A Health Education Program for Underserved Community Youth Led by Health Professions Students

To develop and implement a health fair and educational sessions for elementary school children led by health professions students.The structure and process were developed with elementary school administration to determine the health topics to be covered. Students and faculty members created a "hands-on," youth-oriented health fair and interactive health educational sessions. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected on learning outcomes from the underserved child population and health professions students.The health fair and educational sessions increased awareness of underserved youth in the areas of critical health behaviors, purposeful education on health issues facing their community, and exposure to careers in various health professions. The activities provided meaningful learning experiences for the health professions students.The health education program model is an excellent way to teach health education, communication and critical thinking skills, and service learning to health professions students.