Health Education

EDUCATION OF HEALTH 

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Defintion:

As adopted by WHO: sates ” Health Education” like general education, is concerned with change in knowledge, feeling and behaviour of people. It concentrates on developing such Health practice as are believed to bring about the best possible sate of well being .” As accepted by Alma Ata Declaration (1978) : ”  A process alimed at enucuraging people to want to be healthy, to know how to stay healthy, to do what they can individual and collectively to maintain health and to sekk healp when needed”. The ultimate goal of Health Education is to bring about change in behaviour, so as to adopt the recommended health pratice, by the individual

objective :

a) informing people:

Health information helps people in becoming aware of their Health problem, in developing proper perception about them and seeking appropriate solution for me the same.

b) Motivating People:

More information is not Sufficient. After information it is necessary to motivate them to adopt a Certain behaviour

C) Guidling into action:

Guiding motivated people to achieve the goal

(III) Contents of Health Education:

Health education should cover aspect and community health and should be effective in including behavioural change. The content of health education could from subject viz nutrition hygiene, family health, mental health, disease prevention and control and use of health services etc

Principles of health Education:

1.  Health education should involve free discussion:

Three should be two way communication Between the people and the health educator. The health problems, their posible solution shoulc be discussed throughout

2. Tell only what is needed:

Health educator should clearly understand the health problem, the posible solution and the level of knowledge and generel education of the people He should then limit the content of health education to telling only that which is necessary,  important ‘ and relevant using simple language.

3. Do not give conflicting information:

Different health workers shoulds not give contradictory message regarding a particular problem.

4.  Interest participation:

Health teaching should relate to the interest and the ” Felt needs” of the people. The benifiaiciaries should participate actively with health educator

5.  Educator should make himself acceptable:

• He should be friendly and sympathetic. • He should be Knowledge • He should practice what he teaches • He should talk the language of the people • He should employ all posible methods of education

6.  Reinforcement :

Repetition of the messages is necessary so that people can remeber it.

7.  Learning by doing

” If hear, I forget If see, I remember If  I do, Know ” illustrates the importance of learning by doing.

8. Konw of unknown:

In health education, it is common process to proceed from concrete to abstract, from simpler to complicated and from know to unknown. It is to use existing knowledge of the community to build the new new knowledge

9.  Use of audio- visual aids:

Taperecorder, radio, poster, chalk- board, overhead projectors should be used during health education. Such aids make the topic more lively, interesting comprehensive

10. Feedback:

It is necessary to know how much the community has acceptable the massage so that the elements of health education can be suitably modified.

11.  Communication must be good:

The qualities of good communications .it should be clear, simple and brief. The message should be delivered without any ambiguity. The communicators personals skills, tone of voice and selection of spoken words are also equally important.