Health EducationHealth Education

Ashry Gad MohamedAshry Gad MohamedProfessor of EpidemiologyProfessor of EpidemiologyCollege of Medicine, KSUCollege of Medicine, KSU

What is health education?What is health education?

Process which affects changes in the Process which affects changes in the health practices of people and in health practices of people and in the knowledge and attitude the knowledge and attitude related to such changes.related to such changes.

ORORTeaching process providing basic Teaching process providing basic

knowledge and practice of health, knowledge and practice of health, so as to be interpreted into proper so as to be interpreted into proper health behavior.health behavior.

Aims of Health educationAims of Health education

1.1. Health promotion and Health promotion and disease prevention.disease prevention.

2.2. Early diagnosis and Early diagnosis and management.management.

3.3. Utilization of available Utilization of available health services.health services.

Specific objectives of health Specific objectives of health educationeducation

1.1. To make health an assest valued by To make health an assest valued by the community.the community.

2.2. To increase knowledge of the To increase knowledge of the factors that affect health.factors that affect health.

3.3. To encourage behavior which To encourage behavior which promotes and maintains health.promotes and maintains health.

4.4. To enlist support for public health To enlist support for public health measures, and when necessary, to measures, and when necessary, to press for appropriate governmental press for appropriate governmental action.action.

5.5. To encourage appropriate use To encourage appropriate use of health services especially of health services especially preventive services.preventive services.

6.6. To inform the public about To inform the public about medical advances, their uses medical advances, their uses and their limitations. and their limitations.

Adoption of new ideas or Adoption of new ideas or practicepractice

Five stepsFive steps1.1. Awareness (know)Awareness (know)

2.2. Interests (details)Interests (details)

3.3. Evaluation (Advantages Vs Evaluation (Advantages Vs Disadvantages)Disadvantages)

4.4. Trial (practices)Trial (practices)

5.5. Adoption (habit)Adoption (habit)

Stages for health Stages for health educationeducation

• Stage of SensitizationStage of Sensitization• Stage of PublicityStage of Publicity• Stage of EducationStage of Education• Stage of Attitude changeStage of Attitude change• Stage of Motivation and ActionStage of Motivation and Action• Stage of Community Transformation Stage of Community Transformation

(social change)(social change)

Contents of health Contents of health educationeducation

1.1. Personal hygienePersonal hygiene2.2. Proper health habitsProper health habits3.3. Nutrition educationNutrition education4.4. Personal preventive measuresPersonal preventive measures5.5. Safety rulesSafety rules6.6. Proper use of health servicesProper use of health services7.7. Mental healthMental health8.8. Sex educationSex education9.9. Special education (occupation, Special education (occupation,

mothers …..etc)mothers …..etc)

Principles of Health Principles of Health educationeducation

1.1. Interest.Interest.

2.2. Participation.Participation.

3.3. Proceed from known to Proceed from known to unknown.unknown.

4.4. Comprehension.Comprehension.

5.5. Reinforcement by repetition.Reinforcement by repetition.

6.6. MotivationMotivation

7.7. Learning by doingLearning by doing

8.8. People, facts and media.People, facts and media.

9.9. Good human relations Good human relations

10.10. Leaders Leaders

CommunicationCommunication

• Communicator:Communicator: the person or the the person or the team give the message team give the message (Educator)(Educator). .

• Message:Message: the contents the contents (materials)(materials) of health educationof health education

• Channel:Channel: method of carrying the method of carrying the messagemessage

• Audience:Audience: the receivers (users or the receivers (users or targets) of the messagetargets) of the message

Good communication Good communication techniquetechnique

• Source credibility.Source credibility.• Clear message.Clear message.• Good channel: individual, group & Good channel: individual, group &

mass education.mass education.• Receiver: ready, interested, not Receiver: ready, interested, not

occupied.occupied.• Feed back.Feed back.• Observe non-verbal cues.Observe non-verbal cues.• Active listing.Active listing.• Establishing good relationship.Establishing good relationship.

EducatorEducator

• Personnel of health services.Personnel of health services.• Medical students, nursing & social work.Medical students, nursing & social work.• School personnel.School personnel.• Community leaders & influencials.Community leaders & influencials.Requirements:Requirements:• Personality: popular, influential and Personality: popular, influential and

interested in work.interested in work.• Efficiency trained and prepared for the Efficiency trained and prepared for the

job.job.• Must show good examples.Must show good examples.

MessageMessage

• What information to be What information to be communicated.communicated.

• Simple, at the level of Simple, at the level of understanding.understanding.

• Culturally accepted.Culturally accepted.• Interested.Interested.• Meet a felt need.Meet a felt need.• Avoid technical jargon.Avoid technical jargon.• Use audiovisual aids. Use audiovisual aids.

PracticePractice

1-Individual1-Individual

Face to face Face to face

Education through spoken word.Education through spoken word.

A- Occasions of health appraisal.A- Occasions of health appraisal.

B- Home visits NursesB- Home visits Nurses

Health Health visitorsvisitors

Social workersSocial workers

2-Group2-Groupa.a. Lessons and lectures in schools. Lessons and lectures in schools.b.b. lectures in work places e.g. lectures in work places e.g.

factories. factories. c.c. Demonstration and trainingDemonstration and training

3- Mass media.3- Mass media.1.1. Broadcasting: radio & TV.Broadcasting: radio & TV.2.2. Written word: newspapers, Written word: newspapers,

posters, booklets.posters, booklets.3.3. Others e,g, theaters. Others e,g, theaters.

Communication Barriers Communication Barriers

• Social and cultural gap between the Social and cultural gap between the sender and the receiversender and the receiver

• Limited receptiveness of receiverLimited receptiveness of receiver• Negative attitude of the senderNegative attitude of the sender• Limited understanding and memoryLimited understanding and memory• Insufficient emphasis by the sender Insufficient emphasis by the sender

(health professional)(health professional)• Contradictory messagesContradictory messages• Health education without identifying the Health education without identifying the

““needs "of the communityneeds "of the community

Major VariablesMajor Variablesin Behavior Changein Behavior Change

Thoughts and ideas inside a person’s Thoughts and ideas inside a person’s mind have significant influence on an mind have significant influence on an individual’s health behaviors. These individual’s health behaviors. These variables interact with social and variables interact with social and environmental factors and it is the environmental factors and it is the synergy among all these influences that synergy among all these influences that operate on behavior.operate on behavior.

• Knowledge:Knowledge: An intellectual An intellectual acquaintance with facts, truth, or acquaintance with facts, truth, or principles gained by sight, experience, principles gained by sight, experience, or report.or report.

• Skills Skills :: The ability to do something The ability to do something well, arising from talent, training, or well, arising from talent, training, or practice.practice.

• Belief Belief :: Acceptance of or confidence Acceptance of or confidence in an alleged fact or body of facts as in an alleged fact or body of facts as true or right without positive true or right without positive knowledge or proof; a perceived knowledge or proof; a perceived truth.truth.

• Attitude:Attitude: Manner, disposition, Manner, disposition, feeling, or position toward a person feeling, or position toward a person or thing.or thing.

• ValuesValues:: Ideas, ideals, customs that Ideas, ideals, customs that arouse an emotional response for or arouse an emotional response for or against them.against them.