Promoting Health in Early Childhood Environments: A Health-promotion Approach

This paper investigates the mechanisms by which a health-promotion intervention might influence the health-promoting behaviours of staff members working in early childhood centres. The intervention was an ecological health-promotion initiative that was implemented within four early childhood centres in South-East Queensland, Australia. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 early childhood centre directors, early childhood centre staff, and health-promotion professionals involved in the same initiative. The case studies were based on informal observations and a documentary analysis of health-promotion practices and activities. A thematic analysis was conducted on the data to reveal the key characteristics of the approach. This study found that the health-promotion intervention in early childhood centres was reliant on the development of collaborative, “relationship-focused” partnerships between health and community agencies and early childhood centres. These relationships supported ea...