The data collection round of the biennial School Health Promotion study will take place in March–April in the form of a questionnaire. The study is carried out every other year by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, THL. The School Health Promotion study provides comprehensive data on the well-being, health, school attendance and studies, participation and access to help and services of children and young people.
Head of the City of Helsinki Education Division Satu Järvenkallas encourages everyone who receives the questionnaire to respond to it.
"The results of the School Health Promotion study are widely monitored and used both by the Education Division and more widely by the City and nationwide. The study provides valuable information on the well-being, health, school attendance and studies, participation and access to help and services of our learners. We use this information to develop our operations – that is why it is important that we achieve as high a response rate as possible in the study", Järvenkallas says.
Questionnaire shortened
Pupils and students respond to the electronic questionnaire independently and anonymously. Teachers arrange for the questionnaire to be answered during the lesson at a suitable time. The questionnaire can be responded to in various languages.
This year, the questionnaire is significantly shorter than before, and children's and young people's literacy challenges have been taken into consideration. The response time has been tested in advance, with more than 90% of children and young people completing the questionnaire in less than half an hour.
Respondents and schedule
• 4th and 5th grade pupils in comprehensive schools: 3–31 March 2025
• 8th and 9th grade pupils in comprehensive schools: 1–30 April 2025
• 1st and 2nd year students in general upper secondary schools: 1–30 April 2025
• 1st and 2nd year students in vocational institutions: 3 March–30 April 2025.
In vocational institutions, the questionnaire is responded to by students studying for an initial vocational qualification and students in Preparatory education for an upper secondary qualification (TUVA).
Results to be ready in the autumn
The School Health Promotion study is an important tool, an indicator for monitoring the health and well-being of children and young people in Helsinki. The study provides data from different districts in Helsinki and on a school-specific basis.
The municipality-specific results of the study will be ready in September 2025, as will the school-specific results. Schools and educational institutions will have access to their own results to develop their operations. In addition to this, schools and educational institutions will receive the average data for Helsinki to compare their own results.
The City of Helsinki makes comprehensive use of the results of the School Health Promotion study to promote well-being: many development measures are based on the data obtained from the study.
