Scheduled for Research Coordinating Board Poster Session I, Wednesday, April 2, 2003, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall A


An Analysis of the Coverage of CHES Responsibility I, "Assessing Individual and Community Needs for Health Education" in Health Education Journal Abstracts

Roberta Donahue1, Whitney Boling2, Sheryl M. Strasser3 and J. Don Chaney1, (1)The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, (2)University of Texas, Houston, TX, (3)Univesity of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

Health educators use peer-reviewed literature to update and maintain their skills and knowledge of the field and obtain information related to specific Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) Responsibilities and Competencies. This study reviewed the abstracts of 20 health education journals for a five-year period to determine the most relevant sources of information about Responsibility I, “Assessing Individual and Community Needs for Health Education.” A total of 2,372 abstracts were reviewed from the selected journals. Overall, 27.6% of the abstracts reviewed (n=655) specifically addressed the assessment of needs for health education. Of the four competencies supporting this responsibility, Competency B: “Distinguish between behaviors that foster and those that hinder well-being” was addressed most frequently in the literature. Competency D: “Determine factors that influence learning and development,” which is one of the new graduate-level competencies, received the least amount of coverage. The journal with the most abstracts related to Responsibility I was the American Journal of Health Behavior (n=65), followed by AIDS Education and Prevention (n=64). Every journal reviewed had at least 7 abstracts related to this health education responsibility. This presentation will assist health educators in identifying journals that are most likely to provide the information they require pertaining to needs assessment.

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