HEALTH EDUCATION AND PROMOTION

Health education is any combination of learning experiences design to help individuals and communities improve their health by increasing their knowledge or influencing their attitudes.

Health education as one of the important components of PHC is a tool towards building positive behaviors in people for the prevention of diseases and the need to utilize health services provided for them thereby achieving the goals of primary health care. Health Education has evolved to be known as Information, Education and Communication (IEC) or behaviour change Communication (BCC).

Heath promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over their health and its determinant and thereby improving their health (WHO)

Current Trends on Health Promotion

Social and behavior change communication previously known as behavior change communication (BCC), SBCC is the strategic use of communication approaches to promote changes in knowledge, attitudes, norms, beliefs and behaviors. The terms BCC and SBCC are interchangeable, and they both refer to the coordination of messages and activities across a variety of channels to reach multiple levels of society, including the individual the community services and policy.

SBCC is grounded in theory and is evidence-based. Programs are designed on the basis of existing data and they follow a systematic process, analyzing the problem in order to define barriers and motivators to change, and design a comprehensive set of tailored interventions that promote the desired behavior. Example: During an outbreak, individuals are more likely to engage in desired behaviors if facilities exist that support those behaviors, if coordination mechanisms are in place, and if bylaws and policies are introduced to promote supportive norms around the desired behaviors.

As the field of BCC evolved, it placed greater emphasis on the socio-ecological context that grounds individual behaviors, and thus the preference for using SBCC as opposed to BCC.

Characteristics of SBCC

1. Social and behavior change communication plays a critical role in addressing all the behavioral and social aspects of disease prevention and control

2. SBCC Provide accurate, clear, relevant and timely information to the public on how to contain the emergency and protect themselves

3. SBCC Identify and address myths and misconceptions that may lead to detrimental practices.

4. SBCC Maintain public trust

5. SBCC Prepare communities for emergency response actions

6. SBCC Reassure the public

7. SBCC Support communities and countries to recover and rebuild themselves after an emergency

If an emergency response does not include strategically applied communication activities, it is unlikely to succeed as desired. This is demonstrated by the tragic Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa in 2014, when lack of adequate and appropriate communication early on in the response fueled fear, panic and denial; spread misconceptions and rumors; and contributed to the further spread of the disease.

At the beginning of an emergency, the role of SBCC is to engage the public, support them in making informed decisions about their risks and encourage them to respond effectively to those risks. SBCC has therefore been acknowledged as a key element of any crisis or emergency preparedness plan, and should be integrated in all stages of an emergency response from prevention and preparedness to crisis response and recovery.

Objectives of health education are:

1. To develop optimum organic health consistent with heredity, and the application of personal   health knowledge.

2. To develop the ability' to meet the requirements of daily living

3. To develop emotional stability to meet the stresses and strains of life

4. To develop sufficient insight to make suitable decision and arrive at possible solution. 

5. To develop attitudes skills and values that stimulates satisfactory participation in a full range of daily activities. 

6. To develop school consciousness and adaptability with respect to the requirement of group living

7. To develop spiritual and moral qualities that contributes to living in a society  

8. To motivate people into practicing healthy behaviours.

9. Guiding people into action