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Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERNMENT POLICIESIN EDUCATION, SCIENCE, SPORTSAND CULTURE1998 > MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND SPORTS CHAPTER2

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MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND SPORTS
CHAPTER2 TOWARD ENHANCED HEALTH EDUCATION

TOWARD ENHANCED HEALTH EDUCATION

In order to properly respond to new issues concerning children's health in recent yearssuch as drug abuse,sexually deviant behavior and lifestyle-related disease symptomssecondary prevention,that is,early discovery plus early treatment,is naturally important.However,it is more important for children themselves to acquire the capability to promote their bealth and to actually stop doing the wrong things(primary prevention).For this purpose,the role of health-related learning which promotes primary prevention will gain much more significance.An especially urgent task will be the enrichment of health education in schools,which are the foundation of health-related learning.Health-related school activities are composed of three areas:"School Healtb,"which includes health education and management for the promotion of mental and physical health,"School Safety,"which includes safety education and management for the development of safety capability based on respecting the lives of oneself and others,and"School Lunches,"which includes food-related instruction and hygiene management for the development of appropriate eating habits.All these areas,while retaining their own independent functions,are cooperating reciprocally to promote students'health.However,as pointed out in the September1997report of the Health and Physical Education Council,it is particularly necessary for schools to reorganize health and safety education and food-related instruction into a concept of"Health Education,"in order to properly respond to new health-related issues.Schools need to undertake wholistic strategies to address the issue of students'health.The report also pointed out that because health education covers wide-ranging and specialized activities,and must be carried out in the various opportunities of school education,the full utilization of school personnel with expertise,such as nurse teachers and school nutritionists,and experts from outside schools,is extremely important for conducting efficient and practical instruction.

Model Project for the Comprehensive Promotion of Health Education Responding to the September1997report of the Health and Physical Education Coucil,MESSC has begun implementation of the Model Project for the Comprehensive Promotion of Health Education as a new project since FY1998.These operations aim for organized and systematic health education in cooperation with homes and the community,in addition to fully utilizing school personnel with expertise,such as nurse teachers and school nutritionists,and experts from outside schools.More specifically,model regions were designated at the city,town and village level(24cities,towns and villages over a three-year period).In these designated areas,MESSC promotes the understanding of children's actual health problems and the clarification of problem areas,and specifies health-related tasks in accordance with regional conditions,such as mental health,lifestyle habits,eating habits,drug abuse and disaster prevention education.MESSC also conducts practical and comprehensive surveys and research on health issues based on developments in health education in the elementary and lower secondary schools of the designated areas.


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