Casey Schmitt

PBH 602

Ethics

10/23/2022

Ethics are one of the three major areas of philosophy. They are considered the study of

morality. (Morrison, 2006) Sperry defines ethics as “the science of how choices are made or

should be made” (pg. 38) Ethics are the way we perceive if a behavior is right or wrong. Ethics

go hand and hand with morals, as it is the study of morals. As humans, the decisions we make

and behaviors that we demonstrate to obtain goals represent the values we hold in our lives. An

individual’s values are their beliefs that define what is most important to them. The way we

behave based on our values represents how we think ethically. People act ethically because it

brings them a purpose to life and allows for the possibility of a better self and society.

“Professional ethics focus on the actions that are right and wrong in the workplace and

are of public matter.” (Cottrell et al., 2018, p. 138) Despite morals and values being the leading

factor of why people behave in different situations, a work setting, depending on which career

area an individual choses, influences a person behavior in their professional role. “To serve the

public, whether through controlling an outbreak of an infectious disease, preparing for, or

responding to public health emergencies, or reducing the impact of non-communicable diseases,

communities and individuals must trust our decisions and actions. This trust grows in large part

from past successes, transparent and participatory decision making, and ethical management of

the inevitable moral tensions that arise in our work.” (BMC, 2015) When a person in a
professional role act, they must act using professional ethics which benefits the professional as

well as individuals whom they work with. The role of the professional is to lead with integrity

and provide the best information they can even if it goes against their own values.

The importance for health educators to act ethically is because when working with

students, it is important for the delivery, content, and material to be accepting and not triggering.

Students at young ages who are going through many different experiences need to feel safe and

learn how to engage in different behaviors. As the health educator, you are introducing topics

that can be sensitive, harmful, and extremely important to these students lives. During this time,

you introduce behaviors that students should follow as well as being a supportive educator for

them to go to for any reason. By demonstrating a professional and personal ethical behavior, the

educator can allow students to learn properly as well as be a safe place for students to feel

comfortable in opening and learning more about their bodies and minds.

The two main ethical theories are deontology and teleology. Deontology “are those that

claim that certain actions are inherently right or wrong, or good or bad, without regard for their

consequences.” (Reamer, 2006, p.65) The end does not justify the means is a common phrase

used to describe this theory. An example of this theory in a health education standpoint, is if an

educator is teaching a lesson on drug and alcohol use and students ask whether the teacher has

done any of the drugs listed and the teacher may answer yes, they have. This teacher does not

want to lie to his students but the consequence of being honest about the teachers outside

activities can affect his students as well as parents and administration who find out about this.

Teleology is when an individual “evaluates the moral status of an act but the goodness of the
consequences.” (Reamer, 2006) If the behavior or act brings people happiness or something

good, it is okay, no matter if the act was right or wrong. The end does justify the means is a

common phrase used to describe this theory. An example of Teleology in the health education

standpoint is telling students if they eat proper food, and exercise regularly, they can live longer.

Although it is semi true, there are other factors that determine a life expectancy of an individual

and eating habits and exercise aren’t the only effect of longer life.

The five basic principles for making ethical decisions are value of life, goodness, justice,

truth telling, and individual freedom. The five basic principles were created by Thiroux (1995) to

find a common ground in distinguishing how to make moral decisions. Value of life involves

both life and death and that “human beings should revere life and accept death.” (p. 180) Value

of life includes popular controversial topics such as abortion, suicide, and death punishment. The

second principle, goodness includes the two sides of good and right. This is where people agree

on whether something is right or wrong, or good or bad. The third principle, justice, involves

treating people fairly. It can be split in two ways: procedural justice and distributive justice.

“Procedural justice deals with whether or not fair procedures were in place and whether those

procedures were followed, while distributive justice death with the allocation of resources.”

(Summers, 2014) The fourth principle, truth telling, involves honesty and communication. This

is one of the most important principles because if people speak honestly with one another, it

represents their morals and values rather than if they were to lie when communicating. The fifth

principle, individual freedom, “means that peoples, being individuals with individual differences

must have the freedom to choose their own ways and means of being moral within the

framework of the first four basic principles.” (Thiroux, 1995, p. 187)

 These principles can be applied (in a school setting) by many ways. In the health

education classroom, a teacher can introduce these principles and allow students to reflect and

think upon whether they have demonstrated the principles, or they can talk about different ways

the principles can be incorporated into their lives. As the educator, I can lead by example by

demonstrating those five principles throughout my day. These principles can also be

incorporated in meetings or professional developments to help solve dilemmas or make decisions

in a proper professionally ethic way.

As a Health Education specialist, I will act ethically by implementing all aspects of the written

code of ethics in my professional career. “The code of ethics provides a framework of shared

values within which health education is practiced. The code of ethics is grounded in

fundamental ethical principles that underlie all health care services respect for autonomy,

promotion of social justice, active promotion of good, and avoidance of harm. The responsibility

of each health educator is to aspire to the highest possible standards of conduct and to encourage

the ethical behavior of all those with whom they work.” (Cottrell et al., 2018, p. 338) The code

of ethics is broken down into six articles all including different sections that give more detail into

what the article needs out of an educator. As a health educator, I can demonstrate responsibility

to the public by promoting and educating people on all aspects of health including individual,

community, and family health. As a teacher in general, you must have values like honesty and

dependability for your students and the community for everyone to be informed and

knowledgeable about the information you are certified to know and relay.
 Another was I will act ethically is I will work cooperatively with coworkers, and

administrators as well as other staff in the building. With my own experience working in a

school, it is extremely important to show respect to everyone because you all can learn from one

another as well as support one another in times of need. As a health education teacher, it is

important for me to be knowledgeable of the curriculum, standards, and goals set for my class.

By using correct information and giving students my entire knowledgeable self, I will give the

students the best chance of succeeding in my class and further in their future as young

individuals.

I will also act ethically by the way I deliver my content. In school and at a higher grade

level, there are many topics which can be very sensitive for some students. By using resources

like guidance counselors, social workers, and school psychologists, I can give my students the

support they may need and make them feel comfortable sharing and being in this safe space. As a

professional in a school environment, it is very important and imperative for me to both plan and

prioritize lessons for my students. By giving them the content to learn as well as different

opportunities using different teaching and learning approaches, I can allow my students the best

opportunity to learn in my class.

A health education specialist must always act ethically because they have the power to

educate the youth who will become out new society. By leading by example and demonstrating

the code of ethics into everyday life, a health education teacher can succeed in their profession.

Throughout my readings of the chapters in the book as well as the information provided on the

Code of ethics and The Health Education Specialist Competencies, I have been able to reflect on

my personal experiences working in the health education environment as well as different ethical
ways I can lead in the classroom. By applying the different principles and ethical behaviors, I can

show my students the importance of being a healthy individual inside and out.
References:

Cottrell, R. R., Girvan, J. T., & McKenzie, J. F. (2018). Principles & Foundations of Health

Promotion and Education. Langara College.

Lee, L.M., Royo-Bordonada, M.Á. Continuing the conversation about public health ethics:

education for public health professionals in Europe. Public Health Rev 36, 5 (2015).

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-015-0001-4