Improving Schools, Improving School Health Education, Improving Public Health: The Role of SOPHE Members

Abstract

The reciprocal relationship between health and education has garnered increased attention among public health professionals. The evidence is clear that the level of an individual's education is related to health outcomes in adulthood and that healthier children are more likely to be academically successful than those with health issues. Unpacking and examining various aspects of this relationship is the focus of my 2017 SOHE Presidential Address. The three specific purposes of the presentation are to (a) understand the reciprocal relationship between education and health, (b) understand the characteristics of quality schools and quality school health education, and (c) to review strategies designed to activate school improvement as a public health strategy. In order to examine the relationship, I will address the relationship of social determinants and social justice to the quality of education with special attention to the impact of poverty. In addition, I will present possible reasons behind the linkage of higher educational attainment to better health outcomes, and the impact of health challenges on academic success for school-age children and youth. Finally, I will present characteristics of quality schools including considerations related to quality school health education programs. I conclude the presentation by presenting 11 specific actions for school improvement for consideration by SOPHE members and other public health professionals.

Addressing Challenges to the Reliable, Large-Scale Implementation of Effective School Health Education

“…The importance of containing health care costs (Leimbigler & Lammert, 2016), the public’s increasing interest in health information (Anker et al, 2011), and historically high levels of parental support for school-based health education (Birch, 2017) provide compelling confirmation of the importance of resourcing school health education. As evidenced by health education being legitimized for the first time in federal law through the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015), this narrative is gaining traction.…”

“…Finally, many academic subject areas also benefit from the coordinated efforts of national professional, philanthropic, and business advocacy groups that assume primary responsibility for generating, sustaining, and leveraging public support for specific school subjects; for example, the Arts or STEM education. Successful national advocacy organizations can channel the voices, energy, support of professionals, parents, community members, and highly credible and influential nongovernmental organizations (Birch, 2017; Birch, Priest, & Mitchell, 2015; SOPHE, 2019). Importantly, these types of supporters can join and reinforce our core national advocacy organization(s)’ pursuit of clear, unified message delivery and system-level accountability.…”

“…The value of teaching preK-12 students the knowledge and skills needed for healthy living has long been recognized (Birch, 2017; Pollock, 1987), and leaders in both public and school health education have long emphasized the role school health education should play in ensuring a healthy and health literate population (Birch, 2017). In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ASCD, an education professional organization, collaboratively developed the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) framework for promoting health and academic success for school-age students.…”

Public Health and School Health Education: Aligning Forces for Change

“…Recognizing the need to expand and improve the quality of school health education, in 2016 SOPHE convened the National Committee on the Future of School Health Education (Birch, 2017). This committee includes a diverse roster of school administrators, public school health education teachers, state department of education and health education directors, university faculty members, and other school health education leaders and stakeholders.…”

papel das mídias digitais e da literacia digital na educação não-formal em saúde

“…A relação recíproca entre educação e saúde baseia-se nas evidências de que o nível de educação de um indivíduo está relacionado aos resultados de sua saúde na idade adulta. Na mesma perspectiva, crianças mais saudáveis têm maior probabilidade de serem mais destacadas academicamente do que aquelas que apresentam problemas de saúde (BIRCH, 2017). Com embasamento nessa premissa, políticas públicas que fortaleçam programas e estratégias voltados para educação em saúde são importantes para melhoria da qualidade de vida da população (TENGLAND, 2016).…”