In the United States, the prevailing view of health, including the design of the U.S. healthcare system, has historically posited that to improve health one must focus on better understanding what causes poor health or disease. This emphasis on disease reduction or risk prevention, also known as a pathogenic approach to health. This article…

The release of the 2024 SHAPE America National Health Education Standards provides an updated take on the learning standards used to teach students how to become healthy and well. In this revision, the standards emphasize both individual and collective health and well-being; greater inclusion of strengths, assets, and opportunities to practice and…

By integrating Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (MI theory) into health and wellness education, we can honor student uniqueness, promote inclusivity in the learning space, and increase the adoption of positive health behaviors. The MI theory proposes that every individual possesses unique strengths and weaknesses for learning that…

Research shows children with poor oral health are nearly three times more likely to miss school than their healthier peers which can lead to lower academic performance and ability to succeed in school. Furthermore, poor oral health remains one of the top reasons why California students miss school, resulting in a loss of $28 million per year to…

Objectives: Since the 1990s, cultural competence and cultural humility have been advanced across health disciplines, including health education and promotion, as approaches to use to address the health needs of increasingly diverse populations, reduce persistent health disparities and promote health and health equity. While these terms are…

"I got the vaccine, and it gave me COVID!" said the elderly woman who was vaccinated the day prior to her emergency department visit. A woman in her 50s, sitting at the bedside of her husband who is profoundly short of breath and barely able to speak due to COVID, states that neither of them will ever get vaccinated because "We…

Health campaigns have long been viewed from a transmissive lens. That is, typically campaigns assume that medical experts, government officials, and nonprofit organizations have information about some form of care, prevention, or cure, which is then disseminated to those in need of their direction. Health communication scholars have started to…

College health promotion departments frequently employ peer health educators to disseminate relevant education and conduct outreach to their student body. While there are certainly benefits to these programs, this approach is outdated and does little to empower students or engage them in the process of health promotion. In this viewpoint article,…

The association between the health of children and adolescents with their academic success is gaining more attention nationally. Consequently, the United States federal government has enacted policies to support environmental health improvement in schools, while health- and education-focused organizations have partnered to offer guidance in…

Each August, prior to going back to school, all school-age students and their parents in the southeast Ohio community served by the Gallia County Health Department have an opportunity to visit the county health fair. This program, which draws 350 to 400 people each year, is a collaborative effort of the county health department, job and family…

Despite the often-crucial roles played by music within theatre-based public health promotion strategies, theoretical explorations regarding music within applied theatre literatures remain largely underdeveloped. This article highlights musicking -- a reconceptualization of music from an object to a participatory act that can profoundly influence…

Healthy People 2030 has expressed the need for increased organizational health literacy. In order to support this growing effort, the Institute for Healthcare Advancement has developed 2 resources to help support health education professional development: (1) The Health Literacy Specialist Certificate Program as a rigorously designed professional…

Obtaining adequate information using digital technology or online communities has become more prevalent during the COIVD-19 pandemic. Therefore, understanding collected resources and information plays a significant role in the ability of older adults to cope with the adversities during the pandemic. On the one hand, older adults are exposed to…

Typical health lessons are taught in a classroom setting, where students sit in their chairs and passively receive information. This instructional method may not be the optimal approach, as Ratey discovered in his famous experiment that the human brain is more aroused when the body is physically and actively engaged in the learning environment.…

With the continued push by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to build healthy K-12 campuses, it is important to find ways to prepare preservice physical education teachers to successfully contribute to these whole-school models. This article shares the first-hand experience of an…