Should health education be taught in schools?
In this day and age, health problems play a pivotal role in Ss”„¢ ability to come to school, stay in school and make the best performance during their studies whether in primary schools, secondary schools or in universities. Developing the health of student can also be done well by the schools which lack healthcare resources. According to a survey of a 12. 5 per cent of sample of schools in England and Wales (Williams, 1985), some 87 per cent of primary schools were teaching about health and a further 4 per cent planned to do so in the near future. The comparable figures for secondary schools were 85 per cent and 9 per cent respectively. Most people agree with that school should do more on health education, but others believe that there are also many drawbacks on health education in schools. What is health education?
(http://www. ltscotland. org. uk/healthpromotingschools/)health promotion in schools is not just about encouraging children and young people to eat well and to exercise; it encompasses a much broader holistic approach. This approach is called the ‘ whole school approach’, which includes promoting the physical, social, spiritual, mental and emotional wellbeing of all pupils and staff. This essay will identify and discuss the positive and negative sides of it.
Recently, health education is gaining popularity in all kinds of schools among all kinds of students . It has many shining points. Developing the health, hygiene and nutrition of children is an important thing to school because it”„¢s difficult to children to learn when they are hungry or sick. But safe physical surroundings and advantageous psychosocial surroundings should be guarantee of a good school policy, and it also should avoid molestation, insulting language and discrimination; using drug, alcohol and tobacco isn”„¢t allowable of a good school policy and the same to violence and bullying. Students can improve their health-related knowledge, attitudes, skills, and stimulate the interest of children to concentrate their energy and improve their health, take precautions against disease and avoid health-related risk behaviors in a variety of health areas by health education. Firstly, health education is benefit to children”„¢s physiology via two aspects: health eating and physical activities. Via health education, children can learn more knowledge of healthy food choices which can contribute the children”„¢s confidence, skills, knowledge and understanding. By learning the knowledge of choosing healthy food, it will increase children”„¢s consumption of complex carbohydrates, and decrease their consumption of saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and sugar, then increase their level of habitual physical activity; after it, children will generalize these changes to other family members.