MINDSPARK INSTITUTE OF HEALTH SCIENCE AND

MANGEMENT STUDIES (MSIHSMS)

FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
YEAR I
SEMESTER II
HEALTH EDUCATION MODULE
BY; PHILIP MAJUCH MUM
TEL; 0924646395
CONTENTS;
 Definition of terms (concepts)
 Human communication process
 Merit and demerits of communication process
 Attitude formation
 Health education and promotion approaches
 Maslow’s hierarchy
 Planning intervention programs
 Data collection, editing and presentation
 Setting goals and objectives
 Identification of resource requirements
 Implementation schedule/monitoring
 Evaluation and re-planning
 Design visual aids
 Lecturer planning
 Teaching methodology
 Improving people’s health
 Learning Objectives
• By the end of this lecture the students will be ableto :

• 1-Define Health Education (HE) & its concept

• 2-Explain the relationship between health education
& individual’ behavior
• 3- list Aim & objectives of health education
• 4-Mention the role of health care providers in
Health education
• 5-To discuss different fields related to HE, as
approaches, contents, principles, practice and
Methods in health communication for health
education
•
 Concept & Definition of Health Education
Health education, is a process or an activity
for inducing behavioral changes, its’ definitions
as follow:
1. 1. Health education is the translation of what is
known about health, into desirable individual and
community behavior patterns by means of an
educational process
2. 2. Health education is the part of health care services
that is
concerned with promoting healthy behavior.
3. The dynamic definition of health education is now as
follows :
"a process aimed at encouraging people to be
healthy, to know how to stay healthy, to do what
 they can individually and collectively to maintain
health, and to seek help when needed" .
4. The Alma-Ata Declaration at 1979 by World Health
Organization (WHO), has revolutionized the
concepts and aims of health education : as “ The
modern concept of health education emphasizes on
healthy behavior and related actions of people “.
 Health Education & Behavior
• The behavior to be adopted or modified may be
that of individuals, groups (such as families, health
professionals, organizations or institutions) or
entire community.
• Strategies designed to influence the behavior of
individuals or groups will vary greatly depending
upon the specific health problem, or disease
concerned & its distribution in the population as well
as upon the characteristics and acceptability of
available methods preventing or controlling that
disease (or that health problem).
• Health education can help to increase knowledge
and to reinforce desired behavior patterns.
Education is necessary, but education alone is
insufficient to achieve optimum health. The target
population must have access to proven preventive
measures or procedures.
 Aim & Objective of Health Education

• The Alma-Ata Declaration held by WHO, adopted in

1978, provide a useful basis for the aims and
objectives of health education, which may be stated
as below :
• 1. to encourage people to adopt and sustain health
promoting
lifestyle and practices;
• 2. to promote the proper use of health services available
to them;
• 3. to provide new knowledge, improve skills and
change attitudes in making rational decisions to solve
their own problems;
• 4. to stimulate individual & community self-
 reliance& participation to achieve health
development through individual and community
involvement at every step from identifying problems
to solving them.
• The educational objectives are aimed at the group to be
taught in the
educational programme.
 Role of health care providers
• It is clear that education is necessary, but education
alone is not sufficient to achieve optimum health. The
role of health care providers in this regard comprise
to :
• a. provides opportunities for people to learn how
to identify and analyze health &health related
problems, &how to set their own targets &
priorities
• b. makes health and health related information
easily accessible to the community;
• c. indicates to the people alternative solutions for
solving health & health-related problems they have
identified;
• d. people must have access to proven
preventive measures.
 Approach to Health Education

• There are 4 well-known approaches to health

education:
• 1. Regulatory approach (Managed prevention)
defined as any governmental intervention, direct or
indirect, designed to alter human behavior.
• 2. Service approach: this approach aimed at
providing all the health services needed by the
people to improve their own health.
• 3. Health education approach : There are many
problems (e.g., cessation of smoking, use of safe
water supply, fertility control) which can be solved
only through health education.
• 4. Primary health care approach: This is a
radically new approach starting from the people
with their full participation & active involvement in
the planning and delivery of health services based
on principals of primary health care, with
community involvement and intersectoral
coordination.
• The underlying objective is to help individuals to
become self-reliant in matters of health. This in turn,
can be done if the people receive the necessary
guidance from health care providers for identifying
their health problems and finding workable solutions.
 Contents of Health Education
• The content of health education may be divided
into the following divisions :
• 1. Human biology Understanding health, demands
an understanding of the human biology, i.e., the
structure and functions of the body; how to keep it
physically fit the need for exercise, rest and sleep;
the effects of alcohol, smoking and drugs on the
body; cultivation of healthy lifestyles, etc.
Reproductive biology is another area of current
interest.
• 2. Nutrition The aim of nutrition education is to
guide people to choose optimum and balanced
diets, and promote good dietary habits
• 3. Hygiene This has two aspects - personal and
environmental. The aim of personal hygiene is to
promote standards of personal cleanliness within the
setting of the condition where people live. Personal
hygiene includes bathing, clothing, washing hands after
toilet; care of nails, feet and teeth; spitting, coughing,
sneezing, personal appearance and inculcation of clean
habits in the young. Training in personal hygiene
should begin at a very early age and must be carried
through school age.
• 4. Family health The family is the first defense, as
well as the chief reliance for the well-being of its
members. Health largely depends on the family's social
and physical environment and its lifestyle and behavior.
• 5. Disease prevention and control Drugs alone will
not solve health problems without health education,
a person may fall sick again and again from the
same disease.
• 6. Mental health Mental health problems occur
everywhere. They become more prominent when
major killer diseases are brought under control.
• 7. Prevention of accidents :Accidents are a feature
of the complexity of modern life. In the developed
countries, they are taking an increasing ways and
need more awareness and orientation.
• 8. Use of health services Many people particularly
in rural areas do not know what health services are
available in their community, and many more do not
know what signs to look for that indicate a visit to
the doctor is necessary.
 Principles of Health Education
• (1) Credibility : It is the degree to which the
message to be communicated is perceived as
trustworthy by the receiver.
• (2) Interest : It is a psychological principle that
people are unlikely to listen to those things which are
not to their interest. It is salutary to remind ourselves
that health teaching should relate to the interests of
the people.
• (3) Participation : Participation is a key word in
health education.
• (4) Motivation : In every person, there is a
fundamental desire to learn. Awakening this
desire is called motivation.
• (5) Comprehension : In health education we must
know the level of understanding, education and
literacy of people to whom the teaching is directed.
One barrier to communication is using words
which cannot be understood.
• (6) Reinforcement: Few people can learn all that is
new in a single period. If there is no reinforcement,
there is every possibility of the individual going back
to the pre- awareness stage. If the message is repeated
in different ways, people are more likely to remember
it.
• (7) Learning by doing : Learning is an action -
process; not a "memorizing" one in the narrow sense.
The Chinese proverb : "If I hear, I forget; if I see, I
remember; if I do, I know" illustrates the importance of
learning by doing.
• (8) Known to unknown : In health education work,
we must proceed "from the particular to the general";
"from the simple to the more complicated;" "from the
easy to more difficult"; and "from the known to the
unknown".
• (9) Setting an example : The health educator
should set a good example in the things he is
teaching. If he is explaining the hazards of smoking,
he will not be very successful if he himself smokes.
• (10) Good human relations: Sharing of
information, ideas and feelings happen most easily
between people who have a good relationship.
• ( 11) Feedback : Feedback is one of the key
concepts of the systems approach. The health
educator can modify the elements of the system
(e.g., message, channels) in the light of feedback
from his audience.
• (12) Leaders: Psychologists have shown and
established that we learn best from people whom
we respect and regard.
 Practice Of Health Education
• Educational material should be designed to focus
attention to provide new knowledge, to facilitate
interpersonal & group discussion & to reinforce or
clarify prior knowledge and behaviour.
• (1) Auditory Aids Radio, tape-recorder,
microphones, amplifiers, earphones.
• (2) Visual Aids (a) Not requiring projection : Chalk-
board, leaflets, posters, charts, flannel graph,
exhibits, models, specimens, etc.
• (3) Combined A-v Aids Television, sound films
(Cinema), slide-tape combination.
 Methods in health communication for health education
• [Link] approach There are plenty of
opportunities for individual health education.
• 2. Group approach Our society contains
groups of many kinds school children,
mothers, industrial workers, patients, etc.
• 3. Mass approach - Education of the general
public · No health worker or health team can mount
an effective health education programme for the
whole community, except through mass media of
communication.
Thank You