Education to Health. Youth Health Education in Croatia from the End of the Second World War to the Beginning of the 1970s

This paper shall examine the role and development of health education in the Socialist Republic of Croatia from the end of the Second World War to the beginning of the 1970s. Consideration shall be accorded to the public health priorities and measures that clarify the role of schooling in the health education of young people both within and outside of the school system, particularly in the 1960s within the context of political, economic and social change in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, when socialism was being systematically implemented at all levels and structural changes in society were under way. In this sense, it is noteworthy that the educational system was considered a vital area for anticipating changes in the spirit of the socialist self-management transformation. Improvement of the overall culture of health in society was accomplished by educating children about health through the school system. In this vein, instruction about preserving health and a healthy lifestyle and the prevention of infectious diseases was promoted through mandatory basic education from the earliest age. At the end of the 1960s, topics pertaining to health and sexuality were introduced into educational curricula with the aim of protecting the health of pupils. The Educational Advisory Board of the Socialist Republic of Croatia adopted the General Educational Curriculum and Programme for Primary Schools which contained components aimed at fostering personal responsibility for health. An analysis of the General Educational Curriculum and Programme will be employed to examine contemporary themes and demonstrate how the introduction of new educational content in the school system led to significant changes in the modes for the systematic health education of young people.