DRAFT MAY 2004 ACHA Guidelines Standards of Practice for Health Promotion in Higher Education Second Edition May 2004 Introduction and Guiding Principles Student learning is at the core of the higher education academic mission Health promotion serves this mission by supporting students and creating healthy learning environments A wide range of professionals work to enhance health both on the campus and individual level It is common to find health educators nurses physicians counselors faculty and staff from residence life student activities campus recreation and other Student Affairs departments leading or collaborating on health promotion initiatives that advance student learning and the mission of higher education Programs and policies surrounding issues such as alcohol and other drug use sexual misconduct and mental health are increasingly viewed as campuswide concerns that affect student health and academic progress In 1996 the American College Health Association ACHA appointed the Task Force on Health Promotion in Higher Education to study the scope and practice of health promotion in colleges and universities Zimmer et al 2003 The goal of this task force was to develop standards of practice to enhance the quality of health promotion in higher education recognizing the multidisciplinary background of professionals who work to advance the health of students and campus communities In 2001 ACHA published the culmination of that research as the first edition of Standards of Practice for Health Promotion in Higher Education Standards ACHA 2001 Following three years of feedback from professionals who practice health promotion on college campuses ACHA s Committee on Standards of Practice for Health Promotion in Higher Education presents the second edition of the Standards Like the first edition the 2004 edition of the Standards provides measurable guidelines for enhancing the quality of health promotion programs in colleges and universities For the individual practitioner the Standards are designed to guide daily efforts assess individual skills and capacities and assist in decisions to improve practice through professional development The Standards also delineate a set of indicators to evaluate comprehensive health promotion programs and guide accreditation of those programs The aims of this second edition are to articulate the Standards in simplified language with clear measurable indicators and to disseminate them to the wide range of professionals who practice health promotion on college campuses The Standards are guided by several premises about the mission and scope of practice of health promotion in higher education as well as health itself These assumptions include the following Defined in the broadest sense health Encompasses the capacity of individuals and communities to reach their potential Transcends individual factors and includes cultural institutional socioeconomic and political influences Challenges the prevailing societal view that health is solely a biomedical quality measured through clinical indicators DRAFT MAY 2004 2 Standards of Practice for Health Promotion in Higher The mission of health promotion in colleges and universities is to advance the health of students and to contribute to the creation of healthy and socially just campus communities Thus health promotion practitioners strive to Reduce risk for individual illness and injury Enhance health as a strategy to support student learning Advocate for safety social justice economic opportunity and human dignity Health and social justice are inextricably connected Therefore health promotion practitioners strive to Identify and address the complex social cultural economic and political factors that may contribute to or compromise the health of individuals or communities Advocate for inclusive and equal access to resources and services Eliminate health disparities and increase the quality and years of healthy life for all The scope of practice of health promotion on college campuses includes both individual and environmental approaches Thus health promotion practitioners Reduce the risk of individual illness and injury as well as build individual capacity Address larger institutional issues community factors and public policies that affect the health of students Health promotion and the academic mission of higher education are natural allies Health promotion practitioners in colleges and universities Support the academic mission of student learning by assisting students in leading healthier lives Engage individuals who will become political social and economic decision makers thereby advancing the collective health of the community Zimmer CG Hill MH Sonnad SR 2003 A scope of practice survey leading to the development of Standards of Practice for Health Promotion in Higher Education Journal of American College Health 51 6 247 254 American College Health Association ACHA 2001 Standards of practice for health promotion in higher education Baltimore MD American College Health Task Force on Health Promotion in Higher Education DRAFT MAY 2004 Standard 1 Integration with the Learning Mission of Higher Education Effective practice of health promotion in higher education requires practitioners to incorporate individual and community health promotion initiatives into the learning mission of higher education 1 1 Develop health related programs and policies that support student learning 1 2 Incorporate health promotion initiatives into academic research courses and programs 1 3 Disseminate research that demonstrates the effect of individual health behaviors and environmental factors on student learning Standard 2 Collaborative Practice Effective practice of health promotion in higher education requires practitioners to support campus and community partnerships to advance health promotion initiatives 2 1 Advocate for a shared vision that health promotion is the responsibility of all campus and community members 2 2 Develop and participate in campus and community partnerships that advance health promotion initiatives 2 3 Utilize campus and community resources to maximize the effectiveness of health promotion initiatives 2 4 Advocate for campus local state and national policies that address campus and community health issues 2 5 Advocate for the institutionalization of health promotion initiatives through inclusion in campus strategic planning and resource allocation processes Standards of Practice for Health Promotion in