IEC aims to change behaviors through education within a target audience. It can occur at multiple levels - mass, community, group, family, and individual. Approaches include using various media formats, community discussions, group sessions, family discussions, and one-on-one education. Principles of effective health education include establishing credibility, engaging interest, encouraging participation, motivating behavior change, ensuring comprehension, reinforcing messages, learning through experience, building on existing knowledge, leading by example, developing good relationships, collecting feedback, and involving community leaders.

1. INFORMATION EDUCATION
COMMUNICATION

2. Definition
IEC can be defined as an approach which
attempts to change or reinforce a set of behaviors
in a target audience regarding specific problem in
a predefined period of time.
Reproductive health and research, WHO

3. 2. Definition
IEC is the process of learning that
empowers people to make informed
decisions and modify behaviors to attain a
better standard of health.

4. IEC concept

5. Aims
• To change the health behavior of individuals, family
and community.
• To prepare background or basis for change in health
behavior.
• To change the norms of the community.
• To facilitate education for audience about public health
and to create awareness in public opinion.
• To obtain social, political support for health activities.

6. Scope or Fields of IEC in relation to health
Primary health
care
Prevention
/control on
communicable
diseases.
Reproductive
health/maternal
and child health
services.
Family welfare
Nutritional services
Personal hygiene

7. Approaches of IEC
The approaches of IEC are based upon following
fields or subjects
1. Mass Level
2. Community level
3. Group Level
4. Family Level
5. Individual Level

8. Mass Level
Mass level approach in health education is for
creating awareness in people at large , I.e.
General public. The education is done using
mass media of communication. These include
radio, Films, television, Health exhibitions,
posters, health magazines, news papers.

9. Community Level
Community level approaches in health education
is meant for a defined community and it is not
only to create awareness but also to help people
to understand their health problems and needs,
implement them according do the need ful.

10. Group Level
Group level approach for health education
is meant for teaching health matters to
specific groups in a defined setup. There
can be various target groups for health
education such as eligible couples, anti
natal mothers, post natal mothers, school
children, adolescents, elderly adults,
industrial workers, T.B patients, etc.

11. Family level
Family is the unit of health services in community
health nursing. It is the natural place for family to
live, grow, and develop. It helps the family in
dealing with their own specific learning needs and
health problems in which they are interested at any
time. It become more effective because there is a
privacy, members are relaxed, can give time,
interact directly clarify their queries without
hesitation.

12. Individual level
Health education at individual level is done to help
individual to learn and assimilate health information
to modify/ change his or her behavior. Specific
topic can be discussed.

13. INFORMATION
This consists of
providing scientific
knowledge to the people
about the health problems
and how to prevent them
and promote and
maintain health.

14. Definition of health education
Health education can be defined as 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.
The Declaration of AlmaAta(1978)

15. Aims and objectives
• To encourage people to adopt and sustain health promoting life
style and practices.
• To promote the proper use of health services available to them.
• To arouse interest, provide new knowledge, improve skills and
change attitudes in making rational decisions to solve their own
problems.
• To stimulate individual and community self reliance and
participation to achieve health development through individual
and community involvement at every step from identifying
problems to solve them.

16. Approaches to health education
• Regulatory
• Service approach
• Health education
approach
• Primary health care
approach

17. APPROACHES TO
ACHIEVE HEALTH
 LEGAL OR REGULATORYAPPROACH
 Make use of the law to protect the health of the
public
 Government makes laws and regulations
 Eg:-Epidemic diseases act
-Pollution act
-Food adulteration act
-Environmental act

18. APPROACHES TO
ACHIEVE HEALTH
ADMINISTRATIVE OR SERVICE
APPROACH: This approach intends to
provide all the health facilities to the
people with the hope that they will use it
it becomes a failure if the service is not
based on the felt needs of the people

19. APPROACHES TO
ACHIEVE HEALTH
 PRIMARY HEALTH CAREAPPROACH:
 It involves full participation and active
involvement of the people starting from the
planning stage till the delivery of the health
services.
 This is based on principles of primary health
care-community participation
 This can be achieved by providing the
necessary guidance to help people identify
their health problems and to find solutions to
these problems

20. Principles of health education
1. Credibility
2. Interest
3. Participation
4. Motivation
5. Comprehension
6. Reinforcement

21. Principles of health education
7. Learning by doing
8.Known to unknown
9.Setting an example
10. Good human relations
11. Feed back
12. Leaders

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27.  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.

28. 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”

29. 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”

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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

35. SOIL, SEED, SOWER
 Soil is the community
 Seed is information
 Sower is the person giving the information

36. CONTENTS OF HEALTH
EDUCATION
 HUMAN BIOLOGY
 NUTRITION
 HYGIENE
 FAMILY HEALTH CARE
 CONTROL OF COMMUNICABLE AND NON
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
 PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS
 USE OF HEALTH SERVICES

37. NUTRITION
People should be
taught about the
nutrient value of food
stuff and the effect of
nutrients on health
It is to help people to
choose optimum and
balanced diets