CHES study guide
CHES · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) credential - pronounced "chez" - is administered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. It signifies that an individual has met the required academic preparation qualifications, has successfully passed a competency-based examination, and satisfies the continuing education requirement needed to maintain the national credential. The CHES study guide has 9 sections and about 2,847 words.
01Assessment of Needs and Capacity
Assessment answers two linked questions: what is the gap between current and desired conditions (needs), and what resources exist to close it (capacity)? Know the difference between primary data you collect (surveys, focus groups, key-informant interviews, observations, photovoice) and secondary data that already exists (vital records, census, BRFSS, county health rankings, program records).
325 words, about 2 min02Planning
Planning translates assessment findings into a defensible blueprint. Know the hierarchy: mission/vision → goals (broad, aspirational, no timeframe) → objectives (specific, measurable, time-bound) → strategies and activities .
322 words, about 2 min03Implementation
Implementation is delivery with quality control. Core concepts: fidelity (delivering the intervention as designed) versus adaptation (modifying it for context); dose delivered versus dose received ; reach ; and pilot testing before full rollout.
321 words, about 2 min04Evaluation and Research
Know the types by purpose: formative (improve before/during), process (was it delivered as planned - reach, dose, fidelity), impact (changes in knowledge, attitudes, skills, behavior), outcome (health status, quality of life), and summative (overall judgment against goals). Match design to question: randomized controlled trial, quasi-experimental (nonequivalent comparison group, interrupted time series), pre-experimental (one-group pre/post), cross-sectional, cohort, case-control.
308 words, about 2 min05Advocacy
Advocacy is organized action to influence decisions, policies, and systems that shape health. Know the difference between education (informing), advocacy (promoting a cause or solution), and lobbying (a specific, narrowly defined ask regarding legislation or a candidate).
338 words, about 2 min06Communication
Health communication is audience-centered. Know health literacy and its components (print, numeracy, oral, and digital literacy) and the practical responses: plain language, chunking, white space, teach-back, and visuals.
307 words, about 2 min07Leadership and Management
Leadership sets direction and inspires; management controls resources and processes. Know leadership styles and when each fits: transformational (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration), transactional (contingent reward, management by exception), servant, situational, democratic versus autocratic versus laissez-faire.
298 words, about 1 min08Ethics and Professionalism
The Code of Ethics for the Health Education Profession expresses obligations to the public, to the profession, to employers, and to the delivery of quality health education, including responsibilities in research and evaluation and in professional preparation. Understand the governing principles: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, veracity, and fidelity.
322 words, about 2 min09Collaboration
Collaboration sits on an integration continuum: networking (sharing information) → cooperation (loose, activity-based) → coordination (aligned schedules, shared referrals) → coalition/collaboration (shared resources, risk, responsibility, and reward) → merger. Distinguish a coalition (a formal alliance of organizations or constituencies pursuing a common goal) from a simple partnership or referral network.
306 words, about 2 min