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New Partners,
New Tools, New Possibilities: Views From the Fields of Education and Public
Health
Michael Schmoyer,
PhD, MSEd, CHES
Suggested citation for this article: Schmoyer M. New partners,
new tools, new possibilities: views from the fields of education and public
health. Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2007 Jul [date cited]. Available
from: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/
jul/07_0004.htm.
School-based programs
should be a key component of a comprehensive community health promotion
agenda. Youth who are ill, are physically inactive, use tobacco, or use
other drugs are unlikely to succeed in school. Furthermore, the burden
that chronic diseases place on our nation’s medical and economic
systems will likely worsen unless we in public health are able to prevent
the risk among our young people (1). Our nation’s 121,000 schools
can play a critically important role in improving the health of children
and adolescents. School-based health promotion programs also can have
a positive impact on the academic performance, quality of life, and economic
productivity of students (2).
The Division of Adult
and Community Health (DACH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) recently brought together 25 individuals as the National Expert
Panel on Community Health Promotion to get their recommendations on enhancing
community health promotion (3). At least two recommendations are relevant
for school health programs: 1) build capacity for community health promotion,
and 2) promote training and capacity building that give the public health
workforce the knowledge, skills, and tools to implement effective community
health promotion approaches.
CDC currently funds
state education and health agencies, large urban school districts, and
national nongovernmental organizations to build the capacity of schools
to implement effective health promotion policies and programs. These programs
address priority health risks among youth, including tobacco use, poor
nutrition, physical inactivity, obesity, and human immunodeficiency virus
infection and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Through CDC’s
collaborations (both funded and nonfunded) with schools and their partners,
many capacity-building projects have been successfully implemented. CDC
has a system of professional development and training that works with
national nongovernmental partners to provide technical assistance and
resources to state education and health agencies. These agencies assist
large urban districts in establishing effective coordinated school health
programs. In turn, school districts work with their schools to strengthen
their capacity for improving the delivery, effectiveness, and sustainability
of disease prevention and health promotion programs for youth. Mechanisms
for capacity building have included training, peer-to-peer learning, consulting
on technology skills, and building evaluation skills.
CDC also has developed
a number of evidence-based tools that the public health workforce can
use to implement effective community health promotion approaches in schools.
Each tool builds on the recommendations found in CDC guidelines for school
health programs, which are developed based on a rigorous review of evaluations
of school-based health promotion interventions and input from a broad
cross section of researchers and practitioners. CDC’s school health
promotion tools include the School Health Index: A Self-Assessment and
Planning Guide; Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn: A School Health Policy
Guide; and Making It Happen: School Nutrition Success Stories (4). These
user-friendly tools can be used effectively by public health professionals,
educators, and parent and community volunteers. They have been used by
thousands of schools across the nation.
The key to the success
of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health and school-based
health in general is the partnership between health and educational agencies
and CDC’s recognition and understanding of the school’s role
in the larger social structure of communities. Public health employees,
educators, and community members who work together can more effectively
improve family and community structures and thereby reduce risks associated
with chronic diseases. Through this shared learning and expertise, local
schools can implement effective policies and programs. CDC is playing
a critical role by supporting capacity building and promoting training
for education partners who, in turn, affect the lives of millions of children
each day.
Author
Information
Michael Schmoyer, PhD, MSEd, CHES, Program/Policy Analyst, Office of the
Director, Division of Adolescent and School Health, National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy, NE, Mailstop K-29, Atlanta, GA 30341.
Telephone: 770-488-6514. E-mail: anq9@cdc.gov.
References
- Unrealized prevention
opportunities: reducing the health and economic burden of chronic diseases.
Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center
for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; 2000.
- Kolbe L, Kann L,
Patterson B, Wechsler H, Osorio J, Collins J. Enabling the nation’s
schools to help prevent heart disease, stroke, cancer, COPD, diabetes,
and other serious health problems. Public Health Rep 2004;119(3):286-302.
- Navarro A, Voetsch
K, Liburd L, Bezold C, Rhea M. Recommendations for future efforts in
community health promotion: report of the National Expert Panel on Community
Health Promotion. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
Division of Adult and Community Health; 2006. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/NCCDPHP/pdf/community_health_
promotion_expert_panel_report.pdf
- Healthy Youth!
publications and links. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health; 2007. Available
from: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/publications/index.htm
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