The Coalition of National Health Education Organizations (CNHEO) has existed since 1972, with a mission of bringing together national and international health education organizations who serve within the United States to seek joint actions in support of the health education profession. Much success and collaboration have occurred over the last 50 years, including developing and implementing the 2018-2025 strategic plan. The nine member organizations of the Coalition paused to review individual and collaborative work in addressing shared goals and objectives around policy and mandates, preparation and professional development, credentialing, identity and value of health education, health education workforce and diversity, and research and practice. Findings of this mid-progress strategic plan review suggest that great value is provided to the profession via the collaborative work of organizations (sharing of advocacy alerts and work, supporting training and certification efforts, etc.), but areas for improvement exist (more joint policy statements, better study and support for the profession, etc.). This article outlines important Coalition history for the profession, describes goal and objective accomplishments related to the CNHEO 2018-2025 strategic plan, and makes suggestions for future improvement designed to affect the health of the public and the health education profession.

This chapter aims to explore why ethics are essential to the health professions and civil society. This chapter introduces the concept of ethics and morals; ethics as part of institutional systems of quality assurance; background and evolution of the code of ethics for the health education profession; comparisons of ethical codes in several other health professions; and systems of health ethics enforcement for the protection of society.

The American Public Health Association’s Public Health Education and Health Promotion (APHA PHEHP) Section celebrates its 100th anniversary by reflecting on its humble beginnings and early contributions to the field of health education. This article highlights the often-unsung history of our field and its fledgling beginnings, which is important to scholars and students alike. First codified as the Health Education and Publicity Section in the early 1920s, we trace the history and challenges of using new modes of publicity such as motion pictures and innovative exhibits to help curb the spread of infectious diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, venereal disease). Evart G. Routzahn, credited as the Section’s father, worked tirelessly to increase the Section’s visibility (renamed the Health Education Section in 1927 and the Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section in 1990) and in advancing the professionalization of health education during a time when there were no formal professional preparation programs in health education. Over the years, the Section has played significant roles in strengthening the practice of health education and communication; advancing APHA’s overall leadership, infrastructure, and governance; and contributing to the unified voice and advocacy for the health education profession and health equity. We conclude by describing contemporary initiatives that reflect the continued spirit and vibrancy of the Section in setting the stage for the next 100 years.

Many female health education pioneers made seminal contributions to public health and social justice, yet these examples are not well documented in textbooks or integrated into public health curricula as pedagogical learning opportunities. Providing biographies and lessons learned from the past leaders within undergraduate health education curricula can help develop students' skills as future leaders and address gender inequities in the field. Gender inequities in higher education as well as many public health practice settings result in lower salaries, slower career advancement opportunities, fewer supervisory positions, increased work-life conflicts, and heavier workloads. Developing women's competencies in leadership and professionalism early in their careers is critical to meeting public health challenges such as COVID-19. We present four female health education trailblazers from different historical eras and various workforce sectors who exemplify leadership attributes (i.e., courage/risk taking, vision, advocacy, mentorship) and can be highlighted as a part of future health education curriculum. Innovative methods and approaches are provided for integrating these leadership lessons into undergraduate public health courses, in alignment with the HESPA II 2020 competencies. Learning from the past to inform the future is critical to inspiring and shaping the careers of emerging health educators.

BACKGROUND:Undergraduate majors in education, specifically in school health education (HE), have declined considerably in the United States. Reductions in state and federal funding for K-12 public education and increased demands on educators to prioritize standardized academic outcomes versus focusing on the whole child encompass many factors leading to fewer qualified teachers and reduced quality of HE delivery within schools. METHODS:A content analysis of over 300 HE teacher preparation programs throughout the United States was conducted from 2019 to 2020 to assess available and required curriculum for pre-service HE teachers. Seven curriculum areas were reviewed: nutrition, physical activity (PA) and physical education (PE), HE, chronic disease management (CDM), social emotional learning and mental health (SEL/MH), drug abuse and tobacco prevention (DA/TP), and a methods course in teaching HE. RESULTS:Findings indicated program type influenced course offerings, with stand-alone HE and joint HE/PE programs providing the most comprehensive curriculum. Most programs required courses in general HE, PA and PE, and nutrition. Programs were deficient in offering courses in CDM, DA/TP, and SEL/MH. CONCLUSION:This article contains recommendations to improve the quality of HE delivery in public schools, for example by ensuring that school health educators are trained in providing skills-based HE to youth, which can assist in addressing child and youth health outcomes (eg, CDM, mental health) for the nation.

Promoting physical activity (PA) at the community level is a complex, multisector approach requiring researchers and practitioners to impact the individual, interpersonal, environment, and policy levels. One such strategy aiming to impact systems, policies, and environments is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Activity Friendly Routes to Everyday Destinations (Routes to Destinations). This strategy specifically aims to connect pedestrian, bicycle, and public transportation systems with built environment and land use destinations. This article examines Black/African American transportation and land use experts' perspectives and concerns-across multiple mediums-around inequities that have discouraged PA among Black/African American persons specifically Routes to Destinations strategies. In March 2021, a multifaceted scoping review was conducted of peer-reviewed literature, gray literature, and social media authored by Black/African American transportation and land use experts focusing on policy, system, and environmental changes which promote or discourage equitable and inclusive access to physical activity. Themes from peer-reviewed and gray literature resources included: (1) Assessing Racism, Discrimination, and Segregation; (2) Addressing Equity and Inclusion Through Policy; (3) Community Engagement and Place-Based Interventions; (4) Infrastructure Changes; (5) Safety; and (6) Reporting Health Disparities. Twitter topic models suggested the main topics included elements of race/racism, equity, safety, infrastructure, and advancing social justice. Experts called for systemic and systematic change through new policies and implementation of existing policies as well as enhanced community inclusion in decision-making through ownership of policy and built environment change. Safety was discussed differently between peer-reviewed and gray literature and Twitter discussions indicating a publication bias.

OBJECTIVE:This analysis of governmental health educators from the 2021 Public Health Workforce Interest and Needs Survey (PH WINS) examines demographic and workplace characteristics, COVID-19 pandemic activities and beliefs, job satisfaction, training needs, mental health, and engagement in health equity. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS:Participants were public health staff in public health agencies who completed the 2021 PH WINS. DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Chi-square and means tests were used to compare job satisfaction, mental health status, training needs, and health equity concepts between health educators and other disciplines in the governmental public health workforce. RESULTS:Like PH WINS 2017 findings, health educators were significantly younger, more likely to be female, more diverse, and more likely to work in regional/local health departments than the national governmental public health workforce. About 70% of health educators played a role in responding to the pandemic. Only 46.1% of health educators rated their mental health as excellent or very good as compared to 48.2% of other disciplines. About 31% considered leaving the organization due to stress, unsatisfactory opportunities, and lack of mentoring. Health educators expressed the need for training in financial and change management. Both health educators and other governmental workers expressed high levels of awareness of and confidence in addressing social determinants of health and health equity, but less confidence in addressing environmental justice. Certified health education specialists (CHES(R)) were significantly more likely to be aware of concepts of health equity, social determinants of health (SDOH), and structural racism than non-CHES(R). CONCLUSION:Overall, the training needs and job satisfaction of health educators changed little between the two surveys. However, COVID-19 had a significantly greater impact on their mental health status compared to other public health disciplines. They also are addressing racism in their communities and are more aware of health equity concepts than other public health disciplines. Implications for strengthening public health infrastructure, as well as recruitment/retention, professional preparation, and practice are provided.

Although great progress has been made to define the field of health education and provide a voluntary certification system for professionals, research about the governmental health educator and health education specialist workforce is limited. The 2017 PH WINS (Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey) provides valuable data on understanding the workforce demographics, attitudes, and training needs of governmental public health workers, including health educators, and informs future investments in workforce development efforts nationally. The purpose of this article is to examine demographics, job engagement and satisfaction, training needs, certification, and other characteristics of health educators and certified health education specialists (CHES) from PH WINS. We analyzed the data to describe the health educator workforce and compared it with the national governmental workforce across a range of variables. Compared with the national 2017 PH WINS sample, health educators were relatively younger, more ethnically diverse, more likely to be educated with an advanced degree, and were predominately employed in local versus state public health agencies. Health educators sampled were significantly more knowledgeable of all public health concepts compared with the national 2017 PH WINS respondent workforce. Comparison of CHES versus non-CHES professionals is also provided, along with practice and policy implications based on the data. This is the first detailed analyses of health educators in state and local health departments, with important findings and implications related to workforce composition, satisfaction, retention, and training. Further cross-sectional workforce research is needed to understand the current strengths and gaps in the health education workforce.

Practitioners in health departments, university extension programs, and nonprofit organizations working in public health face varied challenges to publishing in the peer-reviewed literature. These practitioners may lack time, support, skills, and efficacy needed for manuscript submission, which keeps them from sharing their wisdom and experience-based evidence. This exclusion can contribute to literature gaps, a failure of evidence-based practice to inform future research, reduced ability to educate partners, and delays in advancing public health practice. Our article describes the writing workshops offered to Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded programs in 2021. This project consisted of three 60-minute introductory writing webinars open to all recipients, followed by a Writing for Publications workshop, an 8- to 9-week virtual learning/writing intensive for selected writing team applicants. The Society for Public Health Education staff, consultants, and CDC/DNPAO staff developed, refined, and presented the curriculum. The workshop for public health practitioner writing teams was offered to two cohorts and included extensive coaching and focused on potential submission to a Health Promotion Practice supplement, "Reducing Chronic Disease through Physical Activity and Nutrition: Public Health Practice in the Field" (see Supplemental Material), which was supported by CDC/DNPAO. We describe the webinars, the workshop design, modifications, evaluation methods and results.

CONTEXT:Social and behavioral sciences, a cross-disciplinary field that examines the interaction among behavioral, biological, environmental, and social factors, has contributed immensely to some public health achievements over the last century. Through collaboration with community organizations and partners, social and behavioral scientists have conducted numerous program interventions involving community engagement and advocacy efforts at the local, state, federal, and international levels.CONTRIBUTIONS OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES:This article traces select historical underpinnings of the applications of social and behavioral sciences theories and evidence to public health and highlights 4 areas in which health education specialists have distinctly contributed to public health achievements by building on theory and evidence. Applied social and behavioral sciences have formed the basis of various health education interventions. These 4 areas include the following: (1) Theory, Model Development, and the Professionalization of Health Education; (2) Participation and Community Engagement; (3) Health Communication; and (4) Advocacy and Policy.DISCUSSION:We present contemporary challenges and recommendations for strengthening the theory, research, and practice of health education within the context of social and behavioral sciences in addressing emerging public health issues.

Founded in 1950, the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) provides leadership to the health education profession and promotes the health of all people through six strategic commitments: developing and promoting standards for professional preparation and credentialing of community and school health educators; stimulating research on the theory, practice, and teaching of health education; supporting elimination of health disparities and the achievement of health equity; providing continuing education of the health education workforce; advocating for policy and legislation affecting public health and health promotion; and supporting a network of local chapters. This article describes how SOPHE has pursued these strategic commitments during the past 70 years and discusses challenges that will influence the future of SOPHE and the contours of the research and practice agendas of the field going forward.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the most devastating infectious disease in a century.1 Rapid transmission of the virus across the U.S. since January 2020 was fueled by the continued travel-associated asymptomatic and presymptomatic importation, community spread through large gatherings, introductions into high-risk workplaces and densely populated areas, and limited diagnostic testing hindering containment.

Introduction This NAM Perspectives paper provides an overview of health education in schools and challenges encountered in enacting evidence-based health education; timely policy-related opportunities for strengthening school health education […]

To promote a health literate K-12 population, this chapter focuses on intersections of Health Literacy (HL), Health Education (HE) and Health Communication (HC) and urges collaborations among professionals from these disciplines as well as with stakeholders who share their interests and concerns. Core definitions and evolutionary highlights of these disciplines are presented, as well as their intersection and promise of impact on student academic and health outcomes.. The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model is used as an example of a framework embraced by education and health experts to help students become health literate. Internal and external stakeholders, models of what works, resources and strategies for developing or strengthening school health and health communication practice are presented. Selected contemporary threats to the social and emotional health and safety of youth are reviewed; as are successful, evidence-based, collaborative HE, HC, and HL programs and strategies. Finally, recommendations for future research and strategic actions in combining HE and HC for HL are discussed to empower, build resilience, and improve the lifelong health of children and adolescents as they become adults.

Introduction. The Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis II 2020 (HESPA II 2020) described the contemporary practice of health education specialists across work settings at entry and advanced levels. The purpose of the HESPA II 2020 manuscript was to report the research process and resulting data associated with the HESPA II 2020 and to provide recommendations for future practice analyses in health education. Method. Two data collection instruments were developed with the assistance of a 17-member Health Education Practice Panel to survey practicing health education specialists on the knowledge and skills needed in their ongoing roles. The instruments were designed to assess the degree to which the elements of the model had importance to practice ( Importance), how often health education specialists performed the elements of the model ( Frequency), and the point in time that health education specialists were expected to perform the various elements of the model ( Performance Expectation). Composite scores for Sub-Competencies were calculated and subgroup comparisons were conducted to distinguish between levels of practice. Results. A total of 3,851 health education specialists provided usable responses. The final validated hierarchical model included eight Areas of Responsibility, 35 Competencies, and 193 Sub-Competencies. Of the Sub-Competencies, 114 were Entry level, 59 Advanced 1 level, and 20 Advanced 2 level. In addition, 145 knowledge items were verified. Discussion. HESPA II 2020 produced a validated hierarchical model descriptive of current practice of health education specialists across work settings. The results have implications for professional preparation, professional development, and certification.

Toward a Common Agenda for the Public and Private Sectors to Advance Digital Health Communication Lorien C. Abroms ScD, MA, John P. Allegrante PhD, M. Elaine Auld MPH, MCHES(R), Robert S. Gold PhD, DrPH, William T. Riley PhD, and Joseph Smyser PhD, MSPH Affiliation Lorien C. Abroms is with the Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC. John P. Allegrante is with the Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY. M. Elaine Auld is with the Society for Public Health Education, Washington, DC. Robert S. Gold is with the Department of Behavioral and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park. William T. Riley is with the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. Joseph Smyser is with The Public Good Projects, New York, NY.CopyRightCorrespondence should be sent to M. Elaine Auld, MPH, MCHES, Chief Executive Officer, Society for Public Health Education, 10 G St, NE, Suite 605, Washington, DC 20002 (e-mail: eauld@sophe.org). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the "Reprints" link.CONTRIBUTORSAuthors are listed alphabetically. J. P. Allegrante and M. E. Auld wrote the first and final drafts of the manuscript. L. C. Abroms, R. S. Gold, and W. T. Riley read and commented on multiple drafts of the manuscript and provided detailed edits that were incorporated into the final revised manuscript. J. Smyser wrote the initial draft of assertions and principles that were presented to and discussed with Summit participants. All authors reviewed and approved the final version. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304806 Accepted: September 30, 2018 Published Online: January 16, 2019