Let schools do it! Helping schools find a role in cancer prevention

Health, in its purest sense, is not the primary mission of the nation's K-12 schools, so why should schools feel obligated to address cancer education? The nation's educators are under tremendous pressure to prepare students to pass tests in English language arts and mathematics. As a result, health education and physical education are often assigned third-class status in many of the nation's schools, despite numerous studies supporting the connection between health and academic achievement. Is there a place for cancer prevention education in today's K-12 schools? This commentary explores existing structures that affect cancer prevention education and offers suggestions to improve K-12 health education initiatives.