PROPUESTA DE MEJORA

Joan, A.R. & Mike, W (1992). Watson’s Medical-Surgical Nursing and Related Physiology; ELBS (4^th ed). London.

Katchadourian, H.A & Lunde, D.T. (1987). Fundamentals of Human Sexuality (3^rd ed). New York: Holt Rinehart & Winston.

UNIT 3 HEALTH EDUCATION

1.0 Introduction 2.0 Objectives 3.0 Main Content

3.1 Definition of Health Education 3.2 The Growth of Health Education 3.3 Purposes of Health Education 3.4 The Process of Health Education.

3.5 Principles of Heath Education.

3.6 Health Education in Patient Care.

4.0 Conclusion 5.0 Summary

6.0 Tutor Marked Assignment 7.0 References/Further Readings

1.0 INTRODUCTION

You will recall that we explored the concept and components of primary health care in the earlier units of this course. Health education was one of such cmponents. These components are processes by which individuals or groups of persons learn to prevent diseases, promote and maintain or restore health through voluntary adaptation of healthy behaviour.

The importance of health education was strongly highlighted by the Alma Ata Conference. It was pointed out that community participation is crucial to ensure optimum utilisation of health resources. It was also stressed that health is an individual responsibility and every individual needs to be health conscious so that he/she may observe healthy living practices.

You know already that preservation of good health is dependent on following good health practices. Health education and communication about healthy practices bring about a change in health behaviour so that harmful health practices can be given up and good health practices can be reinforced.

This unit presents you with the definition, growth, principles, practices, and levels of health education.

2.0 OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you should be able to:

• Explain the concept of health education.

• List the objectives of health education.

• Describe how health education can be planned and explain its methods of delivery.

3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 Definitions

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, social and spiritual well being and not merely the absence of diseases or infirmity (World Health Organisation, 1948).

Education is the process by which there is a behavioural change resulting from an experience undergone.

Health education is a process that informs, motivates and helps people to adopt and maintain health practices for a healthy lifestyle; it advocates environmental changes as needed to facilitate this goal and conducts professional training and research towards the same end (National Conference on Preventive Medicine, U.S.A).

Health education is also a process of known information which has the purpose of promoting health (Pearce, 1980).

Health education is also described as a process by which habits, attitudes and knowledge are changed to choose the path leading to better health.

Success in health education depends a great deal on the skills of communicating with the community (WHO, Health Panel).

It is also seen by many as a process of positively changing or influencing people’s health knowledge, attitudes and behaviour through their own actions (Ewles and Simnelt, 1985 and Tones, 1990).

It is an all-round process which involves the whole life thereby helping people to help themselves live a healthy life.

SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1

What is your concept (idea) of health education?

---3.2 The Growth of Health Education

Health education has begun with people being systematically interested in general sanitary progress, social and material causes which can impede their health.

In 1875, Maryland State of Health emphasised that the health of the pubic is dependent on the public conviction about health. Health education initially was the responsibility of public health personnel until the 2^nd quarter of the century when it became formally recognised as a speciality and a major function of public health. The development of newer interpretation of public health bought about the need to do things with people and to get people to accept an increasing responsibility for their own health.

Clair Turner at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology later recognised health education academically with the development of a specialised graduate curriculum in 1922. Its global acceptance for knowledge acquisition and practice has brought its operation beyond the hospital setting to communities, schools, churches, mosques and the public at large.

3.3 Purposes of Health Education

Health education is a process that informs, motivates and helps people to adapt and maintain healthy practises and lifestyles. The three main purposes of health education will be discussed below:

Informing People

Information is the right of an individual. It is prerequisite to proper awareness and assessment of one’s duties and rights. Health is a basic right of all human beings, so is health information. Only an informed community will aspire, work, demand and fight for its right, that is, health. Health information helps people to be aware of their health problems and guides them to appropriate solutions for same.

Motivating People

Only information is not enough. Information that alcohol or tobacco is harmful to health does not ensure that people will leave them. Besides providing information, it is also necessary to motivate people to adopt certain behaviours. Health education must provide learning experiences,

which favourably influence habits, knowledge and attitudes. Consumers should make choices and decisions about health matters.

Guiding People into Action

Motivation must be accompanied by guidance to achieve the expected behaviour. People need to adopt and maintain healthy practices and lifestyle.

3.4

The Process of Health Education

The process involved in health education as identified by Books (1980) includes: assessment, objectives setting, readiness, implementation and evaluation.

GOAL TO ACHIEVE

STAGE I STAGE II STAGE III