Journal of School of Public Health and

Background and Aim: The content of the hygiene education and health promotion course in schools is crucial for raising the awareness of, and development of hygiene culture in, pupils. In this study we aimed to develop a hygiene education course with a fully suitable content.

Materials and Methods: In this research the content analysis technic using the "Shannon Entropy" method was used, in which data processing in discussing the content analysis is done with a new approach both quantitatively and qualitatively. In the information theory entropy is an index to measure the uncertainty which is expressed by a likelihood distribution. The content was investigated considering the respondents’ perspectives (all textbooks of elementary school sixth grade) and 12 main elements and 58 sub-elements related to hygiene education and health promotion.

Results: The results of content analysis based on the Shannon Entropy showed that the element of mental health with 732 items and physical activity with 735 items had the maximum frequencies, while the control and prevention of diseases with 6 items had the minimum frequency.

Conclusion: In the official textbooks some elements of health education are treated insufficiently or not at all, despite the fact that health is the most important factor in the progress of the society and a guarantee for survival. Thus, designing, implementation and management of the health component of national development plans are extremely vital.