In many European and extra European countries behaviours at risk for health, concerning drug, abuse of alcohol, smoke are very diffused also among young people. Other emerging risks to health are constituted by the fashion of piercing and tattoo, habits very popular among the young, due perhaps to the desire to get in view, to be visible (piercing and tattoo). We quote the issues of investigations carried out in Italy (Ponzo, E., Genovese, D., 2009; Passera, O., 2005; Siliquini, R., Faggiano, F., Geninatti, S. et al., 2001) showing a diffusion of behaviours concerning drug, alcohol, piercing, tattoo among teenagers which do not have any perception of risks and damages that their bad habits cause to their physical and/or psychological health. Such data are worrying and impose a reflection about messages that the young receive and about the need of education in order to build suitable attitudes and criticism. Education to health should not become a new discipline; it should involve each teacher. It concerns body and mind and should be approached in a holistic way. We stress the importance of science knowledge to understand the complexity of the human being, the relationships between man and environment, affecting health and wellbeing, to develop a critical thinking. In fact that is the main instrument to reject bad models, misleading messages and to develop one’s own lifestyle, self-esteem, logical skills. Our researches indicate that health education should begin in early age and continue along school life. Moreover we underline that the best results are obtained when children/students are protagonist and feel that teachers and community are interested in protecting their health and when a collaborative partnership between teachers and researchers is set up. Such partnership implies that knowledge should be built together and the flow of information should be two way: researchers-teachers and teachers-researchers. In such manner both teachers and researchers learn from each other and the activities designed for pupils/students as results of a collaborative team sharing objectives, language and theoretical frame are more effective. In the paper we discuss: • the role of partnership, involving school and university • the role of families and community we present two examples of school activities and we remark the need of initial and in-service teachers' training to cope, at the best, with children' and adolescents' problems. Theoretical references: action research, reflective practice, social constructivism.

Methodology. Various methodologies have been used: inquiries, interviews, experimental work . Sources used: official data and issues of scientific investigations

As behavioural effect sizes are largest for interventions with a social reinforcement orientation and as behavioural effect represent the fundamental objective of health education, we expect that school-based programs should consider adopting interventions with a social reinforcement or development orientation.