A multi-disciplinary curriculum for 11- to 13-year-olds: immunization, plus!

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Education
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Adolescent immunization rates often fall short of public health goals.
• Effective health education strategies are needed to promote vaccine uptake in schools.
• Integrating health topics into existing curricula can overcome time constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a sixth-grade curriculum, "Immunization, Plus!", designed to promote adolescent immunization.
• To utilize contemporary learning theories and innovative teaching methods for educator acceptance.
• To embed immunization and communicable disease content within core academic subjects.

Main Methods:

• A thematic curriculum integrating immunization content into mathematics, science/health, and language arts units.
• Incorporation of diverse learning formats reflecting the theory of multiple intelligences (linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic).
• Free distribution to California school districts with planned evaluation of distribution, utilization, and impact on student knowledge, attitude, and behavior.

Main Results:

• The curriculum "Immunization, Plus!" was developed and made available to California school districts.
• The curriculum integrated health education into core subjects, addressing limited instructional time.
• Evaluation was planned to assess the curriculum's reach and effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• The "Immunization, Plus!" curriculum offers an innovative approach to promoting adolescent immunization.
• Integrating health education into standard academic subjects can be a viable strategy.
• Further evaluation is needed to determine the curriculum's impact on student health outcomes.