Needs for Children's Health Promotion Education as Perceived by Child Care Center Teachers and Mothers

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the needs for children’s health promotion education programs as perceived by child care center teachers and mothers. Methods: This study conducted a survey of 88 child care center teachers and 70 mothers of preschool children in Seoul from January 4 to February 5, 2016. This study aimed to characterize the current conditions of health promotion education for preschool children and the needs for health promotion education as perceived by child care center teachers and mothers of preschool children. Results: Areas of high need for health promotion education included lifestyle improvements for preventing diseases in children and awareness of the importance of health in educational objectives, standardized educational manuals, health educators as educators, child care centers as educational places, local health centers as educational support organizations, regular class hours as educational time, role play for training, and actual models in the educational medium. The educational subjects for which a high need was reported included safety and accident prevention, the role of smartphones and TV watching in mental health, and personal hygiene and disease prevention. Conclusion: These findings suggest that it is necessary to develop a health promotion education program for preschool children.