2008 HEALTH COMMITTEE
2008 DIVISION OFFICERS

DSHS ANNOUNCES NEW SCHOOL
HEALTH PROGRAM WEB SITE
As mandated by the 79th legislative session, the Department of State Health Services’ school health program will provide leadership in the support and delivery of coordinated school health programs and school health services.  In support of this charge, the School Health Program announces a new Web site designed to provide schools and the communities they serve with materials, resources and technical support to meet the health services and health education needs of children in a school setting.

The Website has sections on:

District School Health Advisory Councils
Texas school-based health centers
School Health Bulletin and other DSHS
publications
School Nurse Practice information
Coordinated School Health
School health Legislation: 80th session and
current law
Links to TDA Nutrition resources, TEA approved
curriculum, ESC School Health Specialists and
many more state and national resources on all of
the eighth CSH components
And much, much more

Visit the school health program staff page and meet Anita Wheeler, Manager; Ellen Kelsey , Mike Hill, Nancy Eichner and Laurie Anderson available to assist your search for school health resource support.
Check us out at www.dshs.state.tx.us/schoolhealth.

"Eat Smart. Be Active"
"Eat Smart. Be Active" is a new website clearinghouse for tools, resources, and evidence-based approaches to promote healthy eating and physical activity in your Texas community. This web site is an initiative of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Work Group (NUPAWG) at the Texas Department of State Health Services. You'll find tools, resources, best practices, current activities and data from all around our state in three specific areas: schools, worksites, and the community. www.eatsmartbeactive.org


SCHOOL HEALTH INDEX
IS NOW INTERACTIVE & ONLINE

The interactive online version of the School Health Index: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide
(SHI) is now available. This interactive version
will allow you to:
>> Create your own customized SHI
based on health topic(s).
>> Enter your SHI responses online confidentially and save them in your own files. No one but your team members will see your school’s information.
>> See and share your confidential scores, calculated automatically by the SHI program.
>> Print summary reports of your modules.
>> Enter, edit, and print your plans for improvement.
>> Archive older versions & much more!

CLICK HERE for SHI Online!


Awards for Excellence in Texas School Health
Congratulations to the 2007 award recipients!! Please CLICK HERE to view the schools and programs that have been recognized for excellence
by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
To learn more about applying for
Awards for Excellence please CLICK HERE.


Childhood Obesity Study
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care, recently released the results of their
latest study on childhood obesity.
>Study Quick Facts: CLICK HERE
>For the Full Report CLICK HERE


For more Health Education Resources, we have
attached a direct link to the following partners:


American Association for Health Education
www.aahperd.org/aahe/template.cfm 

American School Health Association
www.ashaweb.org 

TEA Health and P.E.
www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/hpe/index.html

Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH)
www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/catch

 Society for Public Health Education
www.sophe.org 

Texas Action for Healthy Kids Alliance
www.actionforhealthykids.org

Texas Association for School-Based Health Centers
www.tasbhc.org

 Texas Association for School Nutrition
www.tsfsa.org

 Texas Department of Agriculture
www.agr.state.tx.us

 Texas Elementary Principals & Supervisors Assoc.
www.tepsa.org/index.html 

Texas School Health Association
www.txschoolhealth.org

 The Great Body Shop
www.thegreatbodyshop.com

POSITION STATEMENT ON
SCHOOL HEALTH
EDUCATION


SCHOOL HEALTH EDUCATION is more important today than at any time in the history of our nation. Mortality and morbidity rates show clearly that health problems are reaching our youth in increasing numbers. Among youth and young adults, only four causes account for nearly three-quarters of all mortality and a great amount of morbidity and social problems. Motor vehicle crashes cause 29% of all deaths among this age group (40% of these are alcohol related), homicide causes 20%, suicide causes 12%, and other injuries (such as from falls, fires, drownings) cause 11%. Although not characterized in these mortality statistics, every year nearly one quarter of all new HIV infections, one quarter of all new infections with other sexually transmitted diseases, and nearly one million pregnancies occur among our nation's teenagers. New Texas statistics show that 22% of 4th graders, 19% of 8th graders, and 16% of 11th graders are overweight to obese and Type II Diabetes virtually unheard of in children 10 years ago is appearing in children as young as 5 years old. This new epidemic of obesity and physical inactivity as declared by the U.S. Surgeon General, sets up today’s youth for severe chronic disease as adults and our nation at risk for financial ruin in the wake of the medical costs from the casualties of this social war.

School health education represents one broad scale effort our state can make for improving the health of Texas youth. However, in order to be successful, the curriculum must be comprehensive and coordinated. Comprehensive School Health Education is about teaching children how to make healthy choices. Whereas, Coordinated School Health is about surrounding them with healthy choices. Comprehensive School Health Education includes the development, delivery, and evaluation of a planned instructional program and other activities for students, their parents and the school staff. It is designed to influence the health knowledge, attitudes, and skills of these individuals. The health education curriculum involves the identification of specific components for the health education classroom describing content, learning activities, and evaluation activities; and, the coordination and integration of health content with other subject matter areas. School personnel and curriculum directors working closely with the local School Health Advisory Council should develop the curriculum (see http://www.healthpeced.org for duties of the School Health Advisory Council or http://www.schoolhealth.info for additional information). Those who teach health education should have a genuine interest in the field of health education and have teacher certification in health education.

Comprehensive School Health Education includes: Coordinated School Health includes:
Community Health
Consumer Health
Environmental Health
Family Health
Mental and Emotional Health
Injury Prevention and Safety Nutrition
Personal Health
Prevention and Control of Disease
Substance Use and Abuse
Healthy School Environment
Health Education
Nutrition Services
Physical Education
Health Services
Counseling and Psychological Services
Health Promotion for Staff
Parent/Community Involvement


Resources:
Coordinated School Health
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/cshpdef.htm
Comprehensive School Health Education
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/cshedef.htm
American Cancer Society's Healthy School Health Kids
http://www.schoolhealth.info



POSITION STATEMENTS
ON HEALTH TERMINOLOGY


One of the essential underpinnings of any profession is a body of well-defined terms used to enable members to communicate easily and with the clarity and consistency necessary for understanding among themselves and with others. The following definitions provide a common interpretation of terms frequently used by health educators in a variety of settings. TAHPERD adopts the following definitions:

Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)
An individual who has met required health education training qualifications, successfully passed a competency-based examination administered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentials, Inc., and satisfies the continuing education requirements to maintain the national credential. See http://www.nchec.org for more information about CHES certification.

Community
A collective body of individuals identified by geography, common interests, concerns, characteristics, or values.

Community Health Education
A theory-driven process that promotes health and prevents disease within populations.

Complimentary and Alternative Health Practices
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) covers a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches, and therapies. Generally, it is defined as those treatments and health care practices not taught widely in medical schools, not generally used in hospitals, and not usually reimbursed by medical insurance companies. See http://www.nccam.nih.gov for information about the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Comprehensive School Health Program
The part of the coordinated school health program that includes the development, delivery, and evaluation of planned, sequential, and developmentally appropriate instruction, learning experiences, and other activities designed to protect, promote, and enhance the health literacy, attitudes, skills, and well-being of students, pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The content is derived from the National Health Education Standards. See http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/
about/comprehensive_ed.htm
for more information.

Coordinated School Health Program
An organized set of policies, procedures, and activities that, when properly coordinated; protect, promote, and improve the health and well-being of students and staff, and, improves a student’s ability to learn. It includes, but is not limited to a healthy school environment, health education, nutrition services, physical education, health services, counseling and psychological services, health promotion for staff, and parent/community involvement. See http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/
about/school_health.htm
for more information.

Disease Prevention
The process of reducing risks and alleviating disease to promote, preserve, and restore health and minimize suffering and distress.

Health
Health is a quality of life that is a function of emotional, environmental, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual health.

Health Advocacy
The processes by which the actions of individuals or groups attempt to bring about social and/or organizational change on behalf of a particular health goal, program, interest, or population.

Health Education
Any combination of planned learning experiences based on sound theories that provide individuals, groups, and communities the opportunity to acquire information and the skills needed to make quality health decisions.

Health Educator
A professionally prepared individual who serves in a variety of roles and is specifically trained to use appropriate educational strategies and methods to facilitate the development of policies, procedures, interventions, and system conducive to the health of individuals, groups, and communities. Examples of settings for health education and the application of health include, but are not limited to, the following:
Schools, communities, post-secondary educational institutions, medical care institutions, voluntary health organizations, worksites (business, industry, school), rehabilitation centers, professional associations, governmental agencies, public health agencies, environmental agencies, and mental health agencies. See http://www.hpcareer.net for job postings in health.

Health Literacy
The capacity of an individual to obtain, interpret, and understand basic health information and services and the competence to use such information and services in ways that are health enhancing.

Healthy People 2010
Healthy People 2010 is a document written by health experts that presents a vision to bring improved health to all people in the United States. Meeting the objectives of Healthy People 2010 represents a challenge to put prevention into practice by choosing healthy lifestyle choices. For further information, refer to http://web.health.gov/healthypeople.

Health Promotion
Any planned combination of educational, political, environmental, regulatory, or organizational mechanism that support actions and conditions of living, conducive to the health of individuals, groups, and communities.

Healthy Lifestyle
Patterns of behaviors that maximize one’s quality of life and decrease one’s susceptibility to negative health outcomes.

Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)
A voluntary, task-oriented organization not officially connected to local, state, national or international government.

Prevention
Actions and interventions designed to identify risks and reduce susceptibility or exposure to health threats prior to disease onset (primarily prevention), detect and treat disease in early stages to protect progress recurrence (secondary prevention), and alleviate the effects of disease and injury (tertiary prevention).

Quality of Life
Quality of life reflects a general sense of happiness and satisfaction with our lives and environment. General quality of life encompasses all aspects of life, including health, recreation, culture, rights, values, beliefs, aspirations, and the conditions that support a life containing these elements. Health-related quality of life reflects a personal sense of physical and mental health and the ability to react to factors in the physical and social environments.

Risk Reduction
Actions that can successfully decrease the probability that individuals, groups, or communities will experience disease or debilitating health conditions.

School Health Advisory Council (SHAC)
School health advisory councils can play a major role in assisting school districts to develop effective school health programs. The council members serve as resource consultants to the district, providing expertise from the private sector and input from representatives of public community health agencies. Each school district should establish a SHAC to assist in developing objective policies in accordance with community needs. See www.healthpeced.org for duties of the School Health Advisory Council or http://www.schoolhealth.info for additional information.

School Health Coordinator
A certified or licensed professional at the state, district, or school level who is responsible for managing, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating all school health policies, activities, and resources.

Social Marketing
The consumer-driven application of commercial marketing techniques to the analysis, planning, implementation and evaluation of programs designed to influence positive health behaviors within intended audiences.

Wellness
An approach to health that focuses on balancing the many aspects, or dimensions, of a person’s life through increasing the adoption of health enhancing conditions and behaviors rather that attempting to minimize conditions of illness. An active process whereby individuals make positive choices which affect the quality and quantity of life.
WCopyright © 2008, Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance
z
TAHPERD State Office
7910 Cameron Road
Austin, Texas 78754
Ph: 512.459.1299 - Fax: 512.459.1290