Écho-Santé

The Écho-Santé newsletter was established in 2006 at the Jeunes-du-Monde school in the Limoilou area by a health committee composed of the nurse, dental hygienist, physical education teacher, and daycare specialist at the time. The health committee’s general objectives are to promote health among parents and students, as well as to initiate a health-focused approach in the school. The idea for the Écho-Santé newsletter came about during 2005 and 2006 when the nurse and dental hygienist noted the high number of dental cavities among students who lacked proper knowledge on the subject. Sweet snacks and treats were very prevalent in the school. The school leadership was informed of this observation and thus approved the Écho-Santé newsletter project. To begin, and in an attempt to counter the problem, a document entitled “BonbonMania” was distributed with the goal of sensitizing school personnel. Seeing the positive results the document had among staff, the health committee decided to pursue this type of publication, and extend it to students and parents. Today, the Écho-Santé newsletter contains different types of information about healthy habits one can adopt (related to health and the environment). For example, information about the human body, recycling, and composting, among other topics, could be included as newsletter content. It also contains recipes that are both healthy and easy to follow, as well as educational and stimulating games. The newsletter is published six times per year and is distributed among students and school personnel. Following from the very positive results elicited in an evaluation conducted in 2010-2011, the Écho-Santé newsletter project continues at the Jeunes-du-Monde school in the Limoilou area. It is an innovative project as it provides pertinent and interesting health information, along with advice and concrete examples of ways to positively modify one’s life habits in a challenging environment.