Health Education Philosophy Research Paper

October Campbell
Johnson C. Smith University

Abstract
You are to develop a personal philosophy towards health and health education. Base your
definition upon the work of scholars in health education. Write a practical health education
application example. Submit a 3-page paper in addition to the reference page. Prepare a 5 min
presentation defining your personal philosophy. I will discuss what I believe health education is
and why I chose this path as a Community Health major. I will find scholarly definitions from
three sources and understand what they consider a health philosophy and why.

What is health? Health is the state of being free from sickness or illness. Health education
on the other hand is a social science that draws from the biological, environmental,
psychological, physical and medical sciences to promote health and prevent disease, disability
and premature death through education-driven voluntary behavior change activities. Health
education to me is being educated on how to take care of yourself and being able to prevent any
sickness that could possibly weaken your immune system in any way that prohibits you from
completing daily activities. Being healthy means being emotionally, mentally, and physically
stable. It means demonstrating good eating, exercising, and environmental habits, which include
incorporating all of the foods on the food pyramid into your diet but in the correct size portions,
exercising for at least 30 minutes to an hour each day and keeping your community clean
whether its recycling plastic, cleaning up after your dog when they poop or riding your bike
instead of driving your car which pollutes the air.
I believe health education should focus more on being able to prevent an injury or
sickness before it happens. This means having that knowledge of how to take care of yourself so
that you can have a strong immune system that will fight off those nasty diseases and germs that
attack your body when they get the chance. Possessing this kind of information that prevents
sickness and injury means lower hospital bills, less hospital visits, and less days you miss out on
school, work, and your daily routines that keep you going.
Health Education is a social science that draws from the biological, environmental,
psychological, physical and medical sciences to promote health and prevent disease, disability
and premature death through education driven voluntary behavior change activities. Rowan, L.,
Wagner, L., Bernert, D., (2015, August 14). http://www.kent.edu/uhs Being health educated is
3

being well informed as well as aware of how to take care of yourself, your community, along
with your environment, and possessing knowledge and wholly understanding the importance of
your education on health is the next step and key to living a longer life. Tucker,A.,(2014, April
02). https://health.columbia.edu/what-health-education
Health education is one strategy of health promotion and is focused on helping
individuals learn and use health-enhancing skills. Health education is often very visible and
tangible (i.e., its what most health education programs are known for), and it may often
include educational programs, activities and skill-building group or individual sessions. Health
education is part of health promotion, but health promotion is more than health education.
As a Community Health major and being among the minority population I find it very
demanding to know the importance of my health. This reigns true because within this major I
have to know about things such as whats going on within the American way of eating, also
known as the Western diet, in order to see why we live in a community where we have the
highest obesity rates which are only increasing in number, why fast food restaurants are cheaper
than the more healthy foods that we should be in taking, or why our insurance is so limited to
where we can barely afford to see a doctor on the regular.
Living among the minority black population I am more afraid of high blood pressure
within our community as well as type 2 diabetes. I am afraid of type 2 diabetes especially
because it runs on both sides of my family which puts me at a greater risk of developing it when
I get older. This disease frightens me the most because my late grandmother Ophelia McBride
struggled with it on my mothers side and my grandfather George Robert France on my Dads
side struggles with it presently. He has had two surgeries to get both of his lower legs removed
4

and is taking insulin to keep his sugar in check. I have taken advantage of the information I have
learned from my major so far and have started to watch what I eat more like limiting myself from
sugar and adding salt to my food along with incorporating a salad into my lunch every now and
again. I always drink as much water as possible and my fitness level is great with me competing
in collegiate sports and exercising everyday as well as my spiritual health by going to church
almost every Sunday.
Community health education is a theory-driven process that promotes health and
prevents disease within populations. Those who study community health learn how to design and
implement programs that promote health and prevent disease within certain target populations in
the community. Reed, D., (2010, May 5). http://uncw.edu/healthservices/shc.htm. Health is your
sanity and it determines every aspect of your life from state of mind to physical appearance.
Health education is being able to take care of yourself as well as the community you
reside in. It means being able to prevent sickness and injuries before they occur. When you have
been educated on health it means you will be able to live a longer and healthier lifestyle.
If you work out the right way and practice what you preach you will watch what you eat
while feeding your mind and soul without thinking twice about it. By keeping your surroundings
gold and maintaining your emotional state at a high and never low level you will plant plentiful
seeds while observing the world around you grow. You along with everything else will be
nourished and flourish in the process.

https://health.columbia.edu/what-health-education
http://www.kent.edu/uhs
http://uncw.edu/healthservices/shc.htm