CHES Area II: Planning Health Education & Promotion

Assessment tells you where the community stands. Planning determines where you are going and how you will get there. Area II: Planning Health Education and Promotion Programs is the bridge between understanding a health problem and doing something about it. It is the Area where data becomes direction.

If you have already studied Area I: Assessing Needs, Resources, and Capacity, you know how health education specialists gather the information needed to understand a community's health concerns. Area II takes that information and transforms it into a structured plan complete with goals, objectives, theoretical grounding, and selected interventions. For context on how this Area fits within the full scope of practice, see our NCHEC Areas of Responsibility overview.

What Area II Covers

Area II addresses the competencies required to develop a comprehensive plan for health education and promotion programs. Health education specialists working within this Area are expected to involve priority populations in the planning process, develop goals and objectives, select or design strategies and interventions, and address factors that affect implementation.

The sub-competencies span a range of planning activities: using assessment findings to inform priorities, creating mission statements, developing a scope and sequence for program delivery, applying theory to intervention design, and identifying resources needed for implementation. Each sub-competency represents a skill that the exam expects you to demonstrate through applied reasoning.

Key Concepts to Master

SMART Objectives

Writing clear, measurable objectives is one of the most tested skills in Area II. The SMART framework provides a standard structure for objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

A well-written SMART objective identifies exactly who will do what, by how much, and by when. For example, a vague objective like "increase physical activity" becomes a SMART objective when rewritten as: "By the end of the 12-week program, 60 percent of adult participants will report engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week."

Exam questions frequently present objectives and ask you to identify what element is missing. You may see an objective that lacks a timeline, has no measurable indicator, or targets an outcome that is unrealistic given the program's scope. Being able to evaluate and revise objectives quickly is a critical skill for this Area.

The distinction between process objectives, learning objectives, behavioral objectives, and outcome objectives also appears on the exam. Process objectives describe what the program will deliver. Learning objectives address changes in knowledge or awareness. Behavioral objectives target changes in actions. Outcome objectives describe broader health or social changes. Understanding the hierarchy among these objective types helps you select the correct answer in scenario-based questions.

Logic Models and Theories of Change

A logic model is a visual representation of how a program is expected to work. It typically maps inputs, activities, outputs, short-term outcomes, and long-term outcomes in a linear or branching format. Logic models help stakeholders understand the pathway from resources to results and are widely used in grant proposals and program documentation.

A theory of change is a related but broader concept. While a logic model describes the operational steps of a program, a theory of change explains the causal assumptions that connect activities to outcomes. It answers the question: why do we believe this intervention will produce this result?

Both tools are essential for sound program planning. Exam questions may ask you to identify the components of a logic model, place elements in the correct order, or explain how a theory of change supports program design.

Selecting Evidence-Based Interventions

Health education specialists are expected to choose interventions that have demonstrated effectiveness through research. Evidence-based interventions are strategies that have been tested in controlled settings and shown to produce positive outcomes. Resources for identifying these interventions include registries and databases maintained by federal agencies and research organizations.

When selecting an intervention, planners must consider whether the evidence applies to the specific population and context they are serving. An intervention that worked in one setting may not transfer directly to another without adaptation. The exam may test your understanding of when it is appropriate to adopt an intervention as designed versus when adaptation is warranted.

Health Behavior Theories

Theory is the backbone of effective program planning. Area II expects you to understand several health behavior theories and know how to apply them to intervention design.

The Health Belief Model (HBM) proposes that health behavior is influenced by an individual's perception of susceptibility to a health threat, the perceived severity of that threat, the perceived benefits of taking action, and the perceived barriers to action. It also includes the concepts of cues to action and self-efficacy.

The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), developed by Albert Bandura, emphasizes the interaction between personal factors, behavior, and the environment. Key constructs include self-efficacy, observational learning, reinforcement, and reciprocal determinism. SCT is particularly useful when designing programs that involve modeling, skill-building, or environmental change.

The Transtheoretical Model (TTM), also known as the Stages of Change model, describes behavior change as a process that unfolds through stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Programs informed by TTM tailor their strategies to the stage of readiness of the target audience.

Exam questions may describe a program scenario and ask you to identify which theory is being applied, or they may present a population characteristic and ask which theoretical construct is most relevant.

Pro Tip: Do not just memorize theory names and constructs. Practice matching theories to specific program scenarios. The exam rarely asks you to define a theory outright. It asks you to recognize it in action.

Cultural Considerations in Program Planning

Effective planning requires attention to the cultural context of the priority population. Cultural competence in program planning means understanding and respecting the values, beliefs, practices, and communication preferences of the community being served.

This includes using culturally appropriate language and imagery in materials, involving community members in the planning process, selecting delivery methods that align with community norms, and ensuring that the intervention is accessible to people of varying literacy levels, languages, and abilities. The exam may present scenarios where cultural factors influence program design decisions and ask you to identify the most appropriate approach.

How Planning Questions Appear on the Exam

Area II questions are consistently scenario-driven. A typical question might describe a health education specialist who has completed a needs assessment and now must determine the next step in program development. The answer choices might include writing a mission statement, developing SMART objectives, selecting a theoretical framework, or identifying stakeholders, and you must choose the most appropriate action given the scenario's context.

Other questions test your ability to evaluate objectives, identify missing components in a logic model, or recognize which health behavior theory best fits a described intervention. Some questions require you to prioritize planning steps, testing whether you understand the logical sequence of program development.

Pro Tip: When a question asks about the sequence of planning activities, remember that goals come before objectives, objectives come before strategies, and strategies come before implementation timelines. This hierarchy appears frequently on the exam.

Study Strategies for Area II

Start by making sure you can write SMART objectives from scratch. Practice by converting vague goal statements into fully specified objectives with all five SMART components. Then practice identifying what is wrong with flawed objectives.

Create a comparison chart for the major health behavior theories. For each theory, list the key constructs, the types of interventions it supports, and an example scenario where it would be applied. This will help you distinguish between theories quickly during the exam.

Review logic model templates and practice filling them in for hypothetical programs. Pay attention to the difference between outputs and outcomes, which is a common point of confusion.

Connect your Area II study to both Area I and Area III: Implementing Health Education. Understanding how assessment informs planning and how planning guides implementation will strengthen your performance across all three Areas. A comprehensive study plan should address these connections explicitly.

From Planning to Implementation

A plan that sits on a shelf serves no one. The real value of Area II competencies is that they produce plans that are clear enough to be executed, flexible enough to be adapted, and rigorous enough to be evaluated.

When you write a SMART objective, you are giving your implementation team a measurable target. When you build a logic model, you are providing stakeholders with a transparent map of how resources translate into results. When you ground your intervention in theory, you are increasing the likelihood that your program will produce the behavior change you intend.

Area II is where the intellectual work of health education takes its most structured form. Master it, and you will be prepared not only for the exam but for the professional demands of designing programs that make a measurable difference in people's lives.

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