Health Education In An Inner-City Catholic Grade School

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to outline the process, content, and evaluation of a 14-week health education program for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in an inner city Catholic grade school who are at risk for multiple health problems. The process includes a needs assessment with findings, followed by construction of an age-appropriate program. A content outline displays the topics and information presented to the students. In conclusion, an evaluation presents the results and effectiveness of the program.

Perception and Needs in Health Education Curriculum Among School Nurses as Health Teachers in Korea

“…Contrary to the United States, all of the health teachers are registered nurses who completed teacher training courses in undergraduate or diploma programs, and these health teachers provide health education in elementary, middle, and high schools across Korea. Legg and Grigoriev (2003) contended that school nurses play a vital role in reducing health disparities and risk for serious illnesses among students by implementing health education programs. However, the SHPPS 2006 revealed that 40.8%, 20.6%, and 18.8% of required health instruction in elementary, middle, and high school levels, respectively, were taught by school nurses in the United States (Kann et al, 2007).…”

“…Efforts to improve effectiveness of health education in middle and high schools are needed using variety of teaching strategies. Previous researchers argued that peer-led sessions are highly beneficial and effective, while group discussions and/or parental involvement are important component of health education, and suggested that communicating the short-term consequences of risky behaviors is critical to elicit motivation for change, since long-term consequences are difficult to visualize (Higgs, Edward, Harbin, & Higgs, 2000; Legg & Grigoriev, 2003). Using peer-led education, previous researchers were successful in promoting the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of high school students regarding viral hepatitis (Acemoglu et al, 2011).…”

An Oral Health Education Program for Latino Immigrant Parents

“…In the evaluation of a school-based health education program targeting at-risk students in the District of Columbia, Legg and Grigoriev (2003) identified parental involvement as the most essential component of a program. Reasons given included parents’ impact on their children’s habits through role-modeling healthy behaviors and supporting the behaviors taught in the health education program.…”

“…The findings indicated that the onetime intervention designed to assist teachers in providing oral health education to students was not effective. Research has shown that reinforcement through multiple exposures to the health message is important for an intervention to be effective (Watson and colleagues, 2001; Legg & Grigoriev, 2003). Therefore, a one-time intervention is not an appropriate method of education when retention of knowledge and change in behavior are the intended goals.…”