Perspective Chapter: Strengthening and Empowering Professional Health Educators’ Capacity and Practice

Abstract

Professional health education practice includes supporting and building health literacy skills needed to promote individual and community health and address barriers that inhibit the attainment of health. Mitigating poor health outcomes is where health and education converge. The Social Determinants of Health underscore the role of community contexts and community-driven approaches to address health disparities and the role of empowering and activating communities to that end. A comprehensive and social justice approach to health education in school and community settings helps all people develop health-promoting skills and values and is critical to educational success. This chapter aims to examine professional practice and development for health educators from a social justice lens that includes addressing inequities in health, and a growth mindset where professionals learn, apply skills, evaluate beliefs that hinder equitable learning, reflect, and improve competency and self-efficacy. Methodologies that drive more forward-thinking approaches for supporting effective practice across the lifespan are explored. The Whole School Whole Community Whole Child model, the World Health Organization Health Promoting Schools, and Health Literacy Skills will be used to frame opportunities to consider health education and the bidirectional influences to reinforce and reimagine the connections between education and health.