowerment of pupils, parents and teachers, there is a need for the school nurse to adopt a more active participatory role as a health promoter in the whole school community.

The European Network of Health Promoting School (ENHPS) program aims to foster healthy lifestyles for school populations by developing supportive teaching and learning environments conducive to promotion of health. Most European countries have joined the network since its organization in 1993. This paper describes how the European, national, and local aims of the ENHPS program have been realized in Finnish schools during the first year of the second triennium (1997-1999). Substantial development related to health promotion has occurred in the Finnish ENHPS schools. A safe school environment was emphasized, and networking with other schools was encouraged at the international and national levels. Attitudes toward the ENHPS program generally were positive. However, Finnish schools have emphasized developing "structures" for health promotion. In the future, efforts should concentrate on students' active participation in the activities of health promotion in everyday teaching and learning situations.

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The purpose of the study was to describe school nurses' (N=24) and teachers' (N=25) opinions of how the health‐related goals in their counselling and instruction were attained and to find out the possible differences between the two groups in the Finnish European Network of Health Promoting Schools. The data were collected by a questionnaire and analysed statistically. Some significant differences existed. School nurses ranked non‐intoxicant use, human growth and development and life control highest in their health counselling, whereas teachers underlined health maintenance and well‐being, respect for other people and non‐intoxicant use. School nurses' health counselling covered disease prevention and treatment better compared to teachers' health instruction, whereas health maintenance and well‐being, environmental health, first aid and safety and respect for other people were covered better in teachers' health instruction. Teachers were more promotional and community‐oriented, while school nurses emphasised a more preventive and individually oriented approach.

Reports on a study that examined the issues related to health promotion in the 30 Finnish comprehensive schools participating in the European Network of Health Promoting Schools (ENHPS). The data were collected from school representatives in January 1998, at a national ENHPS event, using a questionnaire developed for the study. The response rate was 100 per cent. The results show that the school representatives considered that a general infrastructure for health promotion existed in schools, and that the clarification of the mission of health promotion in schools was well developed. Networking within the communities that surrounded the schools was reported as being uncommon.