**Background:** Childhood habits often persist into adulthood, making early promotion of healthy behaviors critical. Children's lifestyles are shaped by social, environmental, cultural, and economic determinants. Despite efforts by parents, teachers, and health professionals, unhealthy behaviors and lifestyle-related health problems among children remain a major challenge. This study aimed to explore how parents, community nurses, school teachers, and leisure activity teachers perceive primary school children's health-related lifestyles and their own role in health promotion.
**Methods:** A qualitative descriptive interpretive approach was used. A purposive sample of 20 participants was recruited from a local community in south-western Slovenia, divided into four focus groups: healthcare workers (n=5), primary school teachers (n=5), leisure activity teachers (n=5), and parents (n=5). Participants included 16 women and 4 men, with an average age of 47.8 years and average work experience of 26.1 years. Teachers and nurses required at least 5 years of professional experience. Focus group sessions were conducted in spring 2022 using a semi-structured interview guide based on a literature review. Data were analyzed using Graneheim's qualitative content analysis approach. Trustworthiness was ensured following Lincoln and Guba's standards. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board at University of Primorska.
**Key Results:** Three main themes emerged: (1) Health behaviors, (2) Environmental factors, and (3) Education and empowerment. Under health behaviors, participants reported that children consume unhealthy diets high in fast food and low in vegetables and fruits, with common deficiencies in iron, calcium, and vitamin D. Physical activity levels were perceived as too low, with children spending significant time on sedentary activities like TV, video games, and computers. Sedentary behavior was seen as a growing problem contributing to obesity and cardiovascular risk. Mental health stressors included learning pressures, social isolation, and family problems, with self-esteem negatively affected by social media. Risk behaviors identified included alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, provocative clothing, and various forms of violence including cyber harassment and physical aggression. Under environmental factors, peer influence was substantial, with children imitating risky behaviors. Family dynamics and socioeconomic status played critical roles—low-income families had more limited access to healthy food, safe neighborhoods, and quality healthcare. Barriers to healthy behaviors included lack of time, conflicting priorities, limited access to healthy foods, neighborhood safety concerns, and overuse of modern technology. Under education and empowerment, participants stressed that health literacy and integrating health education into the school curriculum are key to promoting behavioral change. Teachers were seen as lacking necessary knowledge and skills, relying heavily on online resources, and participants felt nurses should take a more active role in school health education.
**Clinical Implications:** The study highlights the urgent need for integrated health education in primary school curricula and adequate training for school staff and parents. Schools are viewed as an appropriate setting for health promotion due to the time children spend there and their educational role. Collaboration among parents, teachers, leisure activity teachers, and health professionals is essential to create a supportive environment that promotes healthy behaviors. Health professionals should become more actively involved in schools through health promotion and education content. The findings can serve as a foundation for developing individualized, evidence-based models of health promotion at the local level. Limitations include the inability to generalize beyond the study's sample, potential subjective influences of the researcher, and the geographically limited rural area context.