Sec. 2237.

(1) The department shall:

(a) Exercise overall leadership in recognizing the importance of public health education objectives in the planning, developing, and carrying out of public health programs within the department's jurisdiction.

(b) Encourage local health departments to give priority to community health education activities as an essential part of local health programs.

(c) Develop and apply standards for the evaluation of public health education activities both at the state and local level and in cooperation with other public and private agencies.

(d) Collect and disseminate information about public health education activities and research in this state.

(2) As used in this section, "health education" means that dimension of health care that directs attention of individuals to their health behavior with the goal of enabling the individuals to make reasoned decisions about their own health practices and those within the various communities in which the individuals live, work, and play. The basic components of reasoned health decision-making education include both:

(a) The acquisition of accurate, unbiased, authoritative knowledge of subjects such as human biology, efficacy of early prevention, disease detection and control, nutritional practices, detection and control of environmental hazards, alternative health practices and the consequences of each, and the affective assessment of an individual's own beliefs on health outcomes.

(b) The acquisition of the behavior skills required to carry out the desired alternative.

History: 1978, Act 368, Eff. Sept. 30, 1978 Popular Name: Act 368