Focuses on Reinforcing Protective Factors and Increasing Perceptions of Personal Risk and Harmfulness of Engaging in Specific Unhealthy Practices and Behaviors

Description: This characteristic provides opportunities for students to examine current protective factors in their lives and think about ways to increase the modifiable protective factors. Protective factors are assets (internal to individuals) and resources (external to individuals) that counteract, reduce, or eliminate the adverse effects of risk factors.1  Protective factors can be fixed, meaning they don’t change over time — for example, not being genetically predisposed to addiction. Protective factors can also be modifiable, meaning they can be changed over time. Examples of modifiable protective factors include having a strong social support system (i.e., family, peers), being successful in school academically, feeling connected to classmates and teachers, and participating in community engagement. Effective health education curricula focus on strengthening and reinforcing modifiable protective factors related to the topic being taught.

An effective curriculum also provides instructional strategies for students to assess their vulnerability to health problems, determine their actual risk of engaging in harmful health behaviors, and evaluate their exposure to unhealthy situations.

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Example 1

The unit being taught is Alcohol and Other Drugs, and the healthy behavior outcome (HBO) for the lesson is AOD-2: Avoid misuse and abuse of over-the-counter and prescription drugs (HECAT Appendix 3).

  1. This activity focuses on helping students build the protective factor of seeking the help of a trusted adult when taking any medicine.
  2. The teacher begins the activity by showing students a poster or graphic displaying pictures of over-the counter and prescription drugs. The teacher leads a discussion with students to answer the following questions:
    1. What is in the containers shown in these pictures?
    2. What is the most important rule about using medicines?
      1. Medicine should always be given by a trusted adult or health helper.
  3. The teacher explains that trusted adults and health helpers are people who care about them. Trusted adults and health helpers keep students healthy and safe and help them when they are sick or injured. The teacher asks the following questions:
    1. Why is it important that medicine always be given by a trusted adult?
      1. Taking the wrong amount of medicine or the wrong medicine can make us very sick.
    2. Who are trusted adults at home?
    3. Who are trusted adults and health helpers at school?
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    4. Who are trusted adults outside of school?
    5. How do trusted adults and health helpers keep you healthy and safe?
    6. How do trusted adults and health helpers help you when you are sick or injured?
  4. The teacher poses a series of what-if situations in which students may encounter unsafe use of medications. Examples may include these situations:
    1. What if you have a headache, and you know where medicines are kept at your house?
      1. What is the risk of taking a medication without the help of a trusted adult?
      2. Who is a trusted adult who can help you?
    2. What if you are on the playground at school, and you see a bottle that looks like candy?
      1. Who is a trusted adult or health helper at school that you can tell about the bottle on the playground?
      2. What is the risk of not telling a trusted adult or health helper about the bottle on the playground?
      3. What is the benefit of telling a trusted adult or health helper about the bottle?
  5. The teacher ends the lesson by reminding the students that
    1. Trusted adults and health helpers are people who care about them.
    2. Trusted adults and health helpers keep students safe and help them when they are sick or injured.
    3. Trusted adults and health helpers are people students can go to for help when they are not feeling well or feel unsafe.

Example 2 

The unit being taught is Safety, and the HBO for the lesson is S-3: Using safety equipment appropriately and correctly (HECAT Appendix 3).

  1. This activity focuses on helping students build the protective factor of correctly wearing a bicycle helmet when riding a bike and learn the risks that could happen when not wearing a helmet.
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  2. The teacher begins the activity by showing pictures of children correctly and incorrectly wearing helmets while riding bicycles. The teacher leads a discussion with students to answer the following questions:
    1. What do all the children in the pictures have in common?
    2. What are some of the children doing to help keep them safe while riding their bicycles?
    3. Why is it important to correctly wear a helmet when riding a bicycle?
    4. What could happen if a student crashes their bicycle if they aren’t wearing a helmet?
    5. What would most likely happen if a student crashes their bicycle and they are wearing a helmet?
  3. The teacher models how to correctly wear a bicycle helmet.
  4. The teacher ends the lesson by asking the students a question.
    1. Why is it important to always wear a bicycle helmet correctly?

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