Integrating Health Literacy Into Core Curriculum: A Teacher-Driven Pilot Initiative for Second Graders

BACKGROUND Limited research has addressed the effects of health literacy interventions in elementary schools. However, school-aged children's health literacy is critical because children make decisions about their health every day. The purpose of the pilot project was to explore the feasibility of integrated health literacy lesson plans for second graders. METHODS A pretest-posttest evaluation was conducted with second grade students following implementation of health literacy lessons that were integrated into core curriculum (language arts, science, and social studies). RESULTS Health educators, a hospital/health care system, and a school district developed a partnership. A research team of teachers, administrators, health literacy experts and health care organizations designed and implemented health literacy lesson plans. A developmentally appropriate measure of health literacy was adapted from the Newest Vital Sign. Data showed that students' health literacy scores significantly increased after implementation of 4 lesson plans. CONCLUSIONS This was an exploratory, pilot project that provided a useful starting point for discussing how to integrate health literacy into elementary school curriculum. An interdisciplinary team developed integrated health literacy materials that acknowledged the needs of teachers, the resources available, and the developmental stages of children. This intervention serves as a model for future health literacy initiatives in schools.