Health promotion in higher education

In higher education, health promotion programs work to support student success by creating healthy learning environments.[1] Health promotion professionals practice prevention to expand protective factors and reduce personal and community health risk factors, utilizing a public health/population health model.[2] Health promotion services often coordinate primary prevention and secondary prevention on campus, operating as a functional area of College Health or Student Affairs. Sub-specialties include education on alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, sexual health, nutrition, stress management, healthy lifestyles, chronic disease prevention and peer health education.

In the United States

The American College Health Association Standards of Practice for Health Promotion in Higher Education provides measurable guidelines for enhancing the quality of prevention, health promotion, and wellness services at colleges and universities.[3]

The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education creates and delivers a dynamic and credible Book of Professional Standards and Guidelines and Self-Assessment Guides that are designed to lead to a host of quality-controlled programs and services and promotes standards in student affairs, student services, and student development programs for the ultimate purpose of fostering and enhancing student learning, development, and achievement and in general to promote good citizenship. CAS updated all functional area standards, including CAS for Health Promotion in Higher Education in 2012.[4]

The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) works to improve the practice of health education and to serve the public and profession of health education by certifying health education specialists (also known as the CHES credential), which promotes professional and career development of health care education, preparation, and practice, all ideals thought to promote the delivery of health care. NCHEC develops and administers the CHES exam in the United States, a competency-based test for health education specialists. The CHES credential is renewable every five years, requiring a baseline of continuing education credits for recertification. This is akin to the requirements and practices of many other health professions, including physicians (ACCME), pharmacists (ACPE), and nurses (ANCC).[5]

References

  1. ↑ American College Health Association. "Standards of Practice for Health Promotion in Higher Education" (PDF). www.acha.org. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  2. ↑ American College Health Association. "Guidelines for Hiring Health Promotion Professionals in Higher Education" (PDF). www.acha.org. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  3. ↑ American College Health Association. "Standards of Practice for Health Promotion in Higher Education" (PDF). www.acha.org. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. "Professional Standards for Higher Education". www.cas.edu. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  5. ↑ National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. "Health Education Profession". nchec.org. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
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