A health education curriculum is the primary organizing framework for the delivery of health education. An effective curriculum is comprised of teaching strategies and learning experiences that provide students with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for making health-promoting decisions, achieving health literacy, adopting health-enhancing behaviors, and promoting the health of others.

Materials such as textbooks are most likely considered resources because they do not typically meet all the elements required of a complete health education curriculum.

The HECAT can help ensure that your health education curriculum selection or development process is systematic, consistent, and thorough so that it meets what students need and community members expect. It can also help ensure that it reflects current research and practice.

The HECAT measures the extent to which a curriculum incorporates effective practices; however, it does not assess research findings related to the effectiveness of a particular curriculum.

The HECAT is not recommended to analyze a single resource independent of the curriculum in which it will be used.