Coordinated School Health
Coordinated School Health ensures a systematic approach is implemented to create and sustain healthy school environments so students can receive the support needed to make healthy choices. CSH encourages healthy lifestyles, provides needed support to at-risk students, and helps reduce the prevalence of health-related problems that impair academic success. The CSH model provides an evidence-based framework to address the needs of the whole child.
What is CSH?
Coordinated School Health is an effective system designed to connect health with education. Students' health and their capacity to learn are enhanced through the support of families, communities and schools who work together in a coordinated, focused and cost-effective manner. The CSH model focuses on six critical health behaviors identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that contribute to the leading causes of death among youth and young adults. These critical health behaviors are:
- Inadequate physical activity
- Unhealthy eating behaviors
- Tobacco use
- Sexual behaviors that may result in HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies
- Alcohol and other drug use
- Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence
Tennessee's Coordinated School Health initiative is based on the CDC's model that includes the following eight components:
- Comprehensive School Health Education
- Physical Education and Activity
- Nutrition Services
- School Health Services
- School Counseling, Psychological and Social Services
- Healthy and Safe School Environment
- Student, Family and Community Involvement in Schools
- Health Promotion for School Staff
Benefits of a Coordinated School Health Initiative
- Improved nurse to student ratio
- Reduced absenteeism
- Increased physical education/activity
- Increased access to health care services
- Students are better informed about making healthy decisions for life.