Welcome to the Health Education component of
Coordinated School Health. In this section you will find health
education standards, a list of health education resource centers
and a resources and information list.
Health education is a planned, sequential, pre K-12 curriculum
and program that addresses the physical, mental and emotional,
and social dimensions of health. The activities of the curriculum
and program are integrated into the daily life of the students
and designed to motivate and assist students to maintain and improve
their health, prevent disease and reduce health-related risk behaviors.
It allows students to develop and demonstrate increasingly sophisticated
health-related knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices. The
curriculum and program include a variety of topics such as personal
health, family health, community health, consumer health, environmental
health, family living, mental and emotional health, injury prevention
and safety, CPR, nutrition, prevention and control of disease and
substance use and abuse. Qualified professionals such as health
educators, teachers, school counselors, school health nurses, registered
dietitians, and community health care professionals provide health
education.
Key Elements of a comprehensive health education program*:
The following are key elements of comprehensive health education,
which itself are part of an overall coordinated school health program:
- A documented, planned, and sequential program of health instruction
for students in grades kindergarten through twelve.
- A curriculum that addresses and integrates education about
a range of categorical health problems and issues at developmentally
appropriate ages.
- Activities that help young people develop the skills they need
to avoid: tobacco use; dietary patterns that contribute to disease;
sedentary lifestyle; sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection,
other STDs and unintended pregnancy; alcohol and other drug use;
and behaviors that result in unintentional and intentional injuries.
- Instruction provided for a prescribed amount of time at each
grade level.
- Management and coordination by an education professional trained
to implement the program.
- Instruction from teachers who are trained to teach the subject.
- Involvement of parents, health professionals, and other concerned
community members.
- Periodic evaluation, updating, and improvement.
*Source: CDC, Coordinated School Health Program, http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/CSHP/comprehensive_ed.htm |
