Department of Education
Dr. Tim Webb, Commissioner

Last Update: 07/16/2009

Health Education

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