About SOPHE & School Health

SOPHE is an independent, international, professional association made up of a diverse membership of health education professionals and students. The society promotes healthy behaviors, healthy communities, and healthy environments through its membership, its network of local chapters, and its numerous partnerships with other organizations. With its primary focus on public health education, SOPHE provides leadership through a code of ethics, standard for professional preparation, research, and practice; professional development; and public outreach.

For decades, SOPHE has been a champion for promoting healthy youth and in addressing — from a prevention standpoint — the problems of chronic disease that plague our nation. SOPHE’s national and chapter membership includes over 4000 public health professionals that work in a variety of disciplines and settings, many of which involve healthy youth development.

SOPHE’s Child and Adolescent Special Interest Group
A third of SOPHE’s membership participates in the Child and Adolescent Special Interest Group (CASH SIG). The CASH SIG improves collaboration, communication, and camaraderie among SOPHE members who are involved in school health education administration, programming, services, and research. By enhancing communications and knowledge concerning school health, the CASH SIG builds a foundation of support for comprehensive school health programs.

Health Education Advocacy Summit
As an active member the Coalition of National Health Education Organizations (CNHEO), SOPHE has played a key role in educating state and federal policymakers on the rationale and impact of coordinated school health programs. Each spring, CNHEO cosponsors the National Health Education Advocacy Summit. The Summit provides training to students and university faculty which enables them to advocate for legislation supporting many public health concerns.

CDC/DASH Cooperative Agreement
SOPHE's School Health Program received support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Adolescent and School Health. Through this cooperative agreement, SOPHE provided professional development activities to members that aimed at strengthening family and community involvement in coordinated school health programs.

School Health Mini Grant Program
Through a competitive grants process, six SOPHE chapters were awarded mini grants to conduct continuing education events and focus groups on school, family, and community partnerships to address physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use.

Continuing Education Events
Six SOPHE chapters - North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Northern California, Indiana, and Georgia — were awarded mini grants to conduct continuing education events aimed at: fostering and sustaining SOPHE partnerships with state, local, and community health and education agencies; and in providing SOPHE chapter members with the rationale for coordinated school health programs. Collectively these SOPHE chapters have offered over 400 continuing education credit hours for public health professionals who are Certified Health Education Specialists.

Focus Groups
Four of the six mini grant chapters — North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, and Northern California — have received additional funding to conduct a series of focus groups with parents and school health personnel. These focus groups were conducted to identify what works in getting families and parents more involved in school health activities and what resources they need to create a home supportive of physical activity, healthy eating and avoiding tobacco use. The data collected from these focus group guided the development of SOPHE’s resource guide for parents and school personnel on family and community involvement, Everybody Plays A Part: School, Family, and Community Partnerships for Health.