Health Education Training for Teachers

Abstract

Summarizes the aims of school health education, emphasizing the important role which teachers have in relaying health education messages. Reviews studies which have examined the provision and extent of initial and in‐service training on health education for teachers. Observes that professionals from external agencies are often better equipped to provide health education lessons than teachers, but that the way in which schools use this external expertise, with external contributors delivering talks on discrete topics to groups of up to 200 pupils, is not ideal. Concludes that initial and in‐service training on health education for teachers is inadequate and sometimes non‐existent, but that health education should form a part of all initial teacher training courses.