Attitudes and Perceptions about Health Education Credentialing: A National Study of Top Agency Executives in Local Health Departments

Abstract

Increasing numbers of health educators are being certified as health education specialists (CHES). This study investigated the attitudes of top agency executives toward the credentialing of health educators. Each state identified their LHDs by providing a mailing list. A sample of 670 LHDs was selected using a table of random numbers, and a 43-item instrument was mailed. Responses from 279 sites were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated that 45 percent (127) of the respondents were aware of the credentialing process for health educators. The attitudes and beliefs that top agency executives possess toward credentialing were analyzed in 10 different areas. Top agency executives possessed favorable attitudes toward credentialed practitioners in seven of the 10 areas, while negative or undecided in the remaining three areas. A majority (51 percent) of the top agency executives who were aware of the credentialing process believed that credentialed health educators enhance the profession to a greater degree than do non-credentialed health educators, while 29.2 percent disagreed that CHES are more qualified practitioners. Recommendations and implications for the profession are discussed.