Basic principles

of
Health Education

Dr. Ranjith Batuwanthudawe

Consultant Community Physician
Health Education Bureau

MD Com Med 2016 April

 Learning Objectives
• Concept of Health Education
• Contrast with Health Promotion
• Definitions of Health Education
• Objectives of Health Education
• Principles of Health Education
• Methods of Health Education
• Steps in planning a Health Education
Program
Definition: Health Education
• Health education is any combination
of learning experiences designed to
help individuals and communities
improve their health, by increasing
their knowledge or influencing their
attitudes
• (WHO)
Definition: Health Education
• “Health education comprises consciously
constructed opportunities for learning
involving some form of communication
designed to improve health literacy,
including improving knowledge, and
developing skills which are conducive to
individual and community health”
-WHO health promotion glossary
Definition: Health Education
A process aimed at encouraging people
to want 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’’

Alma-Ata declaration(1978)
Definition: Health Education
• Health education is a process which
informs, motivate and helps people to
adopt and maintain healthy practices
and life styles; advocates environmental
changes as needed to facilitate this goal
and conducts professional training and
research to the same end.
– The National Conference on Preventive
Medicine [USA]
 Health Literacy
“The degree to which people are able
to access, understand, appraise and
communicate information to engage
with the demands of different health
contexts in order to promote and
maintain good health across the life
course.” (WHO)
 Health Literacy
“Health literacy represents the cognitive
and social skills which determine the
motivation and ability of individuals to
gain access to, understand and use
information in ways which promote
and maintain good health”
– WHO health Promotion glossary 1998
Principles of Health
Education
Principles of Health Education

1. Community involvement in planning

health education is essential. Without
community involvement the chances
of any programme succeeding are
slim.
2. The promotion of self esteem should
be an integral component of all health
education programmes.
Principles of Health Education

3. Voluntarism is ethical principle on

which all health education
programme should be built without it
health education programmes
become propaganda.
• Health education should not seek to
coerce but should rather aim to
facilitate informed choice.
Principles of Health Education

4. Health education should respect

cultural norms and take account of the
economic and environmental
constraints face by people. It should
seek positively to enhance respect for
all.
5. Good human relations are of utmost
importance in learning.
Principles of Health Education
6. Evaluation needs to be an integral part
of health education.
7. There should be a responsibility for
the accuracy of information and the
appropriateness of methods used.
8. Every health campaign needs
reinforcement. Repetition of messages
at intervals is useful.
 Basics of Health Education
• Is supported by the latest knowledge from
research
• Is a systematic, comprehensive and
consistent activity.
• Is adapted to age, gender, education and
particular health, mental or social problems of
an individual or community.
• Encourages personal investment of an
individual.
• Respects environment/culture of an individual.
Objectives of Health
Education
Informing
Motivating
Guiding
 Informing People
• People are informed about the
different diseases, their etiology and
how to prevent them.
 Motivating People
• Concerned with clarifying/ changing or
forming attitudes, beliefs, values or
opinions. After health information is given
it is necessary to motivate them alter their
lifestyles so that it becomes favorable to
promoting health and preventing disease.
• Motivation is defined as “a combination of
forces which initiate, direct and sustain
behavior”
 Guiding in to action
• Concerned with development of skills
and action. A person who has obtained
health information might be motivated
to change his behavior and lifestyle.
• However he might need professional
help and guidance so as to bring about
these changes and to sustain these
altered lifestyles
 Aims of Health Education
• Health promotion and disease prevention.
– To inform the general public of the principles of
physical and mental hygiene and methods of
preventing avoidable diseases.
– To increase knowledge of the factors that affect health.
– To encourage behavior which promotes and maintains
health.
– To create an informed body of opinion and knowledge.
(social workers, teachers)
– To enlist support for public health measures, and
when necessary, to press for appropriate governmental
action.
 Aims of Health Education
• Early diagnosis and management.
• Utilization of available health services.
– To encourage appropriate use of health
services especially preventive services.
– To facilitate the acceptance and proper usage
of medical measures.
– To inform the public about medical advances,
their uses and their limitations.
– To give the public accurate information of
medical discoveries.
 Stages of adoption of new ideas and
practices
• Stage of unawareness: Stage in which
individual not aware of new idea or practice
• Stage of awareness: Stage in which
individual has some general information
about the new idea or practice, but does not
know much about it’s usefulness,
limitations etc.
• Stage of interest: Stage in which individual
showing more about the new idea or
practice
 Stages of adoption of new ideas and
practices
• Stage of evaluation:- Stage in which the individual
tries to find out he advantages and disadvantages
of the new method. He evaluates whether the new
practice will be beneficial to him and his family
• Stage of trial:- Stage in which the individual
decides to put the new idea or method into
practice. Additional information and guidance
should be given at this stage
• Stage of adoption:- Stage in which the individual
finally accepts the new idea or practice as
beneficial to him and adopts it
Approaches to Health
Education
 Approaches To
Health Education.

Individual Approach Group Approach Mass Approach

Counseling. Lectures. Radio, T.V

Group Or Panel
Clinic Consultation. Newspapers.
Discussion.

Workshop,
On-site Visit. Printed Materials.
Seminars.

Internet
24
Individual Approach
PROS CONS
Credible Expensive

Permit 2 way discussion. Time consuming.

Can be motivational, Limited audience.

influential and
supportive.

Most effective for

teaching, care and
helping.
25
Group Approach
PROs CONS
Familiar, trusted and May not provide personal
influential. attention.

Provide motivation/ support Needs approval from

more than media alone. organization.

Can be inexpensive. Can be time consuming.

Offer shared experiences.

Reach large intended

audience in one place.

26
Mass Approach
Media PROS CONS
News Reach intended Larger circulating papers
papers audience rapidly. may take only paid
advertisement.
Can convey health
news /break Exposure is limited only to
thoughts more one way.
thoroughly than T.V.

Intended audience Article placement requires

has the chance to contacts and may be time
clip, reread, consuming.
contemplate and
pass along materials.
27
Mass Approach
Media PROS CONS

Radio Range of intended audiences Reaches smaller intended

with known listening
preference.
Opportunity for direct
intended audience
involvement.
Distribution is inexpensive.
Advertisement can be
inexpensive.
audiences than TV.
Public service ads run
infrequently and at low
listening times.
Many stations have limited
formats that may not be
conducive to health
messages.
Difficult for intended
audiences to retain or pass
on material.
28
Mass Approach
Media PROS
TV Reaches potentially the
largest and widest range.
Combination of audiovisual
is effective in emotional
appeals and demonstration
of behaviors.
Can reach low in come
audience.
Specific programs can reach
specific intended audience.
Opportunity for direct
intended audience
involvement.
CONS
Advertisement is expensive to
produce.
Running infrequently and in
low viewing times.
Message can be obscured by
commercial culture.
Some stations reach small
intended audience.
Promotion can result in huge
demand.
Difficult to retain or pass on
materials.
29
Mass Approach
Media PROS CONS

Internet Reach large number of people Can be expensive.

rapidly.
Many people do not
Updated and disseminated have access to internet.
information. Control information
provided. Intended audience must
be proactive.
Tailor information specifically for
intended audience. May require monitoring.

Can be interactive. May require

maintenance over time.
Demonstration can be by
audiovisual and graphs.

Can use banner advisement to

direct intended audience. 30
 Methods of approaches in Health
Education
1. Legal / Regulatory Approach
(Managed Prevention)
2. Service Approach
3. Educational Approach
4. Primary Health Care Approach
 Legal or Regulatory Approach
• Any governmental intervention, direct or
indirect, designed to alter human
behavior.
• Eg: Seat belts rule in cars.
• Advantages: Simple , Quick
• Particularly , be useful in times of
emergency or in limited situations such as
control of an epidemic disease or
management of fairs and festivals
Legal or Regulatory Approach

Limitations :
• In area of personal choice (alcohol ,
exercise etc.) no government can take
away their right of freedom
• Difficult to enforce laws without a vast
administrative infrastructure and
considerable expenditure.
 Service Approach
• Intends to provide all the health
facilities needed by the people at their
door steps on the assumption that
people would use them to improve
their own health.
• Limitation :not based on the felt-needs
of people
 Educational Approach
• Most effective
• Gives autonomy towards their own lives
• Results are slow , but permanent and enduring.
• Sufficient time for an individual to bring about
changes and learning new facts as well as
unlearning wrong information as well.
• Components :
1. Motivation
2. Communication
3. Decision making
Primary Health Care Approach
• Approach starting from the people with their
full participation and active involvement in
the planning and delivery of health services
based on principals of health care via:
– community involvement and
– inter-sectoral coordination
• Individuals are helped to become self-reliant
in matters of health.
• It can be done if the people receive the
necessary guidance from health care
providers in identifying their health problems
and finding workable solutions.
 Contents of Health Education
1. Human Biology
2. Nutrition
3. Hygiene
4. Family Health Care
5. Control of Communicable and Non-
Communicable Diseases
6. Mental health
7. Prevention of Accidents
8. Use of Health Services
Guiding Principles of
Health Education
Dr. Ranjith Batuwanthudawe
Consultant Community Physician
Health education Bureau
 Guiding Principles of Health
Education
• 1.CREDIBILITY
• 2.INTEREST
• 3.PARTICIPATION
• 4.MOTIVATION
• 5.COMPREHENSION
• 6.REINFORCEMENT
• 7.LEARNING BY DOING
• 8.KNOWN TO UNKNOWN
• 9.SETTING AN EXAMPLE
• 10.GOOD HUMAN
RELATIONS
• 11.FEEDBACK
• 12.COMMUNITY LEADERS
 Credibility

It is the degree to which

the message is perceived
as trustworthy by the
receiver

It should be scientifically
proven, based on facts
and should be compatible
with local culture and
goals
 Interest
• If the health education
topic is of interest to
the people, they will
listen to it.
• Health educator should
identify the “felt needs”
of the people and then
prepare a program that
they can actively
participate in to make
it successful
 Participation
• Health educator should
encourage people to
participate in the
program
• Once the people are given
a chance to take part in
the program it leads to
their acceptance of the
program
• Methods like group
discussion, panel
discussions etc. provide
opportunities for people’s
participation
 Motivation
• “the fundamental desire
for learning in an
individual”
• Health education can be
facilitated by the
motivation provided by
the desire to achieve
individual goals
• Eg:-for a teenager,
esthetics might be a
motive to take care of
his teeth whereas for an
adult, the expenses of
undergoing restorative
care
 Comprehension
• Level of understating of
the people who receive
the health education
• Should first determine
the level of literacy and
understanding of the
audience and act
accordingly
• words that are strange
or new to the people
should not be used
• Use of technical terms or
medical terms should be
avoided
• Eg:-A statement saying “Eat food items
that are cariogenic” may not be
comprehensive to the layman. A better
way of explaining would be “ Avoid food
stuffs which are sweet and which stick to
your teeth like toffees and pastries. Eat
food items like fruits and raw vegetables
which in addition to being healthy, also
help in keeping your teeth clean.
 Reinforcement
• This is the principle that refers to the
repetition needed in health education
• It is not possible for the people to learn
new things in a short period of time
• So repetition is a good idea
• This can be done at regular intervals and
it helps people to understand new ideas
or practice better
• “booster dose in health education”
Learning by doing
• If the learning
process is
accompanied by
doing new things it
is better instilled in
the minds of people
• “if I hear, I forget; if
I see, I remember; if
I do, I know”
 Known to unknown
• Before the start of any health education program, the
health educator should find out how much the people
already know and then give them the new knowledge.
• The existing knowledge of the people can be used as
the basic step up on which new knowledge can be
placed
• Eg:-A health education program with the aim of
introducing a toothbrush to a rural population will be
better appreciated if the communicator start the
program with “what are you using to clean your teeth
at present” and then going in to details like “why are
you using it” and then connecting it to the tooth
brush and then providing data about the tooth
brush.
 Setting an example
• The health educator
should follow what he
preaches.
• He should set an
example to others to
follow
• Eg:- A health educator
who participate in a
program highlighting the
ill effects of tobacco
should not be seen
smoking since it sends a
wrong signal and
seriousness of the
situation is lost
 Good human relations
• This principle states that
the health educator
should have good personal
qualities and should be
able to maintain friendly
relations with the people
• The health educator
should have a kind and
sympathetic attitude
towards the people and
should always be helpful
to them in clarifying
doubts or repeating what
is not understood
Feedback
• For any program to
be successful it is
necessary to collect
feedback to find out
if any modifications
are needed to make
the program more
effective
 Community leaders
• Community leaders can be
used to reach the people of the
community and to convince
them about the need for health
education
• Leaders can also be used to
educate the people as they will
have a rapport and will be
familiar with the people of their
community
• The leader will have an
understanding of the needs of
the community and advice and
guide them
Health Education Propaganda

Knowledge and skills actively Knowledge instilled in the minds of

acquired(active thinking) the people(facts)

Develops reflective behavior. Develops reflexive behavior; aims

Trains people to use judgement at impulsive action
before acting
Appeals to reason Appeals to emotion

Develops individuality, personality Develops a standard pattern of

and self expression attitudes and behaviors

Knowledge acquired through self Knowledge is spoon fed and

reliant activity received

The process is behavior centered The process is information

aims at developing favorable centered – no change of attitude or
attitudes , habits and skills behavior designed
Why Social Media is becoming critical
 Definitions
• Knowledge: An intellectual acquaintance
with facts, truth, or principles gained by
sight, experience, or report.

• Attitude: Manner, disposition, feeling, or

position toward a person or thing.

• Skills : The ability to do something well,

arising from talent, training, or practice.
 Definitions….
• Belief : Acceptance of or confidence in
an alleged fact or body of facts as true
or right without positive knowledge or
proof; a perceived truth.

• Values: Ideas, ideals, customs that

arouse an emotional response for or
against them.