A year-long health education programme across fifteen schools in Haryana, Delhi, and Chandigarh recorded a 32-percentage-point increase in students' health knowledge, though findings show that better knowledge does not always translate into behavioral changes, particularly in private institutions

A year-long health education programme across fifteen schools in Haryana, Delhi, and Chandigarh recorded a 32-percentage-point increase in students' health knowledge, though findings show that better knowledge does not always translate into behavioral changes, particularly in private institutions

A year-long health education programme across fifteen schools in Haryana, Delhi, and Chandigarh recorded a 32-percentage-point increase in students' health knowledge, though findings show that better knowledge does not always translate into behavioral changes, particularly in private institutions

A year-long school health education programme across 15 schools in Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh has recorded a 32-percentage-point rise in students’ health knowledge, highlighting the potential of structured classroom learning to improve children’s understanding of healthy habits. However, the findings also show that better knowledge does not necessarily translate into behavioural change, particularly in private schools.

According to Tarang Health Alliance’s 2025–26 impact report, average health knowledge scores among 1,513 Class VI students rose from 42.87 per cent to 75.06 per cent following the programme. Average health behaviour scores also increased, from 0.77 to 0.88 on a scale where one represents the most desirable behaviour and zero the least desirable.

“Health education needs to go beyond awareness and equip children with the knowledge and skills to make healthier choices in their everyday lives,” said Dr Rahul Mehra, PhD, Executive Chairman of Tarang Health Alliance.

“Our findings highlight the potential of a structured, school-based approach, supported by trained and motivated teachers, to strengthen health literacy among children,” he added.

The evaluation covered 12 government schools in Haryana and three private schools in Delhi and Chandigarh. While knowledge scores improved across all 15 schools, the report found differences in behavioural outcomes between the two categories of institutions.

Government school students recorded a sharper improvement in health knowledge, with average scores rising from 35.72 per cent to 80 per cent. Their health behaviour scores increased from 0.75 to 0.91, with both improvements found to be statistically significant.

In private schools, knowledge scores rose from 55.70 per cent to 65.65 per cent. However, the average health behaviour score remained unchanged at 0.84. The report noted that behavioural scores did not show a statistically significant improvement across the three private schools.

The differences in programme delivery and teacher support offer possible explanations for the contrasting outcomes. In government schools, Tarang Health Alliance employed teachers specifically to deliver the health curriculum and provided continued mentoring through staff meetings during the academic year. In private schools, designated schoolteachers, typically science teachers, delivered the programme alongside their other teaching responsibilities and did not participate in the same mentoring meetings.

Parent engagement also varied. Government schools conducted an average of 2.8 parent sessions during the year, compared with 1.7 in private schools. However, the report cautioned that these factors are hypotheses rather than established causes of the differences.

The programme used a curriculum and student workbooks titled 'On the Way to Being Healthy'. Students attended two 40-minute health education sessions each week, while teachers received eight hours of training before the programme began, covering the curriculum and inquiry-based teaching methods. Schools were encouraged to conduct four parent sessions focusing on nutrition, hygiene and other health-related topics.

To evaluate the impact, students completed knowledge and behaviour questionnaires before the first class and after the final class of the academic year. The analysis included 1,028 government school students and 485 private school students.

The findings underline a central challenge for school health education: translating information into everyday practice. As the report observed, “improvements in health knowledge may not automatically translate into changes in behaviour.”

It suggested that reinforcement through teaching, opportunities to practise healthy habits, and sustained engagement with students and families may help bridge this gap.

For schools and policymakers, the report argues that health education must extend beyond classroom lessons. Regular instruction, continued teacher support and meaningful parental involvement could help children apply what they learn about hand hygiene, balanced nutrition and physical activity. The report also called for further evaluation to establish whether improvements in students’ health knowledge and behaviour are sustained over the long term.

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