Holistic Health Framework

What is the Holistic Health Framework (HHF)?

The Holistic Health Framework (HHF) is a framework that allows schools to bring together in a purposeful manner the key areas, programmes and processes that develop the physical, mental and social health of their students.

The HHF is underpinned by three guiding principles:

• Total Well-Being

  Total well-being encompasses the physical, mental and social health of students and not just measures of weight and fitness.

• Inclusion

  Inclusion advocates that every student be given opportunities to access the knowledge, and develop the skills and attitudes to live healthily.

• Quality Delivery

  Quality delivery involves building the capacity of teachers through professional development and engaging qualified and competent para-educators to teach holistic health effectively.

Schools adopting the HHF are distinguished by the following key components:

• Supportive School Culture and Organisation

  A supportive school culture and organisation is demonstrated by having a shared vision on health which culminates in an action plan for effective delivery and resource building.

• Comprehensive and Relevant Formal and Non-Formal Curricula

  A comprehensive and relevant formal and non-formal curricula is the main vehicle in the delivery of holistic health.

• Synergistic Collaborations and Partnerships

  Synergistic collaborations and partnerships with stakeholders supporting schools’ health promoting efforts through the sharing of expertise and resources.

Why introduce the Holistic Health Framework

The HHF was introduced to broaden health promotion of schools beyond obesity and fitness management by embracing the total well-being for student and developing their intrinsic motivation to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Is the Trim and Fit (TAF) Programme scrapped?

The Trim and Fit (TAF) Programme aims to enable all students to achieve ideal weight. With the introduction of HHF, schools would continue to assist overweight and underweight students with their weight management programmes as well as to provide for students with ideal weight to keep fit. This focus on managing weight and fitness levels have been broaden to include the other areas in physical health as well as mental and social health. Besides looking after the total well-being of the students, schools are advised to follow the other two guiding principles of HHF: Inclusion and Quality Delivery. Schools are also encouraged to change the name of their weight management programmes from TAF to something more interesting to denote this change in focus.

Resources for Weight Management

• Is your child overweight?
• What’s wrong with being overweight?
• Why be trim and fit?
• Find out how much weight he has to lose
• The right amount of food
• Develop healthy eating habits
• Choose healthy snacks
• Cooking with less fat
• Healthier cooking methods
• Eating out
• Making healthier food choices
• Make exercise a daily activity
• Safety tips
• How parents can help
• Nutrition tables
• Weight for height table for boys
• Weight for height table for girls