Ethical issues in the teaching and learning of health topics in schools: The conceptions of teacher trainees

•First study about health education teacher trainees' conceptions of ethical aspects.•Ethics was related to subject matter, ethical teacher and learning spaces.•Findings contribute to teacher trainers' pedagogical content knowledge

There has been little research on how teacher trainees can be educated to deal with ethical issues, or on trainees' conceptions of these issues. Using written essays, this study aimed to examine health education teacher trainees' (N = 35) conceptions of the ethical aspects involved in teaching and learning health topics. A qualitative content analysis revealed three broad themes: health education as an ethical subject, the teacher as an ethical professional, and spaces for learning. The results reflect the content areas focused on in health education teacher training, and provide new insights into topics that can be useful in developing teacher training.