Making Health Happen on Campus: A Review of a Required General Education Health Course

Abstract

Revisions of general education curricula have been ongoing as universities strive to meet the general education goal of helping students succeed (Glynn, Aultman, & Owens, 2005). The importance of health status with regard to the future health potential of college students and the impact the college years have on their health has been highlighted in the American College Health Association?Healthy Campus 2010 document (2004). Research has demonstrated the relationship between student health and academic performance (Pritchard & Wilson, 2003). Findings highlight the negative effects that substance abuse, emotional issues, and risky sexual behaviors have on academic performance (Marlatt & Witkiewitz, 2002; Pritchard & Wilson, 2003; Riley, Durbin, & DAriano, 2005; Von Ah, Ebert, Ngamvitroj, Parj, & Kang, 2004). With this understanding, the required status of a personal health course in a college general education curriculum should be self-evident, yet its required status continues to be an issue of contention. This article reviews the need for a college-level personal health course, explains why colleges provide an effective place to teach a general education health course, and provides the evaluation results of a personal health course delivered to four thousand students per year.