Comprehensive school health education is one facet of the comprehensive school health program, which includes school health services and a healthful school environment, as well as health instruction. This Digest will focus on the instructional component of the comprehensive school health program.
Schools are unique among U.S. institutions in their access to children.
They are a logical place to provide health information, not only to improve health in the childhood years but to prevent illness, disability, and health care costs later in life. Health education literally empowers students to avoid health risks. For example, a mathematics unit may include an exercise on calculating exercise heart rates, or a social studies class could examine state laws on drinking and driving. Each community should also build its health curriculum to reflect local needs, interests, and cultural and ethnic diversity. SHEE involved more than 30,000 fourth through seventh graders in over 1,000 classrooms from 20 states.