Who are and who should be educators of the health education in schools?

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Background: Health education has a long tradition in schools in Nišava district/the Republic of Serbia, and it is implemented through two similar programs: Program for improving the health of children in primary schools and Program for improving the health of children in secondary schools. The results of the International Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey from 2017/2018, which recognized many risks and challenges that school children are exposed to, open the question of whether and to what extent the existing programs and the way of implementation are in accordance with modern Health education trends. Methods and Objectives: In order to understand the problem, an analysis of Health-educational programs, intended for children of primary and secondary schools in the Nišava administrative district, was carried out. The analysis was carried out through: analysis of reports on Health educational programs performed in primary and secondary schools in the period 2010-2020 year, which the public health centres of the Nišava district deliver to the Centre for Health Promotion of the Institute for Public Health Niš, as well literary review of papers and available, related documents. Results: In primary and secondary schools of the Republic of Serbia and the Nišava District, health education is carried out by health professionals, health assistants and educators. Through all the analyzed years in the period 2010-2020, health educators in primary and secondary schools were predominantly health professionals: in 2010, in primary schools, health professionals participated in health education with 63.4%, in 2013 with 59.3%, so that in 2020 they participated with 74.5%. Throughout all the years, associates and teachers are far less present as educators of the Health education. In secondary schools, this difference is even more obvious. Conclusions: Dominantly, Health professionals are health education educators, in difference to the recommendations and experience in countries participating the Health Promoting Schools program.