Living healthfully is an essential component of the Seventh-day Adventist lifestyle. The health message, comprised of principles of healthful living, is core to the church’s mission. The Adventist Learning Community now offers eight free health and wellness courses that cover a wide range of topics. Provided by Dr. Peter Landless and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Health Ministries Department, these courses can be used by educators and community leaders in a variety of settings: junior high and high school health and physical-education classrooms, the fitness or wellness university classroom, community-services health-education events, mission trip preparedness or attendee education, health expos, in small groups, and in health-evangelism efforts.

Seven of the courses are voice-over PowerPoint presentations. Within each learning module of the course, the learner will view the PowerPoint presentation, read the module learning outcomes and Website information, download resources or participate in additional learning activities, and complete the short quiz. Each course also includes an instructor’s guide. A completion certificate will be generated once the learner has finished all the course activities.

The book-review course is set up in learning modules based on the 12 chapters of the book Health and Wellness: Secrets That Will Change Your Life by Dr. Peter Landless and Pastor Mark Finley. This book can be obtained as a free downloadable app for iPhone or Android. Each learning module contains Webpage information, desired learning outcomes, several short videos expanding on chapter content, application learning activities, and a quiz. A completion certificate will be generated once the learner has finished all of the course activities.

Course Descriptions

1. Heart Health With Dr. Peter Landless:
https://www.adventistlearningcommunity.com/courses/137

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the developed world, and its incidence is rising in developing countries. Despite media attention to heart disease, many people remain unaware of the risk factors. This eight-session course, written by a cardiac specialist, covers the most important topics in cardiovascular health and heart-healthy living. [0.8 CEU]

2. Birth Companions With Drs. Allan Handysides and Peter Landless:
https://www.adventistlearningcommunity.com/courses/133
The Birth Companions course is an 11-module course designed to train caring individuals how to mentor, advocate for, and support the mother-to-be during pregnancy and after giving birth to a child. While focused on the adult learner, this course offers the school-age learner very specific information about conception, pregnancy, the birthing process, birth control, and having a new baby. [1 CEU]

3. CELEBRATIONS With Dr. Peter Landless:
https://www.adventistlearningcommunity.com/courses/134
The CELEBRATIONS course is a 12-module course on the 12 healthful-living principles. CELEBRATIONS is an acronym for Choices, Exercise, Liquids, Environment, Belief, Rest, Air, Temperance, Integrity, Optimism, Nutrition, and Social Support. This course will help learners utilize a wholistic approach to improve their own health. The CELEBRATIONS content for children is posted with this course as an additional resource. [1.2 CEU]

4. Fitness With Dr. Peter Landless and Jonathan Duffy:
https://www.adventistlearningcommunity.com/courses/136

Exercise benefits not only physical health, but also mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. It is the single best remedy for improving mood, memory, and learning, according to a recent Harvard Medical School study. The eight-session Fitness curriculum covers the benefits of exercise and guides participants as they develop a personal program of regular and satisfying physical activity. [0.8 CEU]

5. Community Health, Diseases With Dr. Peter Landless:
https://www.adventistlearningcommunity.com/courses/140

This course is one of three courses focused on community health. The 12-module course explores common and transmittable diseases. This course will help participants become knowledgeable about numerous diseases. It provides practical disease recognition criteria, disease transmission information, prevention guidelines, and health-education information. [1 CEU]

6. Community Health, Remedies With Dr. Peter Landless:
https://www.adventistlearningcommunity.com/courses/142

A three-module course, Community Health: Remedies focuses on the following remedy areas: using charcoal, recognizing and treating a fever, and water treatments. This course will help participants improve their knowledge of natural remedies and treatment strategies. [0.3 CEU]

7. Community Health, Healthy Lifestyle With Dr. Peter Landless:
https://www.adventistlearningcommunity.com/courses/141

The Community Healthy Lifestyle course contains 12 modules on healthful living principles. Self-care best practices, substance-abuse information, and family-planning strategies are presented. This course will help participants practice a healthy lifestyle, provide critical information about substance abuse, and lastly, help learners identify the types of family-planning choices that best fit their needs. [1.2 CEU]

Book Review Course Description

Health & Wellness Book Review, Peter Landless and Mark Finley, Health and Wellness: Secrets That Will Change Your Life (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald, 2014).
https://www.adventistlearningcommunity.com/courses/151

This book-review course examines how to optimize physical, mental, social, and spiritual health within the framework of the uniquely Adventist health message. Participants will read the FREE downloadable book, watch the short videos in each module, read Webpage content, complete all corresponding module learning activities, and take the module quizzes. By the end of this course, participants will be able to apply biblical and healthful lifestyle practices to their daily activities. [1 CEU]

Sharon Aka

Sharon Aka, PhD, MSN, RN, is a consultant for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for virtual events and the Adventist Collective. Dr. Aka is also an adjunct faculty member in the graduate leadership department at Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan, U.S.A.) and the school of nursing at Notre Dame of Maryland University (Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.). She is also a researcher and author, engaged with the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventist Center of Research and Evaluation (NADCoRE).

Recommended citation:

Sharon Aka, “Adventist Learning Community Announces Eight Health Courses,” The Journal of Adventist Education (January-March 2018): 40-41. Available at https://www.journalofadventisteducation.org/en/2018.1.8.