Projects of the Pediatric and Adolescent Health Department
Our focus on innovation and quality drives us to initiate new projects and review our existing offerings and services.
Second generation
Switzerland is home to many young people whose both parents, or one of them, immigrated from another country. These children of immigrants, often referred to as “second-generation” youth, have a multicultural upbringing and are exposed to multiple languages. The path to adulthood can be more demanding for them than for their peers. This was demonstrated through research conducted by the Zug Office of Public Health and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in collaboration with second-generation youth from the canton of Zug. According to this research, these young people may face challenges such as racism, discrimination, or a lack of support in school. For more information, please see the detailed reports.
Report on the research phase
To help second-generation young people overcome these and other challenges, strengthen their resources and promote their mental health, the Office of Public Health aims to develop a range of support services based on the research findings from the first phase. This is also partly done together with young people - by young people for young people. This has resulted in three ideas that have been developed by the young people and young adults of the second generation. Their experiences and insights have been incorporated into the development and form the basis for an offer that meets the needs of the target group. The opinions of those affected will continue to be sought on a selective basis for further implementation.
Following completion of the participatory phase, in which the teenagers and young adults developed three ideas, the project is now in the implementation phase.
Feel free to contact Manuela Müller in case of questions at manuela.mueller2@zg.ch.
Bullying
How effective are bullying prevention measures in Zug's schools?
We are trying to answer this question in collaboration with the School Psychological Service. To start with, we want to find out how well are schools equipped to handle bullying, and identify the necessary support services. We plan to do this by consulting specialists and employees from various departments in Zug, and by conducting a survey of school social workers, headteachers and teachers.
Based on our findings, we will plan future measures and adapt our resources to meet the needs of schools. In this process, it is very important for us to involve the school staff and gain their experience and expertise from the outset.
Bullying is a particular challenge for schools that has always existed and has taken on a new quality and explosiveness through digital communication with cyberbullying.
The final report provides an overview of the results of the survey of school social workers, head teachers and teachers in the canton of Zug.
Results in the concluding report (in German only)
A document on this topic is currently being elaborated in a working group.
Evaluation workshop ‘Internet & Sexuality’
Our workshop, ‘Internet & Sexuality’, is a school-level program aimed at educating young people about responsible online behavior and raising awareness about risks associated with sexuality on the internet. The following report analyzes the workshop's impact on participants and their intentions for future online behavior.
The ‘Internet & Sexuality’ workshop aims to raise awareness on risks associated with sexuality on the internet, while promoting responsible online behavior. The following report evaluates whether the workshop achieves its intended purpose and if it causes young people to change their intentions for future online behavior.
Report ‘Effectiveness of the ‘Internet & Sexuality’ prevention workshop’
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Evaluating school medical examinations
After the reorganization of the School Medical Service, the medical introductory session implemented five years ago was evaluated in the 2020/2021 school year. The Institute of Primary Care (IHAMZ) at the University of Zurich was tasked by the Office of Public Health to assess the quality of the school medical introductory session and its impact on the school medical consultations. The perspectives shared by students and school doctors were especially noteworthy.
This evaluation conducted by IHAMZ yielded highly positive findings. The comprehensive study effectively conveyed views of young people and showed that they are already benefiting from the school medical check-ups. Valuable suggestions for improving the existing process will be considered by the Office of Public Health and subsequently implemented. A summary report outlines the key findings of the evaluation. For additional facts and figures see the detailed IHAMZ report.
This evaluation provides crucial information for promoting health and preventing illnesses.
Youth research project ‘How’s your mental health?’
What do young people do to take care of their mental health?
We conducted a participatory research project with 14- to 18-year-olds in Zug to answer this question.
The ‘How’s your mental health?’ campaign and the workshop ‘Is everything all right? Stay happy and healthy - this is how you can do it!’ are designed to sensitize young people to the topic of mental health.
The project resulted in the scientific article by Pfister et al. (2021) on participatory service development published in the magazine Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention (Springer Verlag).
Article: Pfister et al. (2021). Partizipative Angebotsentwicklung in einem Amt für Gesundheit, Springer Verlag (in German only)
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Detailed information on the workshop ‘Is everything all right? Stay happy and healthy - this is how you can do it!’ can be found here: