WHAT IS HEALTH
EDUCATION?
- Health education is a social science that draws from the biological, environmental, psychological, physical and medical sciences to promote health and prevent disease, disability and premature death through education-driven voluntary behavior change activities.
- Health education is the development of individual, group, institutional, community and systemic strategies to improve health knowledge, attitudes, skills and behavior.
- The purpose of health education is to positively influence the health behavior of individuals and communities as well as the living and working conditions that influence their health.
WHY IS HEALTH
EDUCATION IMPORTANT?
- Health education improves the health status of individuals, families, communities, states, and the nation.
- Health education enhances the quality of life for all people.
- Health education reduces premature deaths.
- By focusing on prevention, health education reduces the costs (both financial and human) that individuals, employers, families, insurance companies, medical facilities, communities, the state and the nation would spend on medical treatment.
WHAT DOES A TRAINED
HEALTH EDUCATOR DO?
- Assess individual and community needs
- Plan health education programs
- Develop health education programs
- Coordinate health education programs
- Implement health education programs
- Manage health education programs & personnel
- Evaluate health education programs
- Write grants
- Build coalitions
- Identify resources
- Make referrals
- Develop social marketing and mass media campaigns
- Organize/ mobilize communities for action
- Handle controversial health issues/content
- Advocate for health-related issues
- Encourage healthy behaviour
- Use a variety of education/training methods
- Develop audio, visual, print and electronic materials
- Conduct research
- Write scholarly articles
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