HEALTH LITERACY

AMPARO V. VICENTE

The Department of Education has underscored the need to promote seven health habits among learners and other age groups to achieve “health literacy.”

Schools, workplaces and the community are places where people spend most of their waking hours. Because of this, the DepEd launched a program on healthy learning institutions, which links with their OK sa DepEd.

As these are included in the curriculum, the DepEd needs more funds and support for the teachers and teaching staff so they can do interventions.

Included in the seven healthy habits is the promotion of a good diet, taking care of the environment, vaccination, substance abuse (drugs, alcohol, and tobacco), caring for one's mental health and others’, reproductive health, and violence and injury pr event i on.

The National Kick-off of OK sa DepEd and HLI launching is pursuant to Joint Order 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act.

Meanwhile, there was no significant spike monitored in Covid-19 cases among children and adolescent age groups since the school openings.

The DepEd and DOH however assured they will intensify collaborations to reduce vaccine hesitancy among parents for their children, in an aim to avoid increased hospitalizations due to a surge of Covid-19 cases.

A huge part of it is being able to educate and assure parents as well as making sure that the influencers of the parents, so that could be health workers in the community, it is important that they know them, as well as school staff is able to adequately reassure them,” Ho added.

As of now, the DepEd said 92 percent of teachers have been fully vaccinated, while 96 percent have been inoculated with at least one dose.

-oOoThe author is Teacher II at Taliptip National High School