Health Education in Schools

How Health Education in Schools Prepares Future Generations

When you think back on your health education in school, what kind of memories pop up? Chances are, you are slightly cringing at the images of cursory lessons on sex education and puperty. Providing proper health education in school is imperative in empowering a population of growing young adults. If students don’t get the information they need, then they won’t know how to make sound decisions for themselves and their bodies.

Because kids spend a large chunk of their time in class, it only makes sense to have schools be a place where mental, physical, and emotional health is promoted. Learning about changing bodies shouldn’t be something that causes embarrassment. To prevent ill health in the future, students should be educated about healthy behaviors and life coping skills. Kids who learn about their health become more informed, better communicators, and have a stronger sense of self in adulthood.

For health education to be truly effective, it must be routinely monitored and evaluated for success by a health professional. Teachers must be trained on how to implement a curriculum, along with a minimum number of instruction hours. Health education in schools would ideally cover the following:

Emotional/Mental Health: when/how to seek help, developing coping skills, mind/body connection, emotions, and recognizing potential issues.
Health Nutrition and Exercise: getting moving, providing the body with nutrients, staying hydrated, and relaxation techniques.
Illness/Disease Prevention: general information on health and wellness, in addition to symptoms that warrant seeing a doctor.
Prevention of High-Risk: prevention of violence and aggression, drug/alcohol use, sexually risky behaviors, and when/how to get help.
Family Life and Social Skills: building relationships with others, listening actively, acceptance, inclusion, and healthy dating behaviors.

As a parent, caregiver, school professional, educator, or advocate, you play a role in ensuring growing young adults get proper health education. Every child deserves to feel supported, nurtured, and informed about life to come. If future generations don’t receive the knowledge and guidance they need to be fully-functioning adults, then we aren’t setting them up for success. Proper health education in schools is one of the best things we can do, so that humanity continues to move in the right direction.