Proper planning and implementation of health education programs requires the input of key stakeholders. Too often, however, the preceived concerns and needs of adolescent students are left out of the planning process for school-based health education and service delivery. Focus groups were conducted with high school age adolscents at schools throughout a midwestern state. Students were selected for participation based on criteria to ensure respondents matched the demographic and socioeconomic profile of the midwestern state. Students were asked to describe what health issues or problems were of greatest concern and how they felt about the health education and services provided through their schools. This information is useful in helping inservice health educators provide appropriate and meaningful cognitive, skill, and affective learning experiences. The student perceptions are useful in advocating for myriad components of the coordinated school health model with parents, administrators, and policy makers.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to: 1) Discuss adolscent and school health issues as they were perceived by participants in the focus groups; 2) Articulate how these findings might inform the coordination of school health components to meet students preceived needs; and, 3)Identify practical alterations in current eduvation/service delivery to better meet preceived student needs
Keywords: Adolescent Health, School Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.