OBJECTIVES:
After the session the participants will be able:
- To understand the concept of health education
- To be familiar with the health education program
- To understand reasons and possibilities for health education
- To communicate confidently about the topic to the target groups
INTRODUCTION:
Health education is the process by which people learn and as a result of their learning their health habits and attitudes can be changed. Success in health education is achieved by providing necessary information and motivating people to change their behavior or attitudes leading these to enjoy better health. In other words, health information is given an individual or group so that they will be better informed and change any undesirable or unhealthy behavior based on newly acquired knowledge, attitudes and skills. The success of health education is measured in terms of change in these three areas.
Health education is a key component in enabling people to make healthy life style choices. Health education is the most important, most effective and basic requirement of any public health program. Considering its importance and effectiveness, the World Health Organization gave its expert opinion that health education is the most powerful weapon we have in the field of public health.
The effectiveness of health education in promoting behavior change is dependant on a number of factors including the quality and appropriateness of the material as well as how they are used.
Health education is not just information or propaganda, but a learning process which appeals to reason more than to emotion. Education helps to make people think for themselves and brings about a change in behavior. It helps people develop and maintain health practices that promote individual, family and community well being.
Health education is declared in the Alma Ata Declaration as a corner stone of the concept of primary healthcare.
Experts in the field of clinical medicine have also recognized the importance of health education. They have recognized that many diseases which result from an interplay of genetic and environmental factors cannot be cured, perhaps can be prevented to some extent. Prevention thus assumes parity with cure, and its magic bullet is health education.
WHAT IS HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM?
The steps involved in the health education process are outlined in this example:
REASONS AND POSSIBILTIES FOR HEALTH EDUCATION:
The case for health education is simple, attractive and versatile. Much of the illness, disability and suffering in our society is self-inflicted. Most obviously we damage our own health by our own actions, our hearts by un-balanced eating habits and our bodies generally by lack of hygiene, exercise and care. Having inflicted illness on ourselves, as patients we make them worse by failing to perceive them and worse again by our ineffective use of health services and health products. All these problems can be addressed, with the help of heath education.
The biggest need of our province is for re-construction of attitude and reshaping of human behavior, by dissemination of knowledge. It is estimated that the incidence of diseases can be brought down to the extent of 67 percent if we can motivate the people through information and education and communication to eat well, to drink safe water, to use toilets, to keep home, village and cities clean and to have children vaccinated against communicable diseases. A child can be protected from the ravages of many deadly diseases by immunization but this is possible only if the child’s mother brings it forward for the necessary immunization procedures at appropriate times.
Health Education plays a very vital role in the control and prevention of diseases. We need heath education, firstly because medical and public heath records show clearly that present heath practices are poor. Innumerable instances reveal the development of both organic and communicable diseases as the result of unhealthy living conditions and lack of hygienic precautions.
Secondly our attitude towards health and diseases has not led to healthy living. We have thought of health as “not being sick in bed”, and we have acted as though the responsibility for our health were our governments instead of our own.
A third reason for undertaking systematic health education is the general lack of basic information in heath matters. We have at present among the medical and public health profession information, if it could be applied, it would appreciably lengthen the human life.
Our knowledge of nutrition, immunization, family living, drugs and harmful substances and of many other phases of public health is growing rapidly. There is considerable amount of recent information that need to become the possession of the average citizen, but the majority of or public is ignorant of medical advancement and available health services.
LEVELS OF HEALTH EDUCATION:
Health Education can be carried out at three levels.
- Individual Level.
- Group Level
- At General Public Level.
WHO SHOULD DO HEALTH EDUCATION, AND WHOM TO EDUCATE?
It is most important to realize that every one involved in or concerned with health in any way is responsible to impart health education.
Health staff has an excellent opportunity for health education of patients and their relatives, because they are involved in the health protection and healthcare of the public. Needy and sick people going to doctors’ clinic, are prepared to receive guidance in health and to act upon what is advised. Therefore even if they and medical assistant have a large burden of clinical work they should regard patient education as an essential role. Since they are likely to be in charge of Health Centers and hospitals, they should take a lead in health education and is encouraging their staff-nursing, paramedical and ancillary workers to promote local healthcare and preventive policies.
WHOM TO EDUCATE ?
a) People in Authority and responsible for policy formulation should be on top of the list. They are the people who can be instrumental in promoting health education in an organized manner. They can manage a regular flow of information and influence through their respective administrative structures.
b) The Family is a mould that shapes human personality and sets mental attitudes. The more health oriented a family is the less are the chances of its member being victims of commonplace diseases.
Healthy human environments can be results of long-range inputs in terms of formal ad non-formal education. Family members, particularly parent figures should be instructed to keep the emotional atmospheres warm and relaxed. Children grow secure in tension-free families. The task of parental education should be performed through civic and welfare organizations.
c) Community Leaders are said to be the gateways to the community. They ought to be involved in reaching the general public. Health Education should take the form of adult education in community. Rural communities where our 80% population lives should be the main focus of our attention.
d) Schools, Secondary Schools particularly, should offer well designed courses in health education to inculcate good health attitudes in students. Students are at an impressionable age and are already motivated to learn and accept new ideas.
e) Formal Settings Education programs should be carried out through organizations like trade unions, chambers of commerce, Youth organizations and cultural clubs.
f) Opinion Makers Writers, poets, journalists, political and religious leaders should be given thorough orientation in this regard. They can be of immense help in formulating public opinion in favor of the programs.
g) District Government Health Education by Municipal Corporations, Municipal Committees, Town Committees and Area Councils should be a regular feature through and outside their routine health services.
h) Voluntary and Government Welfare Agencies: Very effective health education programs can be carried out through welfare agencies. Motivated voluntary workers are valuable asset in promotion of any program. They work with zeal and enthusiasm and are readily listened to by the general pubic.
