Weber State University   

HPHP - Health Promotion

Mission Statement

Submitted 04/15/08

Mission Statement of the Department

The Department of Health Promotion and Human Performance supports and enhances the mission of the University by promoting and integrating into the University experience the applied sciences of exercise, physical education, sport, health, and nutrition through effective and impactful instruction, scholarship and service. This may be accomplished by preparing individuals to maintain, enhance, and manage human performance and quality of life among those clients seeking professional preparation or personal service through our program.

Health Promotion Program Mission Statement

A twofold mission exists for health promotion programs at Weber State University. The first is to promote the health and prevent disease of the respective participants including students, staff, faculty, and members of the community. The second is to prepare students to become professional health educators who can serve in four settings of practice including schools, worksites (occupational health promotion), communities, and the health care system. Professional preparation of health educators is interdisciplinary and concentrates primarily on nationally prescribed competencies developed by the National Center for Health Education Credentialing. Other professional organizations that provide guidance to professional preparation include the Association for Worksite Health Promotion, the American Public Health Association, the Society for Public Health Education, and the American Association of Health Education.

Mission Roles of the Health Promotion Program

Health promotion academic courses at Weber State University include general education and service courses (stress management, human sexuality, adolescent health issues, etc.) and professional preparation courses (program planning, research methods, community health, etc.) offered in both health education and health administrative services. The respective academic programs include bachelor’s degrees in health promotion/HAS: health promotion and lifestyle management. Minor programs include a general health promotion minor, a school health education minor, and support of the BIS program.

Fundamental Definitions of Health Promotion and Health Education

Health Promotion is the science and art of helping people change or maintain their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health. Optimal health includes not only absence or healthful management of disease but functioning in balance with the dimensions of the total person concept (social; mental; emotional; social; spiritual). Lifestyle change can be facilitated through a combination of efforts to enhance awareness, change behavior, and create environments that support good health practices. This implies that health promotion is multidimensional and comprehensive.

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