Health education in schools: An analysis of health educator role in public schools of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Many factors in Saudi society have led to the need for health education services in schools, while concerns related to the role of health educators in schools still unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the role of health educators in public schools exploring the obstacles which affect their role. Subjects and Methods: A cross-section design was used; data were collected using self-administered questionnaire which consisted of four parts: covered demographic data, roles of health educators, the obstacles that affect them, and the attitudes regarding their role. A sample of 234 health educators working in public schools in Riyadh city participated in the study. Descriptive statistics and a Chi-square test were used for data analysis. Results: The results showed that the mean age of the participants was 40.31 years. There was no statistically significant difference between males and females in performing the majority of roles related to implementing health education activities in their schools, while there was a statistically significant difference between elementary, middle, and secondary schools in performing most of these roles. There are many obstacles that affect the role of health educators in public schools, while they have a positive attitude regarding their role with a mean score of 2.58 ± 0.28. Conclusion: The findings revealed that health educators in public schools face many obstacles when implementing health education activities which negatively impact on the health promotion of school children. The attitude of health educators was positive, indicating that they like their role; therefore, they need more training programs to be well prepared in order to perform their role effectively.