PREVENTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO WELL-BEING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65222/VIRAL.2026.3.22.42Keywords:
Abstract
The imperative to embed preventive health education within secondary school curricula emerges as a critical vector for fostering holistic well-being and societal resilience in an era marked by escalating global health challenges and burgeoning psychosocial complexities among adolescents. This article undertakes a rigorous, multidisciplinary inquiry into the theoretical underpinnings, pedagogical modalities, and empirical outcomes of preventive health education as a transformative strategy to enhance adolescents' health literacy, resilience, and proactive health behaviours. Situated at the intersection of public health, educational sciences, psychology, and social policy, the research delineates a comprehensive framework for integrating multifaceted health promotion within secondary education, emphasising the synergy of cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions.
The study critically addresses the global and Romanian educational contexts, with particular reference to evidence-based initiatives and systemic challenges observed within Romanian secondary schools. The article elucidates the complex dynamics and contextual contingencies that shape the efficacy of preventive health education interventions through a mixed-methods approach, which includes a meta-analytical review of existing literature and qualitative field research involving educators, healthcare professionals, and student cohorts.
Findings point out the importance of a multidisciplinary approach that transcends traditional didactic paradigms, advocating for an integrative pedagogy that harnesses collaborative frameworks between educational institutions, healthcare entities, and community stakeholders. The data reveal significant improvements in students’ health-related knowledge, behavioural intentions, and psychosocial competencies, facilitated by curricula that incorporate mental health awareness, nutrition, physical activity, substance abuse prevention, and digital well-being. The study shows how important it is to train teachers, adapt content to be culturally relevant, and use new digital tools to address common issues like stigma, misinformation, and lack of interest.
The research puts forward a model that shows how educational theory and public health needs are connected, suggesting a flexible plan for including preventive health education in national education policies. This model aligns with global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 4 (Quality Education), affirming the indispensable role of education in advancing public health agendas and equity.
This article contributes substantively to the scholarly discourse by illuminating preventive health education as a fulcrum for cultivating resilient, health-literate youth populations capable of navigating contemporary health risks and fostering lifelong well-being. It offers robust, empirically grounded recommendations for policymakers, curriculum developers, and educators to design, implement, and sustain multidimensional health education programs that respond dynamically to evolving epidemiological and sociocultural landscapes.
In summ, the study not only bridges critical gaps in the literature but also articulates a visionary paradigm for secondary education reform, one that integrates preventive health education as an essential pillar of adolescent development and societal well-being in the 21st century.
References
1. World Health Organization; UNESCO (2018). Global standards for Health-Promoting Schools (HPS): concept note. WHO/UNESCO; https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/health-promoting-schools/global-standards-for-health-promoting-schools-who-unesco.pdf
2. World Health Organization (2022). Making every school a health-promoting school: implementation guidance. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/341908/9789240025073-eng.pdf
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2011). School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity. CDC; https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/healthyschools/npao/strategies.htm
4. Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta‐analysis of school‐based universal interventions. Child development, 82(1), 405-432, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
5. World Health Organization (2021). WHO guideline on school health services — systematic reviews and recommendation summaries. WHO; https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240035924
6. Fazel, M., Hoagwood, K., Stephan, S., & Ford, T. (2014). Mental health interventions in schools in high-income countries. The Lancet Psychiatry, 1(5), 377-387.
7. Werner-Seidler, A., Perry, Y., Calear, A. L., Newby, J. M., & Christensen, H. (2017). School-based depression and anxiety prevention programs for young people: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical psychology review, 51, 30-47, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2016.10.005
8. Caldwell, D. M., Davies, S. R., Thorn, J. C., Palmer, J. C., Caro, P., Hetrick, S. E., ... & Welton, N. J. (2021). School-based interventions to prevent anxiety, depression and conduct disorder in children and young people: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Public Health Research., https://doi.org/10.3310/phr09080
9. Lekamge, R. B., Jain, R., Sheen, J., Solanki, P., Zhou, Y., Romero, L., ... & Ilic, D. (2025). Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of whole-school interventions promoting mental health and preventing risk behaviours in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 54(2), 271-289, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-025-02135-6
10. Marinescu, S.A. , Bejinariu C.G., Marinescu, B., Boiangiu, I., Panche, T., Budurca, R., Botnaru, I., Ciurea, M. (2021) A New Bromelain-Enriched Proteolytic Enzymes Concentrate Treatment In Patients With Extensive Burns: Romanian Consensus, Farmacia Journal, Bucharest, Romania, 2021, 69 (4), pp. 792-798, https://doi.org/10.31925/farmacia.2021.4.22
11. Enachescu V.A. (2024) Extended utilization of organizational culture of professional schools through specialized disciplines, ICERI2024 Proceedings, pp. 5372-5380., https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2024.1317
12. Bărbulescu, R., Enachescu, V. A., & Baltaretu, C. (2025), "Integrating sustainability into stem education through project-based learning: empowering undergraduate students for eco-conscious innovation", EDULEARN25 Proceedings, 10428-10438, https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2025.2717
13. Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta‐analysis of school‐based universal interventions. Child development, 82(1), 405-432, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
14. Costache B., Enăchescu, V. A (2025) Bridging the digital divide: leveraging technology for inclusive education in marginalized communities, INTED2025 Proceedings, pp. 6651-6659. https://doi.org/10.21125/inted.2025.1721
15. Soare V.C. (2024) Knowing when to fold: educational tools and legislative best practices for responsible gambling in the European Union, ICERI2024 Proceedings, pp. 9093-9100, https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2024.2292
16. Vulpe, MI., Stancu, S. (2023). Educational System Through Software Robots Vision. In: Arai, K. (eds) Intelligent Computing. SAI 2023. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 739. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37963-5_84
17. Latea, C. D., Enăchescu, V. A., & Nen, M. (2025) Bridging education and high-stress team performance: insights into effective management practices, EDULEARN25 Proceedings, pp. 9169-9175., https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2025.2367
18. Costache B (2025) Empowering educators through technology: the role of leadership in EdTech integration, INTED2025 Proceedings, pp. 6634-6642. https://doi.org/10.21125/inted.2025.1719
19. Enăchescu, V. A. (2022). The Mentoring Process of First Year Teachers-A System Analysis and Predictions for Tomorrow's Society. Revista de Management Comparat Internațional, 23(4), 549-559.
20. Enachescu, V. A., & Trapiel, I. R. (2014). Change management in medical university education in Romania in the context of national and European development policies. Revista de Management Comparat International, 15(2), 250.
21. Grande, A. J., Hoffmann, M. S., Evans-Lacko, S., Ziebold, C., de Miranda, C. T., Mcdaid, D., ... & Ribeiro, W. S. (2023). Efficacy of school-based interventions for mental health problems in children and adolescents in low and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 1012257, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1012257
22. Latea, C. D., Bejinariu, C. G., Soare, V. C., & Nen, M. (2025). The role of education in managing team dynamics and performance under stressful conditions. In EDULEARN25 Proceedings (pp. 9152-9161). IATED., https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2025.2365
23. Tinner, L., Palmer, J. C., Lloyd, E. C., Caldwell, D. M., MacArthur, G. J., Dias, K., ... & Campbell, R. (2022). Individual-, family-and school-based interventions to prevent multiple risk behaviours relating to alcohol, tobacco and drug use in young people aged 8-25 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1111, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13072-5
24. Enachescu, V. A., Costache, B., & Craiu, D. M. (2025). Bullying prevention in multicultural learning environments. In EDULEARN25 Proceedings (pp. 3415-3422). IATED., https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2025.0902
25. Mirea, C. N., Craiu, D. M., Cepoiu, G. M. (2019). The Relationship between Sustainability and Tourism. Collaborative Research for Excellence in Economics and Social Sciences, 230.
26. Szucs, L. E., Barrios, L. C., Young, E., Robin, L., Hunt, P., & Jayne, P. E. (2022). The CDC's division of adolescent and school health approach to sexual health education in schools: 3 decades in review. Journal of School Health, 92(2), 223-234, https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13115
27. P. V., V., Thomas, T., Sait, S. A., & Kasmir, L. (2025). Healthcare Service Quality Over Two Decades: Mapping the Global Research Landscape Through Bibliometrics Analysis. International Journal of Education, Leadership, Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Business, Life Sciences, and Society, 2(02), 103-123. https://doi.org/10.65222/VIRAL.2025.9.12
28. Tobler, N. S., & Stratton, H. H. (1997). Effectiveness of school-based drug prevention programs: A meta-analysis of the research. Journal of primary prevention, 18(1), 71-128, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024630205999
29. Soare, V. C., Enachescu, V. A., Latea, C. D., & Bejinariu, C. G. (2025). International collaboration in research and education: mitigating bureaucratic and financial barriers. In EDULEARN25 Proceedings (pp. 8877-8887). IATED., https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2025.2289
30. Vulpe, M. I., Enăchescu, V. A., & Bărbulescu, R. (2025). Enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes in computer science education through ai-driven personalized learning platforms. In EDULEARN25 Proceedings (pp. 3998-4007). IATED., https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2025.1040
31. Enăchescu, V. A, Costache B. (2025) Empowering learning through digital leadership in education, INTED2025 Proceedings, pp. 6814-6821. https://doi.org/10.21125/inted.2025.1753
32. Enachescu, V. A. (2024) Conducting instructive and educational activities aimed at training professional skills in the economic-financial field, ICERI2024 Proceedings, pp. 5353-5363., https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2024.1313
33. Costache, B., & Enachescu, V. (2025). Artificial Intelligence in Educational Leadership: Strategic Pathways for Resilient Learning Systems. International Journal of Education, Leadership, Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Business, Life Sciences, and Society, 1(01), 17-28. https://doi.org/10.65222/viral.2025.1.1
34. Miller, E., & Thabrew, H. (2024). Universal school-based e-health interventions for wellbeing, anxiety and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Digital Health, 10, 20552076241302204, https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076241302204
35. Costache, B. (2025). Sustainability Pathways in Higher Education Transformation: Digital Innovation and Circular Economy in Singapore and the Global Policy Context. International Journal of Education, Leadership, Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Business, Life Sciences, and Society, 1(01), 41-58. https://doi.org/10.65222/viral.2025.1.3
36. Johnson, S., Laham, S., Blanc, S., & Bellanger, M. (2024, November). Cultivating partnerships to incorporate health promotion modules into primary school curricula: a case study in France. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 9, p. 1498753). Frontiers Media SA, https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1498753
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Education, Leadership, Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Business, Life Sciences, and Society
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.