SCHOOL-HEALTH MODIFIER: AN UNDESIRABLE HEALTH BEHAVIOUR METHOD OF MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Undesirable health behaviours do not only undermine health but also school success. Therefore, proposing a health intervention and self-help tool kit in the form of School-Health Modifier to manage such behavioural excesses can help students learn basic life skills needed to successfully manage the behaviour. With the meaning, aim, objectives and principles of the School-Health Modifier, the why, when and how were espoused to guide health education experts, psychologists, counsellors and trainees. The validity of the modifier was done by experts in Health and Counselling Psychology and the Cohen’s kappa (r) was used to establish the reliability yielding a coefficient of 0.77. The methodological procedure was provided in three stages with four modifier techniques with adolescent delinquency being a point in focus. First stage of health behaviour identification involves the functional assessment of the adolescent delinquency, followed by exposure to a management package and finally the learning of a basic life skill. The four modifier techniques are required to take learners through the stages. It is hoped that for the deficits in behaviour, delinquent adolescents might be less assertive through School-Health Modifier, be more focused on success attainment by relating more positively with people around them.