Background: Since the 1990s, national standards have been developed in K-12 subject areas. National standards in health education were first released in 1995 with a second set released in 2007. A third edition, the "National Health Education Standards: Model Guidance for Curriculum" and Instruction was developed in 2022 under the…

The research aimed to identify the effectiveness of a program on international health standards and investigate its impact on developing health concepts for kindergarten children. To achieve this objective, the quasi-experimental design of two groups: control and experimental was used. The main research sample consisted of (60) boys and girls.…

Whole grain foods have been associated with health benefits, yet they are under consumed by youth compared to recommendations. This study evaluated impacts of a school-based curriculum among children in grades 3-5 to address barriers to intake (2018-2019) (n = 1,748). Surveys before and after the program indicated youth were more willing to try…

Background: The most effective approach to food allergy management is to avoid consuming the specific allergens that trigger an allergic reaction. It is crucial to make school environments prepared for the potential of food allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, which is a rare but documented outcome. The high prevalence of anaphylactic…

Background: We sought to determine the impact of school gardens and nutrition education on student fruit and vegetable consumption from limited-income communities in Alabama. Methods: Third grade students at 99 Alabama schools with and without gardens on-site were randomized to receive either nutrition education or to a wait-list control group.…

Background: Evidence-based child sexual and physical abuse prevention programs delivered in schools are needed and require rigorous evaluation of program effects prior to widespread dissemination. The Play it Safe! program is a one-time session delivered by trained facilitators to teach students about recognizing, resisting, and reporting abuse.…

This research employed a matched-pairs randomized field experiment design to evaluate a classroom-based health education intervention for pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten children in a rural region of the southeastern United States. Schools were matched on demographic characteristics, then one school from each pair was randomly assigned to the…

Comprehensive school health education (HE), despite its link to enhancing both student health and academic achievement, often faces barriers to effective implementation. As pedagogical strategies evolve to integrate traditional methods with technological innovations like artificial intelligence (AI), the adoption of innovation in HE preparation…

The pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 has highlighted an urgent need for infectious disease education for K-12 students. To gather a better understanding of what educational interventions have been conducted and to what effect, we performed a scoping review. We identified and examined 23 empirical researcher- and teacher-designed studies conducted in…

Objective: In response to the question 'how can teachers develop health literacy events that leverage students' cultural and linguistic resources', this study highlights how two teachers developed a culturally and linguistically responsive curriculum that sought to promote health literacy. Design: The study details findings from a larger…

The K-12 health and physical education professions are largely guided and supported by three entities. They include state departments of education, national and state professional associations, and teacher education programs (i.e., health education teacher education [HETE] and physical education teacher education [PETE]). From the outside looking…

The Competencies and sub-competencies of the Collaborative of Academic and Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) are very closely aligned to skills-based health education based on the National Health Education Standards and SHAPE America Grade Level Outcomes but miles apart when it comes to recognizability, perceived need, efficaciousness, and…

Successful educator preparation programs rely on partnerships with K-12 schools. The literature emphasizes the importance of strong partnerships, but illustrates limitations in creating and maintaining partnerships that meet the needs of all parties--the partnering school and its students, the college/university and teacher candidates. The purpose…

Health education offers a natural curricular home for important life skills and ways students can optimize physical, social, and emotional health. Although many schools have implemented social and emotional learning (SEL), health education provides a broader framework by encompassing the connections between physical and emotional health and the…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to gain more knowledge about the phenomenon of the inner child in relation to health and well-being as reflected in play experienced by schoolchildren. Design/method: Participants were 20 schoolchildren recruited from a primary school in a medium-size city in central Sweden. The children who agreed to…