Basics of Health education including principles and mode of communication.

1. Health Education
Dr. SUJAL PARKAR (MDS, PhD)
Dept. Of Public Health Dentistry
Siddhpur Dental College & Hospital,
Gujarat, India

2. Contents
• Introduction
• Objectives
• Approaches
• Models
• Principles of HE
• Contents of HE
• Communication
• Methods in HE
• Aids used in HE

3. Definition
• It is a process that informs, motivates and helps
people to adopt and maintain healthy practices
and lifestyles, advocates environmental changes
as needed to facilitate this goal and conducts
professional training and research to the same
end
(National Conference on Preventive medicine, USA 1981)

4. Objectives
1. Informing people i.e. disseminate knowledge
about prevention of diseases

5. 2. Motivating people
i.e. just giving
knowledge is not
important because
a change in human
behavior is
required.

6. 3. Guiding into action

7. Approaches to Public Health
1. Regulatory approach:
– Any governmental
intervention, direct or
indirect, designed to
alter human behavior
– Eg. Pollution Act, No
smoking zone etc….

8. 2. Service Approach:
– Aimed at providing all the health services needed
by the people at their door steps on the
assumption that people would use them to
improve their own health
– Based on Felt needs

9. 3. Health education approach
Education
Knowledge
Behavior change
Attitude

10. 4. Primary health care approach
Its an approach starting from the people with
their full participation and active
involvement in the planning and delivery of
health services based on principles of
primary health care

11. Models of Health Education
1. Medical Model
- Related to diseases
- Treatment of disease
- No importance to social, psychological and
cultural factors

12. 2. Motivational model
Unawareness
Awareness
Self Interest
Involvement
Action
Habit
Learning Ladder

13. 3. Social Model
- Psycho-social model
- Norms

14. Principles of Health Education
1. Credibility:
- It is the degree to which the message to be
communicated is perceived as trust worthy by
the receiver

15. 2. Interest: based on psychological principle (felt
need)
3. Participation: Based on the psychological
principle of active learning
-Eg: group discussion, panel discussion

16. 4. Motivation: Awakening the fundamental
desire to learn is called motivation
• It is the internal knowledge and will of the
entire individual to act.
• It is an inner drive pushing an individual to
satisfy a need

17. • Primary: inborn desire (initiate people into
action)
e.g. sex, hunger survival etc.
• Secondary: Outside forces /
incentives.
e.g. praise, gifts, love etc.

18. 5. Comprehension: level of understanding,
education and literacy of people
6. Reinforcement: Repetition

19. 7. Learning by doing:
I hear I forget
I see I remember
I do I know

20. 8. Known to Unknown: from particular to
general; from easy to difficult
9. Setting an example: Role models
10. Good human relations: building good
relationship
11. Feedback: based on that modification
12. Leaders: respect to leaders

21. Contents of health education
1. Human biology
- at school level
- healthy lifestyle, reproductive biology

22. 2. Nutrition
- good dietary habit, diet counseling
- prevention of mal nutrition, promotion of
health

23. 3. Hygiene- personal and environment
4. Family health- role of family in health
5. Disease prevention and control
6. Mental health- maintain mental health and prevent
mental breakdown
7. Prevention of accident
8. Use of health service

24. Communication
• Two way process of exchanging ideas,
feelings, and information to bring about
desired changes in human behavior

25. The Communication Process
Sender Channel
Message Receiver
Awareness
Interest
Evaluation
Adoption
Feedback
25

26. Types of Communication
1. One way communication (Didactic Method)
The flow of communication is “one-way” from the
communicator to the audience.
E.g. Lecture
• Knowledge is imposed
• Learning is authoritative
• Little audience participation
• No feed back
• Does not influence human behavior

27. 2. Two-way communication (Socratic Method)
It is a two way method of communication in
which both the communicator and the
audience take part.
Eg: Discussion
The process of learning is active and
“democratic”.

28. 3. Verbal Communication
• May be loaded with hidden
meanings
• Persuasive
4. Non-verbal Communication
Includes a whole range of
bodily movements, postures,
gestures, facial expressions.
28

29. 5. Formal and Informal Communication
6. Visual Communication
Charts and graphs, pictograms, tables,
maps, posters etc.
7. Telecommunication and internet
29

30. Barriers of Communication
Physiological Difficulties in hearing, expression
Psychological Emotional disturbances, neurosis,
levels of intelligence, language
Environmental Noise, invisibility, congestion
Cultural Illiteracy, customs, beliefs, religion,
attitudes.

31. Methods of health education
Individual Approach
• Personal contact, Home visits, Personal
letters
Group Approach
• Lectures- Demonstrations Discussion methods - Group
discussion - Panel discussion - Symposium- Workshop -
Conferences- Seminars- Role play
Mass Approach
• Television Radio Newspaper Printed material Direct mailing
Posters Health museums & exhibitions Folk methods Internet

32. Group Approach
• Lecture: A carefully prepared oral presentation
of facts, organized thoughts and idea by
qualified person
• Theme of topic
• Not more than 30
people
• 15-20 mins
• Based on current interest

33. • Symposium: series of speech
• No discussion among speakers
• In end-audience ask question
• Discussion : face-to- face
interaction
• 6-12 members
• In circle
• Recorder prepare the record at the end
• Disadvantage: unequal participation
• Some member may shy or dominating

34. • Panel discussion: 4-8 experts
• Audience ask the questions
• Disadvantage: speaker (not good/ Personality
of speaker)
• Workshop: series of meetings
• Discussion
• Hand zone course

35. • Conferences/ Seminars: half day to week
• Different level
• With some theme
• Role Play: active participation by
audience
• Puppet show, drama, Satsang

36. Mass Approach
• Advantages: Large number of people reached
• Reach at all level of SES
• Disadvantages: One way communication

37. • Television: Large coverage
• Illiterate population
• Education+ entertainment
• Disadvantages: high cost, electricity
37

38. • Radio: broader audience
• Illiterate population
• Economical
• Newspapers: wider coverage
• Disadvantages: illiteracy
38

39. • Documentary films: Real situation
• high cost
• Posters: catch the eye
• Simple and short
• Display area
39

40. • Health magazine
• Health exhibition
• Internet
• Telephonic
• SMS
• Social Media
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41. Thank you !!!