Every second week of October, the country observes Health Education Week as per Proclamation 255, in recognition of the idea that the strength of a nation depends to a large extent upon the health of its people.
Health education is a social science that aims to promote health and prevent disease through voluntary behavioral change activities. By increasing knowledge and influencing attitudes, health education empowers individuals to care for their overall wellbeing. Health literacy — the ability of individuals to understand, critically appraise and use information related to their health — is an important component of education and a key competence students need to acquire in school, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Addressing the health literacy of children and adolescents in schools will help not only to strengthen their learning, but also improve their health and wellbeing and lifelong learning across the life-course by enabling them to address and solve health issues, the WHO explained.
It pointed out that health literacy learning in schools should be accessible for all. It should also be relevant and learnable for all. Health literacy must also meet complex demands in a variety of contexts and across multiple areas of life. It needs to likewise benefit individuals and societies. Moreover, it must involve taking a critical stance, requiring creativity and reflective practice. Finally, it needs to contribute to core values, human rights, and sustainable development.
School-based health education is important because behaviors and experiences in one’s youth set the stage for adult health, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It helps adolescents acquire functional health knowledge, and strengthens attitudes, beliefs, and practice skills needed to adopt and maintain healthy behaviors throughout their lives.
Schools can play a critical role in reducing adolescent health risks through the delivery of effective health education. Providing health education as early as possible can help youth to develop positive wellbeing, academic success, and healthy outcomes into adulthood.
The CDC recommended that the health education curriculum of schools include five key aspects. First, it needs a set of intended learning outcomes or objectives that directly relate to students’ acquisition of health-related knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Second, a planned progression of developmentally appropriate lessons or learning experiences that lead to achieving health objectives. Third, continuity between lessons or learning experiences that clearly reinforce the adoption and maintenance of specific health-enhancing behaviors. Fourth, content or materials that correspond with the sequence of learning events and help teachers and students meet the learning objectives. Finally, assessment strategies to determine if students have achieved the desired learning.
Earlier, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched Oplan Kalusugan (OK) sa DepEd, a convergence of the agency’s six flagship school health and nutrition programs, namely the School-Based Feeding Program complemented by other nutrition support programs; Medical, Dental, and Nursing Services, including the School Dental Health Care Program; the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools Program; Adolescent Reproductive Health; the National Drug Education Program supported by comprehensive tobacco control; and the School Mental Health Program.
Take for example, mental health. One study calculated that, worldwide, about one in eight people struggle with a mental health disorder, said a 2023 Watchtower issue on Mental Health. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in anxiety and major depressive disorders of about 26% and 28% respectively.
Good mental health is a state of well-being where one feels good and can function well, the said issue added. It further noted that knowing basic facts about mental health can help one better face concerns and issues relating to the condition.
For example, it pointed out that a mental disorder is not the result of personal weakness. It is a medical condition that causes significant distress and disrupts a person’s thinking, emotional control, and behavior. It can often upset a person’s ability to relate to others and to handle the daily demands of life. Mental disorders can likewise affect people of any age, culture, race, tribe, religion, educational background, or income level.
Health education can also help individuals and communities manage an infodemic, or having too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments. The WHO said that increased spread of health-related misinformation in a health emergency is accelerated by easy access to online content, especially on smartphones.
An infodemic causes confusion and risk-taking behaviors that can harm health. It also leads to mistrust in health authorities and undermines the public health response. An infodemic can intensify or lengthen outbreaks when people are unsure about what they need to do to protect their health and the health of people around them, the WHO added.
Health education is at the center of infodemic management. The WHO said that involves listening to community concerns and questions, promoting understanding of risk and health expert advice, building resilience to misinformation, and engaging and empowering communities to take positive action.
Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP). PHAP represents the biopharmaceutical medicines and vaccines industry in the country. Its members are in the forefront of research and development efforts for COVID-19 and other diseases that affect Filipinos.
