Program Description

The Health Education program in the Department of Human Studies at The University of Alabama at Birmingham prepares students to work in all aspects of the Health Education Profession. We have program offerings at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Health educators work to encourage healthy lifestyles and wellness through educating individuals and communities about behaviors that promote healthy living and prevent diseases and other health problems.

Health educators focus on encouraging healthy lifestyles and wellness through educating individuals and communities about behaviors that promote healthy living and prevent diseases and other health problems.  The health educator roles and responsibilities include:  assessing needs, assets and capacity for Health Education, planning Health Education programs, implementing Health Education programs, conducting evaluation and research related to Health Education, administering and managing Health Education programs and services, serving as a Health Education resource person, and communicating and advocating for health and Health Education.  The uniqueness of the Health Education approach lies in the educational approach along with working directly with the target populations to design, implement, and evaluate appropriate interventions.

Health educators attempt to prevent illnesses by informing and educating individuals and communities about health-related topics, such as proper nutrition, the importance of exercise, how to avoid sexually transmitted diseases, and the habits and behaviors necessary to avoid illness. They begin by assessing the needs of their audience, which includes determining which topics to cover and how to best present the information. An example of this approach is holding programs on self-examinations for breast cancer to women who are at higher risk or may teach classes on the effects of binge drinking to college students. Health educators must take the cultural norms of their audience into account. For example, programs targeted at the elderly need to be drastically different from those aimed at a college-aged population.

– National Commission for Health Education Credentialing