Health education

Introduction :
The practice of instructing people and communities in the principles
of hygiene and in ways of avoiding disease is a very ancient one.
An elementary study of the history of medicine reveals that since time
immemorial it has been considered a necessity to instruct communities in health
matters for their protection and survival.
DEFINITION :
1) The national conference on preventive medicine (USA) –
Health education is a process which informs, motivate and helps people to
adopt and maintain healthy practices and life styles; advocates environmental
changes as needed to facilitate this goal and conducts professional training and
research to the same end.
2) WHO –
Health education, like general education, is concerned with changes in
knowledge, feelings and behaviour of people. In its most usual forms, it concentrates
on developing such health practices as are believed to bring about the best possible
state of well being.

Aims of HE :
 To inform the general public of the principles of physical and mental hygiene and
methods of preventing avoidable disease.
 To create an informed body of opinion and knowledge.(social workers, teachers)
 To give the public accurate information of medical discoveries.
 To facilitate the acceptance and proper usage of medical measures.
Methods of approaching in HE :
1. legal and regulatory approach
2. Administrative approach
3. Educational approach

legal and regulatory approach :
 Makes use of the low to protect the health of the public.
 Eg : epidemic disease act, pollution act
 Limitation :
a. Applicable only at certain times or limited situation.
b. They may not alter the behaviour of the individual.
Administrative approach :
Intends to provide all the health facilities needed by the people.
 ‘Felt needs of people’
Educational approach :
 Most effective
 Components :
a. Motivation
b. Communication
c. Decision making
 Results slow, but permanent and enduring.
 Sufficient time for an individual to bring about changes
 Learning new facts as well as unlearning wrong information as well

CONTENTS OF HEALTH EDUCATION
1. Human biology
2. Nutrition
3. Hygiene
4. Family health care
5. Control of communicable and non communicable diseases
6. Mental health
7. Prevention of accidents
8. Use of health services

Human biology
 The senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste)
 Physical exercise
 Sleep
Nutrition
 For prevention of malnutrition
 Taught nutrient value of food stuff
 Method of preparation
 Help people to choose balanced diet
Hygiene
 Personal
 Environmental
Family health care
 Strengthen and improve the health of the family as a unit rather as
an individual
 Maternal and child health care, family planning, immunization,
nutrition etc

Control of communicable and non
communicable diseases
 Provide elementary knowledge about the nature of
the disease and method of preventing them
Mental health
 Depression, neurosis ,mental anxiety and emotional
disturbances
 Basic knowledge of common psychological aliments,
its detection, methods of prevention and treatment
Prevention of accidents
 People taught about basic safety rules and prevent
common accidents
Use of health services
 People should be informed about various health
services and prevention programme available to
them

STAGES IN ADOPTON OF NEW IDEAS AND
PRACTICES
STAGE OF
UNAWARENESS
Not aware of new
idea or practice
STAGE OF
AWARENESS
Get some
information but
not know much
STAGE OF
INTEREST
Shows interest to
know more listen,
read
STAGE OF
EVALUATION find
out advantage
&disadvantage
STAGE OF TRIUAL
Puts it into
practice
STAGE OF
ADOPTION
Accepts new idea
as beneficial to
him &adopt it

PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH EDUCATION
 MOTIVATION
 INTEREST
 PARTICIPATION
 COMPREHENSION
 LEARNING BY DOING
 SIMPLE TO COMPLEX / KNOWN TO UNKNOWN
 REPETITION
 GOOD HUMAN RELATION
 COMMUNICATION
 CAPABLE LEADERSHIP
 PLANNING
 EVALUATION
 SOIL,SEED &SOWER

MOTIVATION
 To arouse the desire to learn is motivation
2 types : primary motive (inborn desires food, clothing, housing)
secondary motive(outside forces gifts a word of praise love
rewards)
INTEREST
 The person should have the desire and interest to learn.
desire for health education can only be created when its
connected with the needs of the person ex. polio vaccine for
children, sex education for youth, and prevention of AIDS for
the prostitution
PARTICIPATION
 Educator should encourage people to participate in health
education programme
 Group discussion, panal discussion etc. provide opportunities
for peoples participation
COMPREHENSION
 Determine the level of literacy and understanding of audience
 Language of communication understandable to audience
 Usage of technical or medical terms should be avoided

LEARNING BY DOING
 Learning process accompanied by doing the new things
 Based on famous chinese proverb ‘if I here, I forget; if I see, I
remember; if I do, I know.
SIMPLE TO COMPLEX/KNOWN TO UNKNOWN
 Start with what the people already know and then give the new
knowledge
 Existing knowledge as people as the basic step
REPETITION
 Most people do not accept new facts in one attempt, hence
repetition is necessary for effective health education
GOOD HUMAN RELATION
 It is necessary to have cordial, friendly, and kind relations
between the teacher and the person accepting health education

COMMUNICATION
 Health education is a two way process hence the language
should be simple and the communication effective
CAPABLE LEADERSHIP
 The health education should also have leadership quality
similarly the co-operation of the local leadership(panch,
sarpanch, MLA, school teacher etc.) who plays an influential role
in the community, is always beneficial the active role of
voluntary agencies can also be fruitful in health education
PLANNING
 Planning is essential for correct implementation to achieve the
targets and for assessment of the programme
 During planning phase it is essential to consider the resources
available the time required and the limitations planning is
important for the success of health education, right for small talk
to wider progammes

EVALUATION
 The achievements and reason for failure should be evaluated from
time to time and on this basis the attempt should be made for
effective health education through timely modification and
correction
SOIL,SEED &SOWER
 Soil - people to whom education is given
 Seeds - health facts to be given
 Sower - media to transmit the facts
 All components are interdependent and result in dynamic
interaction

EDUCATIONAL AIDS USED IN HEALTH
EDUCATION
1 AUDIO AIDS
2 VISUAL AIDS
3 COMBINATION IF A-V AIDS

AUDIO AIDS
Based on principle of sound electricity and magnetism
 Megaphones
 Public addressing system or microphones
 Gramophone recorder
 Tape recorder
 Radios
 Sound amplifires

VISUAL AIDS
 Based on the principles of projection
 Projected aids-needs projection from a source on to a screen
 Films or cinemas
 Film strips
 Slides
 Overhead projectors
 Epidiascopes
 Transparencies
 Bioscopes
 Video cassettes silent films
 Non-projected aids – do not require projection
 Blac-boards
 Pictures
 Cartoons
 Photographs
 posters

 Flashcards
 Charts
 Broucher
 Models
 Other aids – traditional media which makes use of lightand
sound stimuli
 Folk dances and folk songs
 Puppet shows
 dramas

COMBINATION IF A-V AIDS
 Modern media available
 Sound & sight combined together to create a better
presentation
 Televisions
 Tape and slide combination
 Video cassets players and recorders
 Motivation pictures or cinemas
 Multimedia computers

Health education

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