Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis II 2020: Processes and Outcomes

Abstract

<jats:p> Introduction. The Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis II 2020 (HESPA II 2020) described the contemporary practice of health education specialists across work settings at entry and advanced levels. The purpose of the HESPA II 2020 manuscript was to report the research process and resulting data associated with the HESPA II 2020 and to provide recommendations for future practice analyses in health education. Method. Two data collection instruments were developed with the assistance of a 17-member Health Education Practice Panel to survey practicing health education specialists on the knowledge and skills needed in their ongoing roles. The instruments were designed to assess the degree to which the elements of the model had importance to practice ( Importance), how often health education specialists performed the elements of the model ( Frequency), and the point in time that health education specialists were expected to perform the various elements of the model ( Performance Expectation). Composite scores for Sub-Competencies were calculated and subgroup comparisons were conducted to distinguish between levels of practice. Results. A total of 3,851 health education specialists provided usable responses. The final validated hierarchical model included eight Areas of Responsibility, 35 Competencies, and 193 Sub-Competencies. Of the Sub-Competencies, 114 were Entry level, 59 Advanced 1 level, and 20 Advanced 2 level. In addition, 145 knowledge items were verified. Discussion. HESPA II 2020 produced a validated hierarchical model descriptive of current practice of health education specialists across work settings. The results have implications for professional preparation, professional development, and certification. </jats:p>

Application Value of Health Education Combined with Aerobic Exercise in Nursing of Patients with Mastitis Found in Physical Examination

“…Mastitis is an inflammation of the breast caused by the infection that carries a risk in women of any age but is most common in lactating women [ 1 ]. The clinical manifestations such as swelling, pain, and redness of breast tissues and local breast mass damage can also lead to pyogenic infection, triggering chills, and fever all over the body in patients [ 2 , 3 ]. In recent years, the prevalence of nonlactating mastitis has increased year by year, which has a serious impact on the quality of life of patients due to the complex clinical manifestations and difficulty in its treatment.…”

Health Educators in State/Local Public Health Departments: Training Needs and Awareness of Emerging Areas of Public Health Practice

“…Health educators sampled were significantly more knowledgeable of all public health concepts compared with the national 2017 PH WINS respondent workforce. This is likely due to more health educators holding advanced degrees, but also reflected in the basic Health Education Areas of Responsibilities and Competencies, which serve as benchmarks for preservice and in-service training of the field (Knowlden et al, 2020). This analysis suggests that health educators are significantly more informed than the general public health workforce of the importance of emerging areas (e.g., evidence-based public health practice, public health and primary care integration) and of the need for public health agencies to address social determinants of health.…”

“…Over the ensuing 30 years, the health education profession engaged in role delineation and became the first population-based profession to establish certification standards in the mid-1980s (Livingood & Auld, 2001). Since 2003, there have been four psychometric studies published on the knowledge and skills needed for research and practice by health educators in all sectors, including government (Knowlden et al, 2020). These studies are used as the framework for professional preparation and continuing education and serve as the basis for voluntary certification examinations administered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. Those qualifying to take the exam and who pass earn the designation as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) or Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and are required to maintain their competencies by acquiring at least 75 continuing education contact hours every 5 years.…”

Looking Back and Moving Forward: SOPHE’s 70 Years of Contributions to Health Education

“…Just as Abraham Flexner recognized at the turn of the 20th century the need to strengthen the profession of medicine by emphasizing the scientific paradigm of research and education (Flexner, 1910), SOPHE has led several initiatives whose purposes have been to establish health education as a population-based health profession (Livingood & Auld, 2001) and to strengthen quality assurance in professional preparation and credentialing (Birch et al, 2019; Cottrell et al, 2012; Doyle et al, 2015; Gilmore et al, 2005; Goekler et al, 2020; Knowlden et al, 2020; Taub, Birch, et al, 2009). These initiatives began unfolding in the late 1950s and have included publishing a statement of functions of community health educators and minimum requirements for their professional preparation (SOPHE, 1977; Turner, 1957), working with the American Association for Health Education (AAHE) to operate an approval process for community health education baccalaureate programs (Capwell et al, 2018; SOPHE & AAHE, 2007) and developing the initial graduate-level standards in health education (SOPHE & AAHE, 1997), establishing the AAHE/SOPHE Joint Committee on Ethics (Taub et al, 1987), identifying the continuing education needs of health education professionals (Allegrante et al, 2001; Daltroy & Roccella, 1987), and sponsoring the National Task Force on Accreditation in Health Education and its successors (Allegrante et al, 2004; Bernhardt et al, 2003; Cottrell et al, 2009).…”

“…In addition, SOPHE has led the field by working with the National Commission on Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc., & Society for Public Health Education, Inc., 2020) to support the National Health Educator Competencies Update Project (Gilmore et al, 2005), the National Health Educator Job Analysis (Doyle et al, 2012), and the Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis I and II (Knowlden et al, 2020; McKenzie et al, 2016). With the International Union for Health Promotion and Education, SOPHE cosponsored the Galway Consensus Conference on international collaboration of credentialing in health education (Allegrante, Barry, Airhihenbuwa, et al, 2009; Allegrante, Barry, Auld, et al, 2009; Allegrante et al, 2012; Howze et al, 2009; Taub, Allegrante, et al, 2009), and with the Association of Schools and Programs in Public Health and the League for Innovation in Community Colleges helped advance public health and health education curricula in community college settings (Lohrmann et al, 2016; Riegelman & Wilson, 2016).…”