Health Education in Schools – My thoughts

Health Education in schools and my thoughts

Our schools need to develop and adopt a comprehensive health program to educate children and parents about health issues like child obesity, type II diabetes, and the health effects of drugs and alcohol.  School policies should aim to create a healthy physical and psychosocial environment for all students and staff, and to make the school a model of best practices for the whole community.

More than ever before, students’ health and well being are influenced by social and behavioral factors. The skills-based approach to health, hygiene and nutrition education focuses on giving them the tools they need to make and carry out positive health decisions.

Quality skills-based health education helps young people acquire the ability to think critically, solve problems and make independent decisions. Skills-based health education contributes to the development of attitudes and values that promote respect for oneself and for others, tolerance of individual differences and strong group cohesion. It promotes good habits like eating healthy, abstinence from drugs and alcohol, and safer driving. Young people who receive quality skills-based health education are more likely to adopt and sustain a healthy lifestyle not only during their school years, but throughout their entire lives.

Knowledge is necessary, but not sufficient, to guarantee healthy behavior in adolescents. Health education that focuses on developing the skills students need to apply what they learn in the classroom to real life situations is the only kind that can ultimately be successful.

School-based health services

Schools should provide, or link students to basic health and nutrition services for a variety of reasons: primarily, of course, because of the negative effect poor health and nutrition have on education outcomes. But schools should also provide them because they are in many ways uniquely qualified to do so.

Schools have unparalleled access to the target group, they are staffed by a skilled workforce, and they tend to be places where the community as a whole comes together. First of all, schools must address problems that are prevalent in and important to the community. Second, they must engage other sectors like healthcare providers, community developers, parent and child welfare groups and other community partners with the expertise and resources to contribute. Finally, they must adopt and follow standard protocols to ensure district-wide success.

While the benefits of education take many years to materialize, the benefits of improving children’s health are immediately apparent to parents and other community members. Where schools are perceived as taking a leadership role in safeguarding the health and well being of children, families and community members will be inspired to collaborate with schools.