National Health Education Week


Since 1995, National Health Education Week (NHEW) has been celebrated during the third week of October.  This celebration focuses national attention on a major public health issue and promotes consumers’ understanding of the role of health education in promoting the public’s health.  

This year’s NHEW, which took place from October 16-22, was themed Health Literacy: Gateway to Improving the Public’s Health. The week called attention to the importance of health literacy and the critical role individuals, organizations, and communities can play in improving health literacy. 



Each day, the week highlight a different theme:


Resources: 
Click here to access a kit including tips on how to promote NHEW 2011. 

Click here for a promotional flyer on NHEW 2011.

Click here to access the NHEW 2011 press release. 

Click here to access the NHEW 2011 backgrounder.

Click here to access the NHEW 2011 sample press release.

Click here to access the NHEW 2011 sample proclamation.


Links to organizations/resources related to the theme of NHEW 2011*:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Health.gov
HealthyPeople.gov
North Carolina Program on Health Literacy
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, DHHS
Partnership for Clear Health Communication
PlainLanguage.gov
Usability.gov

*Note: This is, by no means, intended to be an exhaustive list of resources related to tobacco prevention and cessation.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
SOPHE is grateful to the many individuals who provided expert advice and guidance to the Society in the development of the Health Literacy: Gateway to Improving the Public's Health Guide and Toolkit.  Most notably, we wish to express our sincere appreciation to the following individuals for their contribution:  

Diane Allensworth, PhD
Laura Boyle, MPH, CHES 
Sallie-Beth Johnson, MPH, CTTS, CWP
Crystal Owensby, MS, MCHES
Stacy Robison, MPH, MCHES
Xanthi Scrimgeour, MHEd, MCHES
____________________________________________


Past NHEW themes include:

2010 - A Tobacco Free Nation through Health Education 
2009 – Let’s Dish: Food Safety at the Table
2008 - Healthy Aging: Live Long, Live Well 
2007- Finding the Key: Healthier Homes and Communities 
2006 – Healthy Kids: Creating Safe Communities and Schools
2005 – Healthy Choices: Family Life Education
2004 – Healthy Eating: Every Bite Counts
2003 – Every Step Counts

Most Recent National Health Education Week Materials:

National Health Education Week 2010 Planning Guide/Toolkit
The 2010 National Health Education Week theme, "A Tobacco Free Nation through Health Education," focused national attention on a major public health issue and promotes consumers’ understanding of the role of health education in promoting the public’s health.  Each day of the week highlighted a different area of tobacco prevention and control along with resources and materials centered on that subject.  Specifically this toolkit calls attention to the importance of tobacco prevention, cessation, and control in improving the health of individuals and communities.

National Health Education Week 2009 Planning Guide/Toolkit
The 2009 National Health Education Week toolkit, Let’s Dish: Food Safety at the Table, emphasizes the importance and relevance of food safety, explains the role of health education in food safety, and provides examples of how health educators can address this important topic in their communities.  More specifically, this toolkit outlines recent food safety news, identifies common foodborne pathogens, highlights at-risk populations, and provides case examples of how to reach members of a community in a variety of settings. 

National Health Education Week 2008 Planning Guide/Toolkit
National Health Education Week 2008, Healthy Aging: Living Long, Living Well, called attention to the importance of healthy aging for the nation and the critical role health education and health educators can play in achieving a healthy aging population.  In order to address these concerns, SOPHE developed a toolkit to help individuals, organizations, and communities develop campaigns that promote healthy aging. Campaign planners can use this guide to plan activities throughout the year and evaluate the success of their programs.

National Health Education 2007 Planning Guide/Toolkit

National Health Education Week 2007, Finding the Key: Healthier Homes and Communities, highlighted the importance of environmental health literacy across the nation and the critical role that health education and health educators can play in creating safe homes, schools, and communities.  In observance of this theme, SOPHE organized a variety of educational activities and resources for professionals and the public and, for the first time, extended the focus to a year-long campaign.