Education and Health
SECTOR SPOTLIGHT
The education sector encompasses formal educational institutions such as schools, colleges, and universities, along with teachers, students, and curriculum. Education has major implications for lifelong learning, a vital community condition. Lifelong Learning is about providing a good education for all that ensures all people, regardless of age, background, or ability, are set up for success, and have the opportunities to reach their full potential. Lifelong learning means launching people into meaningful careers, with ongoing opportunities to learn and grow. Education is an engine of social mobility with implications for health and well-being that extend across the life course and generations.
Evidence Base
Reduced child food insecurity
Improved nutrition and physical activity
Improved access to preventive health services
Inreased access to resources for health and well-being
Decreased delterious health behaviors like smoking
Increased knowledge needed to navigate care settings
Featured Resources
Education Is a Strong Predictor of Health
School Budgets, Student Health to Benefit from Higher Nutrition Standards
Student Academic Performance Is Affected by Issues Inside and Outside School
HIAs in Education
HIAs in education have focused on school structure and funding, transportation to and from school, school buildings and grounds, in-school physical activity and nutrition, and school discipline and climate. They have been used to inform a range of decisions pertaining to education including:
- Formation of a learning academy, content of after-school programming, requirements for grade retention, full-day kindergarten, school integration
- Programs to promote walking and biking to school, a policy to provide free public transit passes to students
- Building renovations, proposed locations for new school sites
- Modifications to physical education curriculum or nutrition standards for snacks and beverages sold at school, development of shared use agreements
- The adoption of disciplinary models within districts, standards to reduce bullying
EXAMPLE HIAS
Full-Day Kindergarten
School Level Needs Assessment Regulations Under the Every Student Succeeds Act
Restorative Justice Policies in Merced County Schools
Providing Free or Reduced-Fare Student Bus Passes to Reduce Truancy
Oakland Education to Employment Academy
More Related Resources
Review of Education-Focused Health Impact Assessments Conducted in the United States
Human Development, Education, and Training Policy Guide
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