Method and media of healt

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education
 CLASSIFICATION
METHODS AND MEDIA OF HEALTH EDUCATION

METHODS MEDIA

Individual Methods Group Methods Mass Methods Audio Aids Visual Aids Audio-Visual Aids:
 Interview  Role play  Lecture  Radio 1. Projected Aids: T.V., Computer etc.
 Counseling  Demonstration  Exhibition  Tape Slide Projector
 Case Study  Campaign Recorder (OHP)
 Mini Lecture  Cassette 2. Non-Projected
 Field Trip Player Aids: Poster,
 Group Pamphlets,
Discussion Charts etc.
 Panel
Discussion etc.
 Individual method
Interview
Interview is to meet and talk each other and collect information and ideas. It is a
kind of process or method of providing health education through the means of
question and answer between the health educator and the learner. In this process,
interviews, knowledge, attitude, feeling and health practices are studied and
essential suggestions are given to bring about the positive change.
Interviews are typically broken down into these 5 stages of the interview process:
• Introductions
• Small Talk
• Information Gathering
• Question/Answer
• Wrapping Up
Advantages of interview
• Helps to know knowledge , attitude and practice
• Helps for intensive and systematic teaching with exchange of ideas and feelings
• Help to reach a better conclusion for solution of a problem.
• Easy to conduct with less cost and limited facilities.
• Even illiterate persons can be interviewed and taught
• Easy to make follow-up
• It is a two way communication
• The expression and gestures can be observed.

Disadvantages of interview
• Time consuming
• Difficult to cover wide range of target people
• Limited manpower
• Tedious if has to repeat too many people. 
 Counseling
Counseling is a process of encouraging and helping an individual in identifying his or her health problem, the cause
of the problem, the ways of its solution and also encourage to take necessary actions to solve it. The decision of
actions strategies is made on his own choice with least of advice from the counselor. A counselor will have to play
a serious role of helping the client in identifying the actual problems and the appropriate method to solve it. So he
must encourage for adequate interactions between him and his client.
Opportunities for counseling
• At Hospital
• At Home
• At School
Techniques of counselling
Building rapport:-
It is a process of developing relationship with the client and gaining faith. The counselor should show positive
attitude towards client. He should first introduce himself and try to get clients introduction establishment of such
relations will help to gen confidence, truth and mutual understanding. Which help to keep client at ease and help
to exchange ideas, feelings, and experiences in maximum level.
Identifying clients need or problems:-
Individuals have their own values, norms, beliefs and attitude all which influence decision .Counselor must try to
understand the problem as the client see himself.. Counseling should conducted in a respectful way using a
communication process that seeks to understand the client's needs .Counselor must speak politely , cleanly, listen
to, exchange ideas and help in identifying the health problems of the clients.
Help the client in finding ways to solve the problems:-
The counselor should help the client in finding ways to solve the problems by
encouraging in discussion and develop problem solving strategies based on his
situation. Counselor should provide appropriate information's and help to find
resources. He can guide the client a sound decision and encourage implementing
what he is planned.
Maintaining patience:-
A councilor should be patience while giving information, listening the client's ideas
and guiding to help him, identifying the health problems and help to solve it by
necessary actions. A counselor should be patient throughout the counseling
period. He should do responsibility seriously.
Keeping secret:-
Counselor should maintain confidence on sensible personal matter is highly
necessary during counseling. In ability on the part of counselor to maintain
confidentiality will result in non cooperation and failure in counsel ling.
  

GATHER Approach of Counselling

G=Greet :- Greet the client. She should feel welcome. Build a rapport with client by
greeting the client and making her feel comfortable
A=Ask :- Ask questions effectively in a friendly manner using words that client understands
and listen patiently, without being judgmental. Identify client needs by asking relevant
questions about personal, social, family, medical and reproductive health including
reproductive tract infections, sexually- transmitted diseases, family planning goals and
past/ current use of family planning methods.
T=Tell :- Tell the relevant information to help her reach a decision and make an informed
choice regarding method of EC and ongoing contraception method.
H=Help :- Help the client to reach a decision and give other related information e.g. how to
protect herself from STIs.
E=Explain :- Explain about the method in detail including information that it protects against
a ‘single act’, its efficacy, potential side-effects and the need for follow- up in case period is
delayed by more than 7 days.
R=Return :- Return for ongoing contraceptive method is advised and need for follow-up is
emphasized if the period is delayed beyond 7 days.
Advantage of counseling
• It is helpful in dealing with individual clients and motivate him to take necessary
action to solve his health problem
• Provides maximum opportunity for feedback.
• Helps to maintain two way communications.
• Illiterate people can be taught by this method.
• Easy to make follow up studies on the basis of counseling records.

Disadvantage of Counseling
• Counseling takes long period of time.
• It is difficult to cover wide range of people through counseling method.
 Group Methods of Health Education
Demonstration
Demonstration is the process of providing knowledge and skills as well as
developing attitude of a small group of people.
Teaching by demonstration involves verbal and visual explanation.
It is a mixture of theoretical and practical teaching.
The numbers of learners in the group may be about 15 to the maximum.
It is organized to teach about the specific topics and it takes 45 minutes.
The learners are given opportunity to see and manipulate the device or materials
used in demonstration and also give opportunity to practice the process and
questions and answers to clarify doubts.
PURPOSES OF DEMONSTRATION

• To improve skill of the student

• Provide a vicarious learning experience
• Visual representation helps to memorize the content
• Observation skill will be improved
• Improves the confidence level
Advantages
• It is the effective teaching method which involves varied learning experiences like
seeing, hearing, feeling , testing and smelling depending upon the subject of
demonstration.
• It is interesting and draws attention of the learners because of the active learning
process.
• It helps to develop not only knowledge and attitude but also skills for required
work performance.
• Student’s achievement could be immediately assessed through verbal expression
and skill practice.
• Provides concrete and realistic visual picture of what is being taught resulting in a
more lasting impression.
• It is cheap, practicable, accessible and useful for different categories of learners.
It needs only limited materials and object. It can be used at different teaching-
learning situations at different places.
Disadvantages
• Sometimes it may be difficult to get necessary equipment and materials for
certain demonstration.
• May not be appropriate to conduct demonstrative teaching on certain topic
especially when there will be only cognitive gain.
 Mini lecture
Mini lecture is the method of giving information about any subject matter with the
help of short lecture or speech, maintaining the exchange of ideas between the
speaker and the audience, as well as evaluating about what the audience
perceived in between the speech.

Advantages
• Two way communication is maintained between the speaker and audience
• The audience gives maximum concentration on the speech.
• Since there is quick evaluation in between the speech , the mini-lecture can
be changed according to fit to the knowledge condition of the audience.
• It can be effective in small groups within short time interval
Disadvantages
• It will be difficult for the speaker to present mini-lecture in short time , as well
as to evaluate and change the mini-lecture according to the perception of the
audience.
• The audience feels shy and embarrassed when they cannot answer the
questions asked by the speaker.
• It can be applicable only for small groups.
 Brain Storming
Brain storming is also called ‘Creative Ideation’.
This is a modern method of eliciting from the participants, their ideas and
solutions on debatable issues or current problems.
Instead of discussing a problem at great length the participants in brain storming
session are encouraged to make a list in a short period of time all the ideas that
come to their mind regarding some problems without debating amongst
themselves about the pros and cons of their own ideas.

Note: The best approach combines individual and group brainstorming. During the
process, there should be no criticism of ideas, and creativity should be encouraged.
 To run a group brainstorming session effectively,
follow these steps:
Step 1: Prepare the Group
Step 2: Present the Problem
Clearly define the problem that you want to solve, and lay out any criteria that you
must meet. Make it clear that that the meeting's objective is to generate as many ideas
as possible. Give people plenty of quiet time at the start of the session to write down as
many of their own ideas as they can. Then, ask them to share their ideas, while giving
everyone a fair opportunity to contribute.
Step 3: Guide the Discussion
Taking Your Brainstorming Further
The Next Step – Taking Action
several tools
 Affinity Diagrams, Decision Matrix Analysis , Paired Comparison Analysis,  
Six Thinking Hats,  Modified Borda Count, Multi-Voting
Advantages
• Provides varieties of useful ideas in short time for quick group
decision
• Enables individuals to think and responses quickly
• Decision made by group thinking is better than by individual
thinking.
Disadvantages
• Ideas pulled out may not always be relevant and helpful to make
group decision. It may happen especially with the new learners.
• It might take some longer time and may not be appropriate for
packed program.
 Group Discussion
Group discussion is defined as the verbal exchange of knowledge, ideas and
experiences to achieve the objectives. It is the practice of meeting group of people
and discuss to solve problem existed since the beginning of man’s ability to
communicate with verbal symbols. Today, group discussion is also used commonly
in teaching a ' group of people about how to identify their health problem and find
out ways and means to solve it. It is a method of teaching through the direct share
of knowledge, ideas and experiences among small group of persons about a
particular subject or problem within a limited period of time with a view to solve
the problem. Any discussion should take only an hour or less to avoid boredom.

Group Size:-
An ideal group may consist of Six to Twelve members depending upon the situation
so that each person is able to communicate with all the others face to face to reach
to a decision and achieve the common goal.
Characteristics of Group
• A set of individuals with common need
• The members have accepted as their own a common goal of the
group based on their need
• The members act united to achieve the goal
• The action or achievement of group goal involves interaction among
the members resulting in share of knowledge, skills and ideas.
 Process of Group Discussion
Getting to know each other through introduction.
Getting familiar with the purpose of group discussion.
Establishing good norms.
Making good participation by sharing ideas and skills.
Reaching group consensus in goal achievement.

Members of group discussion:

• Leader or chairperson
• Recorder
• General members
Leader or chairperson:
They are normally selected among the members. Sometimes, a health educator will
have to take the position. If there are several dimensions on different topics, the
leader may be changed for each discussion.

Recorder:
The recorder is also called as reporter or Secretary. He is chosen from the group
members to keep record of the points of discussion and report the decision to the
group members.

General Members:
The rest of the members in the group act as general members who actively
participate in the discussion and share knowledge, ideas and experiences to reach
the fruitful conclusion. They are generally known as members of the discussion
group.
Factors Affecting Good Discussion and
Decision Making
Able leadership
Maturity of the group
Clear understanding of the problems by all members
Effective Communication with adequate exchange of ideas and
experiences
Absence of interference and dominance
Availability of resources (resource person, physical facilities etc.)
Advantages:
• Develops creativity, confidence and ability of judgment in the members or learners.
• Helps learners to come to a group decision and solve their common problem. Group decision is
better than individual decision.
• Helps members to become active learners and learn new knowledge, ideas and experiences about
their subject of concern through a cooperative process.
• Provides adequate communication among all the members with exchange of ideas and experiences.
• The health educator can make a closer study of the members of target group regarding their need,
interest, attitude, ability and other potentialities.

Disadvantages:
• Some self-conscious members may not venture to bring forth their valid idea "for fear of disapproval
by other members.
• Sometimes discussion may be prolonged without any fruitful result, or it may take longer time to
come to the conclusion or decision.
• Somebody may not feel personally responsible for the result of discussion. So, they may not
participate well.