CHES Study Guide 2026

CECs must be relevant to the health education profession; activities unrelated to health education competencies do not qualify under NCHEC guidelines.

Motivational interviewing is a client-centered counseling style that meets individuals at their current stage of change and helps them resolve ambivalence.

Professional development activities are typically designed to enhance one's skills, knowledge, and expertise within their specific field, often involving formal learning, peer-reviewed contributions, or specialized training. Authoring articles, making conference presentations, and reading professional journals are all recognized forms of professional development in health education. Reading about health education needs in the popular press, while informative, generally lacks the academic rigor and professional contribution expected for formal professional development.

Community capacity assessment involves evaluating the collective strengths, resources, skills, and abilities that a community can leverage to identify and solve its health problems. It's about what the community *can do* for itself, not just the problems it has.

Falsely claiming continuing education credits violates professional integrity standards and NCHEC's Code of Ethics for credentialed health education specialists.

The initial step in gathering data for a study is to identify and select the participants or subjects from whom the data will be collected. This involves defining the target population, determining the sampling method, and recruiting individuals who meet the study criteria. Without selected subjects, there is no data to collect, making this the foundational first task.