School Health Research Articles

Co-Designing of Preventive Materials Between Dental Students and Primary School Teachers to Promote Oral Health: Impact on Professional Practices for French Dental Students.

This paper is aiming to present an experiment involving odontology students, teachers and pupils in elementary grades to investigate the potential benefits of co-design activities to create preventive materials to promote oral health in schools. A total of, 110 fourth-year students, 47 volunteers teachers and 698 pupils in Grades 1 and 2 participated in the study. This work led to the creation and distribution to teachers of appropriate tools on the dental health. We wanted to assess how the odontology students felt during this co-design project. Each of them was asked to complete the same questionnaire twice, at the beginning and at the end of the project. Our results show that they consider that the children and their parents' knowledge of oral health is largely inadequate. Moreover, a large majority of them (75%) felt that their participation would have a positive impact on the children's future behaviour and on their own future professional practice. The students' participation in this experiment in co-designing with teachers shows that offering odontology students a different kind of learning, along the lines of what is being done in the United Kingdom with service-learning, can be beneficial both for them and for the end-users. The participation of dental students in the specific educational training activity has a positive and significant impact of their mental representation and we can hope that the emergence of this paradigm of participatory design, also known as co-creation, can lead to strong and lasting changes in health behaviours.

Adolescents’ experiences of a whole-school preventive intervention addressing mental health and nonsuicidal self-injury: a qualitative study

BackgroundPrograms for mental health promotion and prevention of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in schools have gained increased focus during the last decades, but less is known about adolescents’ experiences of such interventions.MethodsA whole-school preventive intervention targeting mental health and NSSI was delivered to six secondary schools. Adolescents participated in the Youth Aware of Mental Health program combined with an NSSI-focused psychoeducation module. Caregivers and teachers were given online psychoeducation on NSSI, and school health care staff were given a workshop on self-injury. Eleven group interviews (n = 65 participants) were conducted with adolescents (ages 13–15 years, 65% females) exploring participant experiences. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis and interpreted in light of a biopsychosocial understanding of adolescence.ResultsThe analysis generated two main themes. The first theme, Mental health in the context of adolescence, centered around adolescents’ conception of mental health, after having taken part in the intervention, framed in a context of coping with external stressors. The dilemma of autonomy versus help-seeking was also identified as part of the first main theme. The second theme, The who, when, what, and how of the intervention, described adolescents’ experiences of the intervention. This theme included increased awareness and knowledge of mental ill-health. The participants generally agreed that the topics included are important to adolescents and emphasized that the content needs to be relatable. Several factors that influence how a school-based program is received by adolescents were identified, such as who should be targeted and when. Adolescents also identified challenges and gave recommendations for future similar projects.ConclusionsAdolescents generally perceived addressing mental health and NSSI in schools as important. Help-seeking initiatives need to be balanced against adolescents’ need for autonomy when planning mental health prevention and intervention.

Plant-based dietary patterns and ultra-processed food consumption: a cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank

Dietary shift towards more plant-based options is increasingly popular, but the quantity of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) they contain is largely unknown. This study assessed the level of UPF and minimally processed food consumption among regular and low red meat eaters, flexitarians, pescatarians, vegetarians and vegans in a large dataset of United Kingdom (UK) adults. This is a cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank participants recruited between December 19, 2006, and October 1, 2010. Responses to food frequency questions were used to identify diet types for vegans (never eating any animal-based foods); vegetarians (never eating meat/fish); pescatarians (never eating meat); flexitarians (consumed fish/meat under twice a week); low red meat eaters (consumed fish/poultry more than once a week but red/processed meat under twice a week); and regular red meat eaters (consumed red/processed meat more than once a week). Consumption of all food and drinks collected in 24-h recalls between April 29, 2009, and June 28, 2012, were categorised using the Nova classification. The primary outcomes are the consumption of UPFs and minimally processed foods, expressed as a percentage of daily food intake (grams/day). Multivariable linear regression assessed the mean percentage point difference in UPF and minimally processed food consumption between diet types. This study included 199,502 UK Biobank participants (mean age 58.2 [standard deviation 7.9] years; 55.1% women). The mean UPF consumption was 24.2%, 21.9%, 22.0%, 20.4%, 23.8%, and 22.7% among 75,091 regular red meat eaters, 70,144 low red meat eaters, 45,057 flexitarians, 4932 pescatarians, 4119 vegetarians and 159 vegans, respectively. The adjusted results suggested that compared with regular red meat eaters, UPF consumption was 1.3 percentage points higher among vegetarians (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9, 1.7) and lower among low red meat eaters (-1.3, 95% CI:-1.4,-1.1), flexitarians (-0.8, 95% CI:-1.0,-0.7), and pescatarians (-1.6, 95% CI:-1.9,-1.2). The UPF consumption in vegans were not significantly different from regular red meat eaters (1.2 percentage points, 95% CI:-0.7, 3.2). Minimally processed food consumption was higher in all other types of diet than regular red meat eaters, with an adjusted percentage point difference ranged from 0.4 (95% CI: 0.005, 0.9) for vegetarians to 3.2 (95% CI: 1.0, 5.5) for vegans compared with regular red meat eaters. This UK-based study found higher UPF consumption in vegetarian diets and lower in diets with a modest amount of meat or fish. It is important that policies which encourage the urgently needed transition to more sustainable dietary patterns also promote rebalancing diets towards minimally processed foods. National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research, World Cancer Research Fund.

Analysis of Factors Influencing the Behavior of Utilization of Dental and Oral Health Care Among Primary Students

Dental and oral health is an integral part of overall health services. One effort that can be used to improve children's dental and oral health is through self-focused health promotion activities in schools through UKGS. The aim of the research was to determine the factors that influence the behavior of using dental and oral health care among elementary school students in Talok Village, Malang Regency. Observational research design with a cross-sectional approach. The population of all students in Talok, Malang was 145 respondents. The sample was 106 respondents with purposive sampling technique. Independent variables are health center support, school support, parent support, and student knowledge. The dependent variable is beviour of utilization of dental and oral health care among primary students.

Oral Health Status of Korean Students and Associated Fasting Plasma Glucose in Overweight/Obese Individuals

This study aimed to evaluate the current oral health status of Korean children and adolescents and investigate the correlation between fasting plasma glucose levels and oral health in individuals with overweight and obesity. A total of 121,682 participants were selected from the Survey of School Health Examination data provided by the Ministry of Education over the last 5 years to assess recent oral health status and related factors. Among them, 18,105 students with overweight or obesity who had their fasting plasma glucose levels measured were assessed for blood glucose-related analysis. Based on fasting blood glucose levels, the participants were categorized into normal, impaired fasting glucose, and diabetes groups. The associations of these groups with dental caries, oral hygiene, and periodontal diseases were investigated. There were significant associations between demographic factors, health-related behaviors, and blood glucose levels with oral health. Increased fasting blood glucose levels were associated with poor oral health. These results suggest that glycemic management is important in enhancing the oral health of overweight and obese children and adolescents.

Educational needs of school health teachers caring for students with type 1 diabetes: An analysis using the Borich needs assessment and the locus for focus models

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify educational priorities to ensure school health teachers’ competencies in managing students’ type 1 diabetes.Methods: A secondary analysis of the data from a cross-sectional study involving 188 health teachers was conducted. Fourteen specific competencies were identified through a literature review. Using paired t-tests, differences between knowledge levels and perceived importance were analyzed. The Borich needs assessment measured the gap between knowledge and perceived importance, and the locus for focus model presented the priorities.Results: Of the participants, 75.5% (n=142) had experience caring for students with type 1 diabetes. The discrepancy between perceived importance and knowledge level regarding the “management of the latest diabetes devices” was found to be the most significant difference (t=18.36, p<.001). High-priority competencies revealed by the Borich needs assessment and the locus for focus models included “latest guidelines,” “emergency management,” and “dietary management.” Prioritization differences were noted for the competencies “management of the latest diabetes devices,” “unique issues during the school life of children,” and “psychological issues;” the differences were dependent on the health teachers’ experience managing students with type 1 diabetes.Conclusion: An educational program for health teachers is needed to enhance their competencies in managing the latest diabetes devices, handling emergencies, addressing unique issues, and staying informed about the latest insights on type 1 diabetes. Tailored education should be provided based on health teachers’ experience in managing students with type 1 diabetes.

Association Between Unmet Needs in Health Care and Social Services and Exposure to Violence Among Parents.

Existing research has shown that parental exposure to violence has negative consequences on health outcomes, but the effect of such exposure on unmet health care and social service need is unknown. This study aims to investigate the association between unmet health care and social services and parental violence exposure among parents with children. This study used the data of 6289 parents aged 18-60 years who had at least one child under 18 years living in the same household. Parental violence exposure was measured. Unmet child and adult health care and social service need was operationalized through questions on the services needed, those that had not been received, and those that were considered inadequate. Parents who experienced any kind of violence had more unmet service need. There were more women among parents with violence experience (65.4%) than those with no violence experience (51.9%). Violence experience increased the odds of unmet need for general adult healthcare services (OR 2.02, CI 1.64-2.57), maternity and child health clinics (OR 2.52, CI 2.00-3.18), family guidance clinics and home help (OR 2.38, CI 1.60-3.54), mental health or child welfare services (OR 2.05, CI 1.52-2.75), and school health care (OR 1.99, 1.50-2.65). After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, the associations between exposure to violence experience and unmet needs for healthcare and social services remained statistically significant. Violence in close relationships profoundly impacts health and well-being. By addressing unmet health care needs and supporting parents, we can break the cycle of violence and promote better mental health outcomes. Preventive policies and early interventions are essential to mitigate the consequences of violence in families.

Promoting healthy practices among schools and children in rural bangladesh: a randomised controlled trial of skill-based health education

BackgroundPoor child health and hygiene practices are persistent issues in resource-constrained settings, particularly in low-income countries. This study assessed the impact of skill-based health education (SBHE) on school and child hygiene practices in rural Bangladesh.MethodsA cluster-randomised-controlled intervention with cross-cutting/factorial design was conducted in 180 randomly selected primary schools, stratified by school type, in Jhenaidah District, Bangladesh. Weekly SBHE sessions were delivered to half of the schools by locally recruited para-teachers for one year. A cross-cutting soap provision treatment was given monthly to half of the SBHE-treatment schools and half of the SBHE-control schools. Treatment assignment was masked to all baseline and endline surveyors. Data were collected at both the school and child levels, with child-level data aggregated at the school level. Outcome measures were grouped into five thematic families. The primary outcome families were school hygiene practice & maintenance, school-aggregated child handwashing and school-aggregated child dentalcare. Utilising the difference-in-differences estimator with seemingly unrelated regression, we estimated the average treatment effect for each family of multiple outcomes. The intervention spillover effect to neighbouring schools along with the time-period effect were also evaluated. The project’s cost-effectiveness was additionally assessed.ResultsOur findings revealed that SBHE had a positive impact on primary outcomes related to healthy practices and behavioural changes, resulting in a 0.32SD improvement in school hygiene practices and maintenance (p < 0.001), a 0.47SD increase in child handwashing (p < 0.001), and a 0.43SD enhancement in child dentalcare (p < 0.01). Despite its imperfect implementation, the provision of soap itself showed no significant effect. Furthermore, significant spillover effects of healthy practices were observed in neighbouring non-treatment schools. The cost-effectiveness analysis indicated that our SBHE program was cost-effective.ConclusionsOur study provides compelling evidence of the positive impact of SBHE on school hygiene and child health practices in rural Bangladesh, with notable spillover effects. The cost-effectiveness analysis underscores the value of SBHE, affirming its potential as an effective intervention method in improving school health and hygiene practices in primary schools and beyond.

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for Occupational Health

Introduction: The purpose of occupational health is to maintain and improve the health of employees and improve their physical, mental and social well-being through the prevention, control and elimination of occupational hazards. It is necessary to integrate educational, research and health service activities to prevent and control potential occupational health hazards in the community. This study aimed to develop a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for occupational health at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). Material and Methods: In this participatory action research, a strategic planning committee was established, whose members were professors of the occupational health department in the school of public health and managers of the occupational health department in the health deputy of TUMS. The strategic planning committee carried out a strategic evaluation of the internal and external environments of both occupational health deprtments of TUMS and identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Then, the strategic direction of JCPOA including the vision, mission, values, goals and objectives was determined. Also, the strategies and actions to achieve the goals and objectives were identified. Finally, the action plan to achieve these objectives was developed. Results: This applied research led to the strategic evaluation of the internal and external environments of the occupational health depratment of the School of Public Health and the occupational health depratment of the Health deputy of TUMS, determining the strategic direction, and finally, developing an action plan to achieve the goals and objectives. Conclusion: The JCPOA for occupational health was developed using a collaborative and systemic approach. The proper implementation of this plan can lead to the improvement of occupational health indicators in the community. Cooperation between university and industry is necessary for the sustainable development of society

Secondary school staff experiences of supporting and promoting adolescent mental health in Ireland

ABSTRACT Teachers and other school staff are increasingly relied on to address student mental health in secondary schools in Ireland. As part of the Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice (2019), the Department of Education set out the ambition to place the promotion of wellbeing at the core and ethos of all schools in Ireland by 2023. This study investigates secondary school staff’s experiences of addressing mental health in schools through qualitative analysis of open question data provided by n = 359 school staff. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, resulting in three themes. The themes highlighted the salience of mental health in schools, the wide variety of ways mental health is integrated in Irish secondary schools, and how mental health in schools can be a source of pressure for staff. The findings of this study suggest that staff, while generally positive towards mental health engagement in schools, do not feel adequately prepared to deliver this content to the extent expected of them. Findings are discussed in relation to the Wellbeing Framework as well as the existing international literature on school based mental health content, and implications for policy and practice are proposed.

Experiences of school health professionals in implementing structured assessments of sexual health and experiences of violence among youth in Sweden using the SEXual health Identification Tool (SEXIT): a qualitative sequential study

IntroductionPoor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a global public health concern, particularly among adolescents. While school health services (SHS) play a crucial role in preventative care, professionals are inconsistent...

A bibliometric analysis of mental health among high school students

BackgroundIn recent years, with the increase in academic pressure and changes in social environment, especially after the outbreak of COVID-19, there has been a significant impact on the mental health of high school students. This trend, which is concerning, requires a systematic bibliometric analysis to develop effective preventive and remedial measures.ObjectiveThis study aims to identify and analysis the research hotspots, frontiers and emerging trends in the field of high school students’ mental health over the past two decades using CiteSpace software. These findings provide important insights that can shape future research agendas and guide targeted interventions to improve the mental health outcomes of this vulnerable group.MethodsThis study utilized the Web of Science Core Collection database as its data source to retrieve literature pertaining to high school students’ mental health from January 1, 2004, to January 1, 2023. The initial search yielded 1,764 relevant documents. After manually screening to exclude duplicates, conference proceedings, announcements, and irrelevant documents, a total of 1,748 relevant documents were retained. The research employed the CiteSpace 6.2.R4 tool to evaluate various bibliometric indicators of the included literature, including statistics on institutional and author publication volumes, as well as co-citation analysis.ResultsA total of 1,748 English-language documents were retrieved, showing an upward trend in publications on high school students’ mental health from 2004 to 2024. The research hotspots primarily focus on COVID-19 pandemic, depression, bullying, substance abuse, sexual behavior, Physical Education and their relationships with the mental health of high school students. Future research trends may focus on studies investigating the relationships between the use of electronic cigarettes, sleep disorders, internet addiction, and the mental health of high school students.ConclusionIn addition to the six major research hotspots of COVID-19 pandemic, Depression and stress, Suicidal ideation, Bullying, Sexual behavior and Physical education. Researches should pay more attention to the use of electronic cigarettes, sleep disorders, and Internet addiction among high school students.

All Hands on Deck: Training Mental Health and Non-mental Health School Providers to Deliver a CBT Anxiety Intervention for Students on the Autism Spectrum

All Hands on Deck: Training Mental Health and Non-mental Health School Providers to Deliver a CBT Anxiety Intervention for Students on the Autism Spectrum

Process Evaluation of a Secondary School-Based Digital Behaviour Change Intervention to Improve Toothbrushing: The BRIGHT Randomised Controlled Trial.

The aim was to conduct a process evaluation of a multicomponent behaviour change intervention to reduce dental caries in secondary school children in the UK. The intervention was evaluated in the BRIGHT randomised controlled trial which investigated clinical and cost-effectiveness. The trial involved 4680 participants from 42 schools with a follow-up period of 2.5 years. Schools with an above-average proportion of free school meal (FSM) eligibility, an indicator of low household income, were recruited. The intervention, an oral health classroom-based session (CBS) delivered by school staff and twice-daily text messages aimed to improve toothbrushing frequency with fluoride toothpaste. Key components of process evaluations were examined: Implementation (fidelity, dose delivered, adaptations and reach), mechanisms of impact (acceptability and dose received) and influential contextual factors. Data collection ran alongside that of the outcome evaluation. Mixed-methods data collection comprised pupil self-reported questionnaires, staff feedback questionnaires, CBS and text message delivery logs and semi-structured interviews/focus groups with school staff and pupils. Quantitative data were summarised descriptively, while framework analysis was applied to the qualitative data. The intervention was generally implemented as intended, albeit with some schools not confirming CBS delivery and a technical problem resulting in text messages being stopped prematurely. Some adaptations to the CBS were made by school staff. In terms of reach, 21.9% (n = 1025) of participants were FSM-eligible. At baseline, 77.6% (n = 3631) of randomised participants reported brushing at least twice daily with no difference over time in the social cognitive determinants of toothbrushing behaviour. The intervention was generally found to be acceptable with varying levels of participant responsiveness reported. The actual dose received was unclear; some schools did not provide a CBS attendance register, and some participants reported blocking or muting the text messages. This evaluation raises the question of whether the intervention dose and quality of delivery were sufficient to support the required behaviour change mechanisms. Moreover, a high proportion of participants brushed twice daily at baseline; this also calls into question the intervention's ability to bring about significant change. The trial findings did not favour the implementation of the two-component intervention (CBS and text messages) within a school setting. However, with oral health as part of the general health school curriculum, the BRIGHT CBS could be adopted within the UK curriculum as it was co-developed with young people and was found acceptable to pupils and teachers. ISRCTN number: 12139369.

Pengaruh School Well Being terhadap Prestasi Belajar Siswa di SMA Negeri 3 Bukittinggi

This research was motivated by the condition of condition of student well-being (school well-being) at SMA Negeri 3 Bukittinggi which includes four aspects includes four aspects: school facilities (having), student self-fulfillment (being), social relationships (loving), and health (health). The research aims to to determine the effect and level of influence of school well-being on student achievement. student learning achievement. Using an associative type quantitative approach, this research This study involved 149 respondents who were selected by proportional random sampling. The research instrument was a questionnaire, and data analysis used simple regression. regression. The results showed the average score of students' school well-being score of 126 (high) with a percentage of 84%, and learning achievement in the competent category (100%). competent category (100%). Hypothesis testing shows school well-being has a significant effect on learning achievement with a significance value of 0.000 (&lt;0.05) and Fcount (16.461) &gt; Ftable (3.91). The effect of school well-being on learning achievement is 10.1%, so it can be concluded that school well-being plays an important role in improving learning achievement. that student well-being plays an important role in improving learning achievement.

The effect of the theory of planned behavior based hand hygiene intervention program on the health outcomes and school absenteeism of the primary school students: Quasi-experimental study.

Acute upper respiratory tract infections are the most common infections among school children. Improving water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in schools is an important intervention for the healthy development of children. The most important component of this intervention is hand washing, which is the primary infection control measure. This study aims to test the effect of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) based hand hygiene intervention program on the health outcomes and school absenteeism of students. The study is quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest control groups. The study was conducted with 159 students (intervention: 82, control: 77) in two separate primary schools that were assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group were applied a TPB-based hand hygiene intervention program for the school children. The data were collected using the Student Questionnaire, Hand Hygiene Assessment Question Form, and Surveillance Form. The mean Hand Hygiene Assessment Question Form Hand Hygiene Behavior scores did not differ between the groups in the pre- and posttest (p > .05). In the posttest, the frequency of encountering a ten-week-upper respiratory tract infection symptom (U = 5277.50 p < .0001), school absenteeism days (p = .046) and absenteeism episodes (p = .043) was lower in the intervention group than in the control group. The findings suggest that was concluded that the TPB-based hand hygiene intervention program did not make a difference in creating hand hygiene behavior in school children compared to the classical education. The program was effective in reducing upper respiratory tract infections and school absenteeism due to these infections.

Preservice Teachers and School Health and Wellness

Preservice Teachers and School Health and Wellness

The association between infrastructure damage in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai and malaria risk in Sofala Province, Mozambique: an ecological study

BackgroundIn April 2019, Mozambique was hit by Cyclone Idai leaving substantial damage to infrastructure and nearly two million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Malaria risk has been associated with living in a rural setting, vicinity to water, and household structure, all factors which are impacted by severe storms. This study quantified the association between damage to infrastructure (health care facilities and schools) following Cyclone Idai and malaria outcomes: malaria incidence, severe malaria, and administration of intermittent preventative treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) in Sofala Province, Mozambique.MethodsTo quantify infrastructure damage, historical satellite imagery was assessed visually using Google Earth Pro®. Damage to 66 school and 105 health centres was assessed for severity and duration. Location data was imported to QGIS and joined with district level data on malaria outcomes and environmental covariates. Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to quantify the associations between facility damage and malaria incidence and severe malaria. Generalized linear models were used to determine the association between facility damage and changes in malaria incidence and administration of IPTp from 2018 to 2019.ResultsAn increase in facility damage was associated with an increase in malaria incidence and severe malaria. An increase in proportion of facilities damaged by 10% was associated with a 7.3% (95% CI 6.8–7.8%) increase in malaria incidence. Risk of severe malaria was 2.16 (95% CI 1.42–3.32) times higher in districts with any damage compared to those with no damage. However, proportional facility damage was associated with decreased malaria incidence and increased access to IPTp from 2018 to 2019, but these were not statistically significant.ConclusionAn increase in proportion of facilities damaged following Cyclone Idai was associated with increased risk of malaria and severe malaria at the district level. This may be a function of decreased access to healthcare and an increased exposure to risk factors for malaria. A non-statistically significant decrease in malaria incidence was also found at the district level from 2018 to 2019, indicating that malaria may have been underreported in 2019, likely again a function of decreased access to healthcare.

Evolution of Master of Public Health Core Curriculum: Trends and Insights.

Revised accreditation criteria from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) in 2016 prompted schools and programs of public health to shift their master of public health (MPH) core curricula. Our objective was to provide data on revisions to MPH core curricula at CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health and other descriptive statistics on the MPH core curriculum and required courses as of 2023. We analyzed data from 67 accredited schools of public health and 130 accredited public health programs to assess changes from 2016 to 2023 in the MPH core curriculum. We examined the number of courses, the proportion of credit hours in the core curriculum, core curriculum composition, and course types. Almost half (49.2%) of schools, but only 16.9% of programs, made extensive changes to their MPH core curricula, an overall increase of 153.6% from 2020 to 2023. Approximately one-fifth of schools and programs made few to no changes to their core curricula and retained core courses in the 5 former core disciplines. On average, core curriculum credit hours comprised 37.8% of total credit hours for schools and 51.7% for programs. Half (50.0%) of all programs in the sample offered single-concentration MPH degrees. Schools and programs were more likely to continue requiring traditional biostatistics (81.7%) and epidemiology (81.2%) courses in the core curriculum compared with environmental health (69.0%), social and behavioral health (61.9%), and health policy and management (42.1%). Most schools and programs modified their MPH core curricula, reflecting a departure from traditional public health courses toward innovative approaches to ensure knowledge and skill proficiency of graduates. Future research will determine if these curricular changes improve the knowledge and skill proficiency of public health graduates and the workforce.

Mental Health Literacy and School Behavioral Health: Introduction to the Special Issue

ABSTRACT Background Mental health literacy is a promising approach to meeting the growing behavioral health needs of youth, and schools offer an ideal setting for this work. Purpose In the introduction to this special issue, we provide an overview of mental health literacy and discuss the connection between mental health literacy and school behavioral health. Methods Literature on mental health literacy and research on school mental health literacy programs are synthesized, followed by an overview of the six papers included in this issue. Results The key components of mental health literacy are defined and contextualized alongside the importance of mental health literacy for promoting well-being. A brief history of research on mental health literacy programs is provided, noting the growth in application to school settings. Discussion Connections between mental health literacy and school behavioral health are discussed, highlighting opportunities for integration with schools’ multi-tiered systems of support. Translation to Health Education Practice This introduction concludes with a discussion of implications for aligning mental health literacy with Health Education.