Beyond sex ed: Parents want more health topics covered in school

Implications

All but two states require schools to provide health education to students, but the content varies across states, and even from district to district. This Mott Poll demonstrates strong parent support for teaching middle and high school students about a variety of health topics. Over two-thirds of parents believe that the wellness and risk behavior topics traditionally included in health education curricula definitely should be taught in their child’s school, and most parents confirm that these topics are indeed being covered.

At the same time, these poll results also indicate that many parents want schools to go beyond traditional health education topics. Two-thirds of parents say that middle and high school students definitely should receive education in emotional and mental health; this is consistent with the preponderance of mental health topics (bullying, depression, stress, suicide) found on the Mott Poll’s latest Top Ten Child Health Concerns. Yet only 32% report that emotional/mental health is covered at their child’s grade level. Clearly, parents perceive a gap between what their children need and what they are receiving in the area of mental health education.

Another health topic with strong parent support is basic first aid, a topic that fits well with teens’ transition to greater independence. However, a substantial gap exists between the two-thirds of parents who believe school definitely should cover basic first aid, and the one-quarter who say first aid is covered.  Similarly, although 63% of parents definitely believe CPR/emergency life support should be taught to middle and high school students, only 19% say it is currently covered.

Teaching students how to use the health care system garners a lower level of parent support overall; many parents may not realize that privacy regulations limit parental involvement in teens’ health care decisions and therefore that teens should understand fundamental aspects of how to access care. This topic is a higher priority for lower-income parents who may face challenges in accessing health care for themselves, and therefore want their children to be equipped with a better understanding of how the system works.

Schools face substantial challenges in expanding their formal health education curriculum. Core academic requirements in many states, as well as parent or student preferences for language, music and other elective courses, leave little room for expanded health education coursework. School budgets may not accommodate hiring additional health teachers. In light of these challenges, schools may use other strategies to cover health topics deemed important to parents. For example, schools may recruit health care professionals from local hospitals or clinics or other organizations (e.g., American Red Cross) to offer occasional sessions on first aid or CPR. Health professionals in the building, such as school nurses and staff from school-based health clinics, also can support expanded health education.