What is Health Studies?
Health Studies is a profession focused on promoting positive health behaviors by designing, implementing and evaluating educational programs and services in a variety of settings. Health educators teach health in schools and work in a variety of community settings such as health care, public health, business and industry and universities. People who have a sincere interest in health and who see the importance of preventing health problems before they become more serious are often involved in health education.
Among all the health professions, health studies is unique because of the focus on education. There really is no other health profession primarily concerned with teaching people how to be healthier. If you are interested in helping people make good decisions about their health and if you would like to work to improve health conditions in a community, then health Studies is for you.
With a degree in Health Studies from Eastern Illinois you will focus on either becoming a teacher in schools or a community health educator. Please take the time to learn more about health education and contact our Department Chair if you'd like more information.
Why should I become a health educator?
You should become a health educator if you care about helping people live healthier, more complete lives. Health educators focus on holistic health and the issues and problems that impact quality of life. Health education is an applied interdisciplinary science that draws from the biological, environmental, psychological, physical and medical sciences to promote health and prevent disease, disability and premature death through education-driven voluntary behavior change activities.
Health educators develop individual, group, institutional, community and systemic strategies to improve health knowledge, attitudes, skills and behavior. The purpose of the profession is to positively influence the health behavior of individuals and communities as well as the living and working conditions that influence their health.
As a professional health educator, you will work to improve the health status of individuals, families, communities, states, and the nation. By focusing on prevention, you will help reduce the costs (both financial and human) that individuals, employers, families, insurance companies, medical facilities, communities, the state and the nation would spend on medical treatment.
