Health education has a long history in China. Ancient politicians and medical scientists in China not only attached great importance to disease prevention and health care, but also put forward many ideas and expositions on health education and wrote some books on health care and medical science, which played an important role in protecting the health of ancient working people.

After the 1920s, the theory of health education began to be introduced into China. The book Principles of Health Education edited by Chen Yu 1934 is the earliest monograph on health education in China.

The China Nurses Association, the Chinese Medical Association and the China Health Education Association, which were established in 190915 and 1930, respectively, have played a positive role in promoting the development of health education in China. 193 1 set up a central health laboratory with a health education department. In the same year, the Department of Health Education was established in the School of Education of Central University to train a four-year bachelor of health education. It is worth noting that since the 1920s, China has established a number of health education experimental zones in urban and rural areas and schools, and achieved gratifying results. For example, Chen established the first rural health experimental area in China in Dingxian (now Dingzhou), carried out a lot of health education and implemented a set of rural health care model. China's first international nightingale medal winner Wang? Ying participated in the experiment as a nurse. The experience of Dingxian county still has reference value for rural primary health care and community health education.

After the founding of New China, the central government put forward the policy of "prevention first" in time. A "patriotic health campaign" was launched and carried out throughout the country, calling on the people of the whole country to "mobilize, pay attention to health, reduce diseases and improve health". In 1950s, health education institutes were established in all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government. From the late 1950s to 1970s, the whole health education was at a low tide. Since 1978, health education in China has been rapidly restored and developed. By 1997, there were 2654 health education institutions in China; Some medical colleges and secondary health schools have trained a group of health education talents with master's degree, bachelor's degree, junior college degree and technical secondary school degree; Health education and related courses have been listed as compulsory and elective courses for prevention, medicine, maternal and child, nursing and other majors in some medical colleges. Since 1990s, with the transformation of hospital work from disease-centered to patient-centered, hospital health education has been widely valued and developed. Nursing health education has been included in the nursing plan as an important part of holistic nursing. ?

1997 65438+ 10, the Central Committee and the State Council made the Decision on the Reform and Development of Health Work, which stated: "Health education is an important part of quality education for all, and we should attach great importance to it." According to the spirit of the decision, the National Patriotic Health Association and the Ministry of Health have formulated the national health education goal in 2000 and the 20 10 long-term plan. Looking forward to the future, health education in China will accelerate with the progress of national economy and social development.