The study of health behaviors of children as the basis for the development of health education programs in rural areas

Unfavorable living conditions of the population, particularly in rural areas, and the relatively low level of health culture, expressed by bad nutrition, insufficient physical activity, alcohol abuse, and smoking, are not conducive to maintaining the health of the population. The health status of the population, including children and young people, is assessed as highly unsatisfactory. The aim of this study was to evaluate the research on health behavior, serving as a basis for formulation of health education programs in rural areas. To develop the action strategy for health education, addressed to a group of children and young people of school age in rural areas, it is important to know the perception of health in this environment. Literature reports seem to indicate that this sphere of life and education is a bit neglected, probably highly diverse and determined by the influence of various factors, both environmental and individual. Therefore, identification of hazards, understanding their life situation, diagnosing the situation, especially in a group of school children, is particularly desirable and expected. The development of health promotion and prevention programs among adolescents must be based on a fully reliable diagnosis of social situation, documented and monitored. Circulating information from newspaper reports and the school environmentsuggests the need forparticular actions in the field of school health education, conducted by prepared, authoritative staff of educators. Such are the expectations and needs of young people and those who consider the health issues of children significant. The problem of great importance is the issue of research on the health behavior of young people, including rural areas, and the development of compatible research tools. The lack of such tools makes the comparison of the results obtained by different authors difficult. The acquired theoretical knowledge and implementation of various health programs have often failed to produce practical results. What is needed are the actual steps to promote health in schools and homes, and the skills to use the existing knowledge to make the analysis and search for the determinants of health behavior of young people. The skillful linking of thinking, action and knowledge of the determinants of health behavior, will prevent from one-sided trends in education, and will bring more focus on the skills and versatility in the harmonious development of young people.