This time it’s personal

I am the offspring of two lifetime smokers. In my youth, tobacco use was normal, a part of everyday life. Media (TV, print, radio) encouraged smoking. Smoking was commonplace in restaurants, airports, and other public places. Ashtrays were standard equipment in automobiles.

Some of my peers became smokers. I never picked up the habit. In retrospect, I wonder why people who had the same health education exhibited different healthy behavior outcomes.

It’s complicated but the short answer is that health knowledge by itself is insufficient.

For some, health education is very relevant, very motivating, and very important. For others, not so much. Recently, I stressed new attributes for health education reimagined (Wellness versus Well-being). Health education must be:

Personal – Unique to the individual. Everyone has their own goals, plans, and actions. Each person has their own profile of healthy behaviors and outcomes.

Cultural – A person’s approach to their health is influenced by cultural norms, relationships, and experiences.

Dynamic – Health perspectives can change over time, often many times.

Subjective – People see the purpose, meaning, and consequences of health through their own lenses.

I often tell people health education has the potential to be a favorite class of a student’s two million+ minutes of life called high school. Why? Name another course in the school coursebook that is more about the learner – how they feel, what they think, what they want, what they do (or don’t do), or what they hope to achieve (Uncommon Understanding). It is just as true for middle school.

To be a favorite course, “Health Education: Re-imagined” must first be personal.

​Health: Reimagined is a primary theme for my 2025 blog. And I believe I have the curriculum to back it up. I can’t wait to share it with you.

Today, my personal wish for you and yours is to have a wonderful holiday season.

All the best . . . ~g

Gary Lemke, ​Interactive