D5.01 - Deep Dive: Applying National Health Education Standards to Child/Adolescent Health Education Initiatives: Guidance for Public Health Educators

Brief Abstract Summary: Gain insight regarding the application of tools from the National Health Consensus for School Health Education (NCSHE) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for designing health education for children and adolescents in school and community settings. These tools in the National Health Education Standards: Model Guidance for Curriculum and Instruction (3rd Edition) (NCSHE, 2022), Teaching Standards-Based Health Education (NCSHE, 2024), Characteristics of an Effective Health Education Curricula (CDC, 2017), and the Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (CDC, 2021). Discover strategies for enabling youth to develop functional health knowledge and apply health skills to engage in healthy behaviors.

Detailed abstract description: The National Consensus for School Health Education (NCSHE) is a collaborative initiative of major health education organizations including the Society for Public Health Education. NCSHE is focused on disseminating the third edition of the National Health Education Standards (NHES) by engaging and supporting health educators in use of the NHES. This dissemination effort, however, has revealed a notable gap in the awareness and application of the NHES and related resources among health educators, particularly those trained in public/community health. This presentation emanated from input provided by public health educators seeking more training related to the teaching of functional health knowledge and skills.
With academic programs for public school health educators becoming increasingly scarce, the responsibility for providing health education to school-aged youth is likely to fall more heavily on individuals from public health backgrounds. Although public health is a practical field that demands hands-on experience, many academic programs in this area lack sufficient opportunities for training related to the NHES and the application to health education programs for children and adolescents. In this session, presenters will emphasize the importance of standards-based instruction in fostering healthy behaviors and discuss the crucial role played by community and public health educators in promoting health among school-age youth. Attendees will receive guidance on utilizing NHES to design effective learning experiences aimed at encouraging healthy behaviors among young people. Additionally, participants will receive information about valuable cost-free resources from the NCSHE (e.g. Teaching Standards-Based Health Education) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (e.g., Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool [HECAT] 2021) for developing tailored educational materials for their respective settings. The session will also feature a moderated question and answer segment to address any inquiries from participants.