206719 Innovations in Teaching Public Health Science to Younger Students: Experience-Based Public Health Club Model

Monday, November 9, 2009

Mark A. Kaelin, EdD , Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
Wendy W. Huebner, PhD , Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
Public health education offered to younger students has potential to improve their understanding of personal and public health decisions, build their scientific literacy, and influence future choices of science courses and health careers. Considering that many teachers have limited discretionary time during the school day, after-school clubs are another venue for interested teachers to engage students in innovative educational experiences to deepen their understanding of today's public health issues. As part of a five-year Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from NIH's National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), we have developed a strategy and framework for after-school Public Health Clubs for middle school students and dedicated teacher teams. Public health science, particularly epidemiology, is the centerpiece of the instruction and related student projects, with an emphasis on surveillance and studies of physical activity and nutrition and their health benefits and consequences (such as diabetes and obesity). The lessons are as experienced-based and authentic as possible to increase students' awareness and understanding of challenges that health scientists face when gathering data and testing hypotheses in the real world. We will introduce the rationale for teaching public health science to middle and high school students, discuss the advantages of educational settings outside the regular classroom, and demonstrate examples of approaches taken in the Public Health Clubs. We will conclude by discussing some of the challenges we are encountering in using these non-traditional approaches to promote epidemiology and public health education.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify reasons for teaching younger students the science of public health in general, and epidemiology specifically, as it pertains to surveillance and studies regarding physical activity and nutrition and their associated health benefits and consequences to young people (such as diabetes and obesity) 2. Compare the advantages of using the after-school club venue versus traditional classroom settings 3. Demonstrate lessons that have been developed and tested with teachers and students outside the classroom setting, whereby students experience some of the challenges that health scientists face when gathering data and testing hypotheses in the real world 4. Discuss the challenges of these non-traditional approaches to public health education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been involved in health education at the college level for more than 30 years. For the past 10 years I have been the PI in several NIH grants (NCRR-SEPA and NIDA-SEDAPA) to develop and test epidemiology curricula for middle and high school students. I also have been involved in efforts supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop epidemiology curricula for high sachool students and to train teachers to teach epidemiolgy.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Epidemiologic Capacity and the Epidemiology-Policy Connection
See more of: Epidemiology