Community-Based Health Education Intervention: A Service-Learning Approach

A variety of best practices concerning community-based health education intervention has been developed and administered. Integrating service-learning projects into community health programs through academic credit-bearing courses can make such programs more effective and meaningful because programs incorporating service-learning projects can have a major effect not only on the target population, but also on other populations in the community. This paper will cover how health education program planners can involve college and university students - future health professionals - in service-learning projects and integrate these projects into community health programs. Such projects encourage students to apply what they have learned in the classroom in real-world settings. These activities ensure that the service being provided and the learning that is occurring receive equal attention and benefit both students and clients. The participation of college and university students (who often have abundant energy and motivation) can help make community health programs cost effective and advantageous to all involved. This paper will present sample projects and models in order to show how health professionals can include college and university students in partnerships to provide health education programs and to support comprehensive community health promotion and disease prevention activities.