Introduction to Health Education

By: Samuel Dessu(Assistant Professor)

Email: [email protected]
Learning Objectives
At the end of this class; you will be able
to:
 Recognize the concepts of Health
Education
 Describe the aims and principles of Health
Education
 Identify the role of Health Education in
Primary Health Care
 Familiar with the Health policy of the
country as related to Health Education
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Historical Development of H/E
 As a practice as old as human being

 As a profession in the world ~>100 years – USA

 Health belief model 1966: the oldest model

 As a course: Gondar Health science ~ 1954

 As a profession in Ethiopia: JU ~> 10 yrs

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Evolution of HE/HP
There have been three revolutions in public health:-
The First Public Health Revolution
 Fight against communicable/infectious diseases, malnutrition and
environmental factors over which people had little control (water,
basic sanitation, food security)
 Health Education had already been taking part during this first
revolution
The Second Public Health Revolution
 Fight against non-communicable diseases over
which people had some personal control, when
social conditions and context were favorable
(obesity/healthy diet, sedentary lifestyles/exercise,
addictions, abuse, mental health, risky behaviors)

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Evolution of HE/HP…
The Third Public Health Revolution –the ‘Birth of
Health Promotion’
 Is about health Promotion (since 1974)
 Health promotion is viewed as a strategic activity
to promote health as a “resource for every day
life”,
 and there fore, health promotion focuses on
wellbeing and quality of life, for which it is
necessary to empower communities for
action

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.

CONCEPTS OF HEALTH EDUCATION

AND HEALTH PROMOTION

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Introduction
Health: is “a state of complete physical, mental,
and social well-being not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity” (WHO 1948)

Health Education: is any combination of

learning experiences designed to facilitate
voluntary action conducive to health”

Health Promotion: is “the process of enabling

people to increase control over the determinants
of health, and thereby to improve their health”
(Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, 1986).

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Introduction…

 HE comprises consciously constructed

opportunities for learning involving some form of
communication designed to improve health
literacy, including improving knowledge, and
developing life skills which are conducive to
individual and community health.

 HE is not only concerned with the communication

of information, but also with fostering the
motivation, skills and confidence (self-efficacy)
necessary to take action to improve health.

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Introduction…
 HE includes the communication of information
concerning the underlying social, economic and
environmental conditions impacting on health, as well
as individual risk factors and risk behaviours, and use
of the health care system.

 Thus, health education may involve the

communication of information, and development of
skills which demonstrates the political feasibility and
organizational possibilities of various forms of action
to address social, economic and environmental
determinants of health.

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Health Education and its Relationships with Public
Health and Health Promotion
 Health Education is on of the strategies of Health
Promotion; whereas,
 Health Promotion is one of the central Public Health
Disciplines.
 While Public Health is the science & art of preventing
disease, prolonging life & promoting health through
the organized efforts of society,
 Health Promotion is specifically concerned with the
socio-behavioral processes for improving personal
health behaviors and factors influencing those behaviors

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Rationale for health education

 The continued existence and spread of

communicable diseases.
 such as malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS
 About 75% of childhood illnesses are preventable
 Need the involvement of the community members
and environmental interventions.

 For some diseases health education is the only

practical choice:
 in order to prevent the spread of the disease
or to lead a normal life. E.g. HIV/AIDS.

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Rationale …
 Increasing the tendency of chronic conditions.
E.g. Hypertension.

 Human behaviors are almost the single causes for the

development of such currently emerging health
problems and also the main solution.

 Many people do not seek treatment until it is too late.

Ignorant, access, afraid of seeking treatment

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Rationale …
 Prevention is better than cure. is a statement which
is generally true especially for non communicable
diseases

 Increasing threats to the young from new and

harmful behaviors. Eg. tobacco use, teen-age
pregnancy, substance use etc.

 Increasedawareness of people on chronic health

problems and the need to know preventive actions.

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Objectives of health education

 Ultimategoal of health education is to promote,

maintain and improve individuals and community
health.

Educational objectives of health education

 Toprovide appropriate knowledge: provision of correct

knowledge, facts and information.
For example, facts about CVD, HIV/AIDS.

 Tohelp develop positive attitude: has a lot to do with

changing opinions, feelings and beliefs of people.

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Objectives of health education…

 Tohelp exercise health practice/behavior: concerned

with helping people in decision-making and actually
performing.
For example helping people choosing alternatives
(weather to abstain, be faithful, or use condom)
Decision-making: means choosing between and/or
among alternatives in the future about health.

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Settings of health education :

 Health education occurs in a variety of

places, these include:
Health facilities
Schools
Worksite
Health departments
Voluntary health agencies
Communities

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Settings of Health Education
Setting Primary Mission Who is served
Hospitals Treat illness Patients

Community primary care Prevent, detect and treat Patents, clients and local
settings illness and trauma community

Schools Education Children, adolescents …

Worksite Produce good and Consumer of products
services and services

Health department Disease prevention and Public

control

Voluntary health agencies Disease prevention and Public

control
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Principles of health education
1. Principle of educational diagnosis

 The first task in changing behaviors is to determine

its causes.

 Just as physicians must diagnose an illness before it

can be properly treated, so in health education there
must a behavior be assessed/diagnosed before it
can be properly changed.

 If the causes of the behaviors understood health

educator can intervene with the most appropriate
and efficient combination of education,
reinforcement and motivation
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Principles of HE…
2. Principle of Participation
 The prospect for success in any attempt to change
behaviors will be greater if the individuals, families,
community groups,, etc…have been participated in
identifying their own needs for change and have
selected the methods that will enable them to take
action.

3. Principle of multiple methods

 This principle follows from the principle of
educational diagnosis. In so far as multiple causes
will consistently be found for any given behaviors.

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Principles of HE…
4. Principle of planning and organizing

 Planning and organizing are fundamentals for

health education which distinguishes it from other
incidental learning experiences.

 It involves deciding in advance the when, who,

what, how and why of health education.

 It also requires the planning for resources, methods

and materials to be used, identification of target
groups etc.

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Principles of HE…

5. Facts
Health education is given based on scientific
findings/facts and current knowledge.
6. Segmentation
Health education should be designed for a specific
group of people/specific target groups

7. Need based
Health education is primarily educational and its
purpose is to ensure a desired health related behavior
after real need identification.

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Principles of HE…

8. Culture
 Health education should not considered as artificial
situation or formal teaching –learning process.
 One has to get into the culture of the community to
introduce new ideas easily
 Rigid statements particularly contrary to existing
belief, culture, practices will not be liked.
 Therefore HE starts from where people are and
slowly build up the talking point to avoid any clash
of ideas through the communication process

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The role of HE in primary health care

What is PHC?

 Primary health care is essential health care made

accessible at a cost a country and community can
afford, with methods that are practical, scientifically
sound and socially acceptable.

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Role of HE…
HE is:
◦ A component of PHC
◦ Core principles of primary health care is
“community participation”.
Thus:
◦ Health education is central to primary health care
◦ All components of primary health care have health
education
◦ Informing the community is the first important step
towards community participation
◦ Facilitating inter-sectoral action
◦ Primary health care can not successfully
implemented without health education.
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Health Policy of Ethiopia as Related to
Health Education
Health policy
 A formal statement or procedure within
institutions (notably government) which defines
priorities and the parameters for action in
response to health needs, available resources and
other political pressures.

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Health Policy and Health Education
1. General policy
 Development of the preventive and promotive
components of health care.
 Promoting and strengthening of intersectoral activities.
 Promotion of attitudes and practices conducive to the
strengthening of national self-reliance in health
development by mobilizing and maximally utilizing
internal and external resources.
 Working closely with neighbouring countries, regional
and international organizations to share information and
strengthen collaboration in all activities contributory to
health development including the control of factors
detrimental to health.
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Health Policy and Health Education…

2. Priorities of the policy

Information, Education and Communication
(I.E.C) of health shall be given appropriate
prominence to enhance health awareness and
to propagate the important concepts and
practices of self-responsibility in health.

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Health policy and Health Education…
General strategies
Health Education shall be strengthened generally and
for specific target populations through the mass media,
community leaders, religious and cultural leaders,
professional associations, schools and other social
organizations for:-
 Inculcating attitudes of responsibility for self-care in
health and assurance of safe environment.
 Encouraging the awareness and development of health
promotive life-styles and attention to personal hygiene
and healthy environment.

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Health policy and Health Education…
General…
 Enhancing awareness of common communicable and nutritional
diseases and the means for their prevention.
 Inculcating attitudes of participation in community health
development.
 Identifying and discouraging harmful traditional practices while
encouraging their beneficial aspects.
 Discouraging the acquisition of harmful habits such as cigarette
smoking, alcohol consumption, drug abuse and irresponsible
sexual behavior.
 Creating awareness in the population about the rational use of
drugs

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How do you describe the of health
education program in Ethiopia?

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References
 TheodoreH, Tulchinsky, Elena A. Varavikova(2000) The new public health
 John Hubley 1993. Communicating health. An action guide to health
education and health promotion.
 Lawrence W. Green et al. 1980. Health education planning a diagnostic
approach
 Getnet Mitike 2003 health education for health science students. Lecture
note series. Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
 Randall R. Cottrell, James T. Girvan, James F. McKenzie 2006. Principles&
foundations of health promotion and education. Third ed. USA.
 John Hubley 1993. Communicating health. An action guide to health
education and health promotion.
 Health policy of the transitional government, 1993

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The end

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