ibility alone should be enough to prove the effectiveness that educating our youth could have. Table 1.2 shows the different results that health promotion has already had in various schools around our nation.Planned sequential health education resulted in a 37% reduction in the onset of smoking among seventh grade students.Prevalence of obesity decreased among girls in grades 6-8 who participated in a school based intervention program.Students who participated in school based life skills training program were less likely to use tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana than were student not enrolled in the programTable 1.2 (CDC2, 2001)The Ottawa Charter for health promotion states there are certain prerequisites for health that must first be met before improving health status. These prerequisites are peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable ecosystem, sustainable resources, social justice, and equity (Ottawa Charter, 1986). To begin to improve ones health an individual must have met all of the above to provide a solid foundation for health improvement. The CDC will assist states in providing the information, skills and training needed to teach avoidance of risk behaviors. Yet less than of the states are receiving that funding (CDC2, 2001). This is why we need an integrated, collaborative approach to school health. Health is not a state issue, it is a global one. Funded States:ARCAFLKYMEMAMIMNMTNCNMNYORRISCSDTNVTWIWVFigure 1.1 (CDC2, 2001)Those states that are funded by the CDC are provided with the resources that insure the curricula are available nationwide for state and local education agencies interested in using them. Right now it is up to the schools to decide which curricula best meets their students needs (CDC2, 2001). Each community’s needs are different. Issues in one community may not be the same problems as another community. For example maybe smoking is more a problem in Tennessee, where as in West Virginia t...
