Once a decision has been made about the goal of health instruction in a school, then other questions emerge. Regardless of whether teacher, school committees, health advisory committees or school boards set priorities for instruction, key questions emerge. The field of public health has some tools that can help teachers or groups involved in school decision making make those tough decisions. The tools include surveys, research studies, needs assessments, and planning models. Public health models are data driven, population-based, and involve input from the target audience.
Data can help provide information needed for good decision making.
For instance, if the decision is whether to focus on a few topics and skills in depth or to be comprehensive and cover a little about a lot, research findings might help. Covering topics superficially can result in some gain in knowledge, but has little influence on attitudes or behaviors. One study found that changing understanding took 15 contact hours, while changing behaviors took 45 contact hours. Translated into class session of approximately one hour every school day, changes in understanding would require a three week unit and behavior change would take a semester. However, some other students have found behavioral effects with as little as six hours of instruction, when participants were in small groups of six to ten.