Health promotion, health promoting school and social inequality

Health promotion should consider social equality more strongly in order to maintain its credibility. The school is an appropriate setting for such interventions. Social-epidemiological studies prove that the school setting has a great homogenising influence. Because of its education programmes it also reaches fringe groups. Experiences from two German pilot projects on Health Promoting Schools offer concepts which can be effectively used for these interventions. It is recommended that interventions take place on different levels (school level, curriculum, teacher in-service training, political level), so the HPS can completely unfold its influence. The chance for realisation is seen in limiting the orientation to different life domains and basic principles of education. The more critical processes of changing of society and the growing pressure in schools are seen as risk factors for a healthy balance of the school and for the students as well as teachers.