Health instruction responsibilities for elementary classroom teachers in Pennsylvania.

A joint committee comprised of representatives from the American School Health Association and the Association for the Advancement of Health Education delineated five areas of instructional responsibility and 31 competencies needed for elementary health educators. Practicing elementary educators in southeastern Pennsylvania were surveyed as to their usage and perceived importance of these health instruction responsibilities and competencies. Competency usage varied from a high of 98.6% to a low of 33.5%. The second area of instructional responsibility -- Assessing the Health Instruction Needs and Interests of Elementary Students -- had the highest mean usage per competency. Chi-square tests indicated a statistically significant relationship for competency usage and highest academic degree earned for two competencies, while competency usage and total number of years experience as an elementary educator indicated a statistically significant relationship for three competencies. The authors conclude with suggested strategies to improve the health education preparation of elementary educators.