Investigating the Effect of Implementing the School Based Health Promotion Program on Students’ Mental Health

Introduction: The “school- based health program” is implemented in schools all over the country with the purpose of preventing substance abuse, high-risk behaviors, and violence. The current study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of this program in enhancing some of the health indicators of the students participating in this program. Methods: In this cross- sectional study, based on the Krejcie and Morgan table, 400 students (4 groups- 2cases and 2 controls- each including 100 people from both male and female genders) were selected through stratified and stage random sampling. The data gathering tools were the “General Health Questionnaire”, Rosenberg Self Esteem Inventory, Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Satisfied with Life Scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS 13 software and through descriptive statistics and paired t test. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between General Health, Self esteem, Happiness and Satisfied with Life mean scores of case and control groups. However, the differences between the mean scores of the two groups in educational performance were significant (P=0.005). Conclusion: General findings of this study indicate that education presented to students via school-based health program has not been effective in enhancing their mental health. Therefore, to improve the effectiveness of this program, it is suggested that the educational methods of this program be revised.