Health, according to World Health Organization (WHO), refers to the state of complete
physical, mental, social well-being and not merely the absensce of disease and infirmity. It is the
condition of one’s body being free from physical, mental or even psychical issues to live a
comfortable life. As stated in Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) #3, “health place a central
place to ensure healthy lives and promote well being for all at all ages” to function a healthy
lifestyle that leads to fulfilling life.
To further understand on how to acquire healthy lifestyle, health education is an essential
foundation for the students to know concerns pertaining to health issues not just in their self but
also its effects in the community. Elementary education, as the primary level of students in
learning, is a crucial stage for educating students who are about to embrace adolescence since
they are gradually experiencing changes within their body systems. This change contributes
significantly on their physical, mental, social, spiritual and emotional behaviour that tells on how
they take care of their self and interact with people surrounding them. Health education must
focus on the holistic well being of every individual to achieve a comfortable life. As stated in the
article, school is responsible for the overall health of students through educating them not just
academically but also giving them accurate health information to improve their well being.
School is the center of learning that inculcates students’ knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs
in health that they can apply for the long term in their lives. It is the primary ground for students
to raise consciousness how the different systems of the body work, changes (e.g. puberty) and
what its effects if only sticking to sedentary lifestyle. Health education helps student to develop
functional knowledge and practice habits in order to maintain positive behaviors that they can
apply throughout their life like knowing about food and nutrition, effects on the substance abuse
and disease prevention. It helps students to make healthy life choices to improve quality of life. It
motivates students to improve and maintain their health, prevent sickness and reduce risk.
Health coincides with effective learning because according to studies, a healthy student
has a great performance (e.g. high test score, focus and present attendance at school) than
students with poor health. Without a healthy well being, learning can be passive due to some
factors that hinder learning (e.g. physical or psychological problems). It is believed that healthier
students are better learners and poor health effects adversely on learning and achievement of
school students (Palloni, 2006). These can greatly affect students’ learning, especially
elementary pupils, who are about to develop their self, which greatly affects their motivation
which is essential for effective learning. Factors like sickness (physical), family problems
(emotional), physical abuse (physical and psychological) and self-isolation (social) adversely
affects students performance in school. This is why, firstly, families contributes to the well being
of students because they provide love, care and protection that makes a child’s life better;
followed by the community and especially school that contribute to the healthy well-being of
students that can affect them for the rest of their lives. These concerned individuals had the
responsibility to protect the welfare of children in the aspect of health so that they can grow and
develop higher level of well-being in improving their overall health.
Integrating health in the curriculum helps to promote health awareness within the
students to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes to maintain a healthy well being. Lessons in
health are essential for the students in Elementary Education for them to be aware of their own
health and gain values needed to practice healthy habits. Topics about hygiene, puberty,
substance abuse, food and nutrition, sexuality and physical firtness builds a foundational
knowledge for students to know how their body works and impact of healthy well-being in our
lives until we became adults. In an early age, it is helpful for them to learn this information so
that they cant be ignorant on the health. Health information aligned within school activities helps
students to promote healthy lifestyle and gain consciousness – that’s why teaching strategies
should be given an emphasis in teaching health education in a way that students can easily relate.
Since students are curious about some things in there body, as they are transitioning to
adolescence, teacher, as the facilitator of learning, should teach health-literacy to promote good
nutrition, prevent and control diseases, prevent substance misuse and abuse, reduce healthrelated risk behaviors, prevent and control injuries with the objective of improving one’s self and
imporoving student’s interaction within his/her family, as well as the community he/she lives in.
Through different learning strategies, such as letting the students share about what they changes
they observe in their body, teachers should positively influence the students on instructing them
why there are changes, how can we take care at time of changes in the body and why we feel this
emotions, through thorough explaining to them. It should be that health education should not just
be promoted in student’s self but also in their family, friends and people in the community. Also,
other essential individuals like counsellors and doctors to assist the children in maintaining good
holistic health and counsel parents can be a very good help in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and
environment for every individual.
In this time of pandemic, health education is very relevant for every individual. It taught
us that “Health is Wealth” – a good health is the most important gift God gave us; we are
stewards of our own body. Health Education, as part of the curriculum, is essential for the
students to attain lifelong health and wellness. In the case of Elementary School Students, since
students are experiencing gradual changes in their body resulting to development in their
physical, psychological and social aspect, we, teachers, need to encourage students to enhance
their health through series of positive health promotion for them to be fully aware of their own
health habits. Inviting health professionals can also be a big help in improving our mindert in
health. Therefore, it is important that they can see that health is vital for a quality life. Good
health is important for students to have interesting academic results and productivity in life.
Schools, as an institution to teach students academically have the responsibility to facilitate the
knowledge, values, attitudes and skills of students in producing a healthy life through knowledge
based activities woven in daily lesson plans given by the teachers. Health is an important asset
for every individual – not just for short term but for the long run. The idea of health is not just a
norm that needs to be followed by everyone but it is a part of our daily life – we are responsible
for the wellness of our own body.