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New
Partners, New Tools, New Possibilities: Views From the Fields of Education
and Public Health
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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.
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