Health Education

C. WHICH CURRICULA WORK?

Pediatricians involved in school health education need to familiarize themselves with the best available health education curricula. Some curricula address general health issues related to the most prevalent causes of morbidity and mortality among youth, such as:

  • Growing Healthy
  • Know Your Body

Others are more targeted toward specific concerns. These include:

  • Project Towards No Tobacco Use (Project TNT)
  • Get Real About AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)

Each curriculum has a specific target audience, such as various segments of the elementary- through high-school population or a group that may have unique risks, such as inner city youth. Each is written for and can be implemented during a defined time period; some require only a few hours of classroom instruction, and others must be presented over weeks or months.

The Center for Disease Control has a process for identifying curricula with credible evidence of effectiveness. Curricula that have been identified include:

  • Life Skills Training
  • Project Towards No Tobacco Use (Project TNT)
  • Be Proud! Be Responsible!
  • Reducing the Risk
  • Becoming a Responsible Teen

More information on each curriculum can be found at (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/rtc/curric4.htm)