The Co-production of Pupils in the Health Promoting Schools Programmes – A Cross-sectional Survey Study in Polish Primary and Secondary Schools

The concept of Health Promoting Schools (HPS) aims to cause the desired changes in the health of the whole school community. Simultaneously, pupils are among the most important actors in the school setting. The successful implementation of the HPS idea depends on pupils’ active participation and contribution – which can be considered in the context of co-production services. It is based on the assumption that the effectiveness of services depends on broad involvement and appropriate contribution to their implementation not only by the organisers, but also by the direct recipients. Co-production can also develop in other phases: shaping the value chain, service planning, design, launch, management, delivery, monitoring and evaluation. Therefore, co-production builds support for planned interventions and creates a sense of co-responsibility among people involved in its development. Interventions that encourage stakeholder co-production are increasing, particularly in schools. The article discusses quantitative research results conducted among 500 school coordinators of HPS Programs implemented in Polish primary and secondary schools belonging to the HPS Network. So far, no research has been done in Poland on students’ co-productive behaviour as part of HPS programmes. Therefore, this article shows the potential of co-production approaches to promote health in Polish schools more effectively.