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Consider this:
- Behaviors such as tobacco use, poor eating habits, and physical
inactivity greatly increase a child’s risk of getting cancer in
adulthood.
- For many kids, these and other harmful habits are already well
established by the age of 13 years.
- Almost two-thirds of cancers could be prevented if these behaviors
were never started.
Why is the American Cancer Society Committed to School Health?
It's simple. The earlier children learn how to prevent illness, the
healthier they will be.
The tools to make healthy decisions are learned during childhood and
adolescence. It's far easier to practice a good habit from the beginning
than it is to quit an unhealthy one!
The 15,000 school systems in the United States serve over 50 million
children and youth – by far the largest and most organized system to
reach our youngsters. Furthermore, the school system's goal to enrich
the lives of students makes it a natural avenue for giving young people
the knowledge, attitude, and skills they need to start, stop, or change
health behaviors.
For those reasons, the American Cancer Society has embraced school
health as one of the most promising means of ensuring healthy children
today and decreasing cancer illness and death in the future.
What is School Health All About?
School health isn’t just about what’s taught in the classroom. It’s
about creating policies and programs that promote healthful living. It’s
about reinforcing healthy habits every day and every year that kids are
in school.
Children’s health and education are jeopardized by risky behaviors
such as using tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, failure to use seat belts,
carrying weapons, lack of physical activity, and poor diet.
A good school health program addresses such risky behaviors and takes
a look at the health of students from all angles including:
- Health education in the classroom
- Healthy choices in the school cafeteria and vending machines
- Physical education that promotes regular exercise, cardiovascular
fitness, and sun safety
- Family and community involvement
What is the Society Doing to Improve School Health?
The American Cancer Society has identified three main strategies to
help schools develop programs to improve students’ health and to reduce
cancer risk.
Strategy 1: Develop targeted community awareness campaigns.
These campaigns focus on the health risks and needs of specific
communities. This strategy also includes the creation of a local
Healthy Kids Network – a network of parents, community members, and
school officials that work together to improve school health in their
community.
Strategy 2: Support and develop School Health Councils. A
number of states mandate school health councils, but do not have
training or guidelines to make these councils as effective as they can
be. ACS developed a training package that works to build expertise about
the function of school health councils and how to assist school
districts in making their councils effective, especially in setting
strong policies for cancer prevention.
Strategy 3: Advocate for local School Health Coordinators.
It’s our hope that every school district in the country has a School
Health Coordinator – a trained professional in school health who will
help the school district work to improve the health of its students. ACS
has developed the first training program in the country for school
health coordinators – the ACS School Health Coordinator Leadership
Institute – to build the skills necessary for school health staff and
coordinators to take a leadership role in their local school districts.
For more information about School Health, call us toll free at
1-800-ACS-2345. |
