The MTA-ELTE TK School and Health Research Group began its operation on 1 September 2025, funded through the Public Education Development Research Programme of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

The main objective of the research is to examine how schoolchildren’s mental and physical health is related to their health literacy and health behaviour, and what mediating role the school plays in these relationships. Studies examining the links between students’ mental strain and health problems on the one hand, and their health-related knowledge and health behaviour on the other, are rare not only in Hungary but internationally as well. Our research pays particular attention to the mechanisms through which the school environment – including the curriculum, teaching methods, support from teachers and peers, and educational inequalities – shapes students’ health literacy and health behaviour, and, through these, their mental and physical health. We expect our findings to provide useful information for students, teachers, professionals and parents in developing health awareness. At the policy and economic level, they will provide a basis for designing comprehensive school health education programmes and public policies that may contribute in the long run to a more effective public health and education system.

The research group is led by Dr. Ágnes Győri.