|
|
|
School-Based Teen Age Education Program (STEP)
 The School–based
Teenage Education Program (STEP), a prevention research and an
health education program, originally developed by researchers at
Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM), supported by the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), is applied in Indian schools in
Mumbai, Simla, and Bangalore. The objective of this program is to
develop and implement an effective a school-based training model for
adolescents on health education in Alcohol Abuse, HIV/AIDS,
Diabetes, Coronary Artery Disease, cancer and other health related
issues.
The Institute for Strategic Biotechnology, Health and Training (ISBHT),
a non-governmental and non-profit organization, has partnered with
researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, to implement
this program that is expected to train teachers, who can incorporate
the training module to train the adolescents in about 25
participating schools in Bangalore. We have chosen the 8th and 9th
grade classes to take part in this program. Young adolescents, who
receive information and skills through this training on a number of
important public health topics, are called upon to share this
information with family, friends and the community to create a
circle of knowledge that could expand over time and have an effect
at the national level.
In India, the HIV/AIDS is one of the major diseases affecting close
to about six million individuals. This has become a huge national
burden. Since there is no cure, preventive measures are the only
effective ways to combat this disease. Given the rapidly changing
economic environment, the substance abuse is also increasing. In
addition, non-communicable diseases Diabetes, Coronary Artery
Disease, cancer and other diseases, are also on the rise. These
non-communicable diseases expect increase the health care burden
enormously at the individual, family, community and national levels.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) reports, there will be
125 million individuals, who will be affected by type II diabetes by
2025.
The Programs like the STEP meet our Institute’s mission to advance
the overall knowledge, training, and forward looking policies using
creative, innovative methodologies of global standards that can
improve and advance Public Health objectives. We have designed this
interactive and awareness program to help adolescents understand and
learn skills that can teach them safe, healthy and a secure future. |
|
| |
|