Vision

^{The Vision: Health
Literacy, Healthy Schools, Healthy People}

In recent decades Americans have successfully coped with serious health problems. Many diseases and illnesses, such as polio and diphtheria, that once threatened vast numbers of people can now be prevented or treated effectively. As a result, a growing percentage of the population is staying healthier and living longer. However, far too many children and youths die because of injuries that are unintentional or result from violent behavior, and others compromise their health through unhealthy behaviors, such as using alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. In addition, diseases brought on by unhealthy behaviors often cause the premature deaths of adults. Responding to these health problems requires a commitment to health education. Individuals must understand the role they must play in protecting, maintaining, and promoting their health and the health of others through healthy behaviors and choices. Two factors central to this new approach to health education are as follows:

Emphasis must be placed on developing lifelong, positive health-related attitudes and behaviors. Such attitudes and behaviors begin to be developed in the home. But the school, working in close partnership with families and communities, is also an appropriate arena for development and reinforcement.¹
^{Health
education in the schools must be supported by a comprehensive district-wide
system to promote children’s health and must be developed and sustained by
the collaborative efforts of school personnel, parents, school board
members, community leaders, and health and social services agencies and
providers.}

^{When these elements are
in place, children and youths can be helped to develop a lifelong commitment
to their own health and well-being.

Throughout this
framework the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed for healthy living are
referred to as health literacy. According to the Association for the
Advancement of Health Education, health literacy is "the capacity of an
individual to obtain, interpret, and understand basic health information and
services and the competence to use such information and services in ways
which are health-enhancing."2 A health-literate person understands
scientifically based principles of health promotion and disease prevention,
incorporates that knowledge into personal health-related attitudes and
behaviors, and makes good health a personal priority.

This framework is based
on the premise that health literacy is as important in today’s complex,
challenging world as linguistic, mathematical, and scientific literacy. The
major goal of this framework is to describe health education and ^{district-wide
health promotion strategies that will help children and youths} ^{become
health-literate individuals with a lifelong commitment to healthy living.}
Because every aspect of
health is tangibly connected to life and students’ experiences, effective
health education provides abundant opportunities for engaging students in
purposeful learning. Health-literate students will make a commitment to their
own health and the health of others, enhancing school efforts to involve
students in collaborative, meaningful learning experiences.}

^{_________________________}

^{^{1
In this document the term community includes religious institutions,
community leaders, businesses, health-care providers, and other agencies and
organizations involved in children’s development.}}

^{^{2
"Report of the 1990 Joint Committee on Health Education Terminology," Journal
of Health Education, Vol. 22, No. 2 (1991), 104.}}