Child and Adolescent Health Policy in the National Statutory Plans

Abstract

In this article, I examined a total of nine national statutory plans that address, either directly or indirectly, health issues concerning school-age children and adolescents. The results show that health policy measures for children and adolescents are primarily focused on preventive health care, healthy lifestyles, and mental health. In contrast, there are insufficient policy measures for the treatment, support, and rehabilitation of children with illnesses or disabilities. Health promotion support for children and adolescents is generally provided universally within schools, but only a small number of programs minister to the needs of children and adolescents from vulnerable socioeconomic backgrounds or those with health vulnerabilities. Support provided for out-of-school adolescents is also found to be insufficient. Furthermore, there is a need for improved coordination among the policies outlined in these statutory plans, as some of them are similar and overlapping.