Abstract
In providing a place where children can be accessed, the school has long been a site for population level health initiatives. Recent policy shifts towards health-promoting schools have re-cast the school from passive host to active collaborator in public health.This paper examines secondary school teachers’ views of their roles as partners in Scotland’s human papilloma virus vaccination programme. Focus groups were held in seven schools across Scotland. Confusion was evident in relation to this role, withcompeting understandings of young women’s sexuality, concerns about parental perceptions and uncertainty about professional responsibilities. Many teachers sought to distance themselves from the vaccination programme. Evidence was found of a ‘sedimentation of discourses’, as mass models of state-sanctioned health intervention persist alongside contemporary discourses of individual choice.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 82-95 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Sex Education |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 8 May 2012 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2013 |
Keywords
- HPV vaccination
- schools
- teachers
- sexual health