Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42030489›Full record

ArticleJMIR research protocols2026

Evaluation of School Health Policies and Practices in Brazil and Portugal: Protocol for Mixed Methods Research.

Bruna Hinnah Borges Martins de Freitas, Eliane Tatsch Neves, Manuela Costa Melo, Marília Cordeiro de Sousa, Andrea Moreira Arrué, Mariana Matias Santos, Luciana Pedrosa Leal, Maria Angélica Marcheti, Juliano Bortolini, Maria Aparecida Munhoz Gaíva and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR research protocols, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Bruna Hinnah Borges Martins de Freitas *Faculty of Nursing, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-6652-593X
Eliane Tatsch Neves *Department of Nursing, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-1559-9533
Manuela Costa MeloDepartment of Nursing, School of Public Health of the Federal District, Brasilia, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-2018-1801
Marília Cordeiro de SousaDepartment of Nursing, Alfredo Nasser University Center, Goiana, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0001-8958-2446
Andrea Moreira ArruéPostgraduate Program in Biomedical Engineering (PPGEB)-Federal University of Technology Paraná (UTFPR), Federal Institute of Paraná (IFPR), Curitiba, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0001-5391-324X
Mariana Matias SantosDepartment of Nursing, Federal University of Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 844-900 - Cidade Universitária, Recife - PE, CEP 50670-420, Pernambuco, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-4539-4707
Luciana Pedrosa LealDepartment of Nursing, Federal University of Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 844-900 - Cidade Universitária, Recife - PE, CEP 50670-420, Pernambuco, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0003-3776-0997
Maria Angélica MarchetiIntegrated Institute of Health, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-1195-5465
Juliano BortoliniDepartment of Statistics, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0003-0126-3040
Maria Aparecida Munhoz GaívaFaculty of Nursing, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-8666-9738
Carolina Miguel da Graça HenriquesUICISA:E, ciTechcare, School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic University of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-0904-8057
Maria do Céu Coelho Monteiro PiresPortuguese Red Cross School of Health, Lisbon, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-2840-7331
Eva Patrícia da Silva Guilherme MeninoUICISA:E, ciTechcare, School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic University of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-6761-9364

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: School health policies and practices are key components of health promotion for children and adolescents and play a central role in shaping healthy school environments, reducing health inequities, and fostering intersectoral collaboration between education and health systems. Despite their relevance, systematic and comparable assessments of how these policies and practices are implemented across different national contexts remain limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Internationally comparable data are essential to identify strengths, gaps, and priorities for investment in school health. Objective: The aim of this study is to describe the protocol of a mixed methods study evaluating and comparing school health policies and practices in Brazil and Portugal. Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed methods design (QUAN → qual → [qual] → [qual]) will be adopted. The quantitative phase (phase I) consists of a cross-sectional survey conducted with school administrators using the Global School Health Policies and Practices Survey, which assesses multiple domains of school health policies, coordination, services, and practices. Quantitative findings will inform the subsequent qualitative phases. Phase II involves semistructured interviews with school principals or head teachers to explore institutional decision-making and policy implementation. Phase III includes interviews with school nurses to examine health service organization, intersectoral collaboration, and professional practices. Phase IV comprises participatory research with adolescents using the photovoice technique to capture youths' perspectives on school health environments and practices. The study will be conducted in elementary and secondary schools and related health services in selected cities in Brazil and Portugal. Data integration will occur sequentially through connected analyses and joint displays, enabling the development of meta-inferences that link quantitative patterns with qualitative explanations. Results: The study has secured funding from 2 funding agencies, with project activities initiated in 2025. Quantitative data collection and analysis began in October 2025 in the city of Cuiabá, Brazil. The expansion of data collection to additional Brazilian and Portuguese cities is planned for the first half of 2026. The qualitative phases, including interviews and photovoice activities, are scheduled to take place throughout 2026. The final integrated mixed methods analysis and manuscript preparation are planned for 2027, with dissemination of findings through peer-reviewed journals and national and international scientific conferences by the end of the project cycle. Conclusions: This study is expected to generate context-sensitive and comparative evidence to support intersectoral actions and inform the development and strengthening of school health promotion policies and practices in different national settings.

Indexed as

Health PolicySchool Health ServicesBrazilCross-Sectional StudiesHumansPortugalResearch DesignSchoolsadolescent healthhealth plans and programsprogram evaluationprotocolsschool health services

Identifiers

PMID42030489
PMCPMC13108841

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