1. Health Education
By
SHAHINA BANO
Objectives
 By the end of the class the learners will be able to:
 Define health education, teaching and learning
 Identify the goals of health education
 Discuss the role of health education in PHC
 List levels of education with examples
 List the advantages of imparting health education
 Analyze the steps required for health education
 Discuss models used for health education
 Describe the methodologies for imparting health education
 Discuss the domains of learning
 Discuss few essential principles of teaching and learning
 Formulate a teaching plan to conduct session at community level
Health Education
Education that increases the awareness and favorably influences the attitudes and knowledge relating to the
improvement of health on a personal or community basis.
OR
In simple aspect health education is planned attempt to change what people think, feel and do, with a goal of
promoting higher level of health.
OR
In broader aspect health education is a process that informs, motivates and helps people to adopt and maintain
healthy practices and life styles, advocates environmental changes as needed to facilitate this goal, and conducts
professional training and research to the same end.
Aims Of Health Education
• Health education aims to produce positive behavior changes in individuals and communities. It is a tool
which enables people to take more control over their own health and over the factors (environmental,
social, person, etc) which affect their health.
• It helps people understand that health is the most valuable community asset; and to help them achieve
health by their own activities and efforts.

2. • To develop a sense of responsibility for improvement of their health as individual members of the family
and communities.
• To develop scientific knowledge, attitude, skills on health matters to enable people to develop correct
habits.
• To alter behavior which may have direct or indirect influence on spread of disease.
• To educate people for proper use of health services.
• To create in him an interest in his and of other family members’ health and well being.
• To create in him a desire to support Health Education Program in his area.
Health Education And PHC
Health education is one of the 8 elements but it is important strategy in all these, especially in MCH and child care.
According to PHC approach, education should be a process which enables people to:
• Define their own problems and needs
• To understand what they can do about these problems and needs with the available resources
• Decide on the appropriate action
The National Ninth Five-Year Plan 1998-2003) And Perspective Plan For (2003-13)
Objective of these plans emphasize that:
Public education and awareness should be increased regarding the role of lifestyles and behavioral
choices and in prevention, causations and management of communicable and non communicable
diseases, including trauma and mental illness.
Schools:
• Child to child education
• Health festivals
Special health days:
• Celebration of highlighted important dates with health issues such as World Diabetes Day,
Polio Eradication, Mental Health Day.
Levels Of Health Education
Primary education:
Purpose: To prevent occurrence of any health problems in order to maintain the quality of life.
Example: Educating a patient about balanced and fiber diet who has high risk of Diabetes.

3. Secondary education:
Purpose: To prevent complications, limit disability in case of presence of a reversible health problem and
to help client cope with the situation.
Example: Help to adjust habits in case of Diabetes
Tertiary education
Purpose: Restoration of the maximum level of function and health status when the problem is
irreversible.
Example: adjust eating habits to ensure maximum health and minimum complications of diabetes like
neuropathy.
Advantages Of Health Education
• Disseminate information
• Ensure safety & security
• Promotion of health
• Maintenance of present health
• Reduces risks and medication errors
• Recognition of early onset of signs & symptoms
• Prevention of complications
• Restoring optimal level of wellness (Rehabilitation)
Planning A Health Education Session
• What visual aids will be used?
• How will I know that how effective the teaching was?
Steps Of Health Education
• Meet, greet & introduce yourself, develop rapport and understanding with clients
• Share your visit objectives with them
• Plan meetings at suitable time
• Develop trust & working relation
• Get awareness about the language, customs, values, beliefs and habits of community
• Asses knowledge and practices of community

4. • Identify and list the health problems
• Group the problems as health problems, environmental problems, social & cultural problems &
economical problems
Steps Of Health Education
• Discuss & Prioritize health problems
• Develop Teaching Plan
• Conduct teaching
• Feedback & Follow up
• Reassess and restart.
Effective Community Health Education
Assessment
Collect, categorize and sort data to identify the problem list
Planning
Negotiation of learning goals b/w nurse & client to develop teaching plan for priority learning need
Implementation:
Design plan to meet learning needs of clients and implement it
Evaluation
Gather information to define extent of learning to evaluate accomplishment of goals
Teaching And Learning
Teaching:
Is the process of carrying out those activities that experience has shown to be effective in getting students to
learn.
Learning:
Learning is the process of information we encounter, which leads to changes or an increase in our
knowledge and abilities.
Principles Of Effective Teaching & Learning
 All learners will learn
 All learners can learn much high standards regardless of their race, ethnicity, family, income, gender, etc.

5.  All learners do not learn in the same way or at the same pace.
 Learning is not limited to school. It can happen anywhere.
 Consider learning process:
Donot teach unless the student wants to learn.
 Interest:
find real or felt needs; create self-awareness
 Participation:
Ensure active participation of learners
 Known to unknown:
Start with what already is known to community
 Comprehension:
Ensure understanding of content, use language people know. Are they literate? Are they able to
interpretate visual aids?
 Reinforcement:
Repetition is needed as a booster dose.
• Motivation:
Primary and secondary motives-latter include praise and love, rivalry, rewards and punishment, recognition
are important to facilitate learning.
 Learning by doing:
Different learning styles, use of different senses for learning facilitate the learning.
 Know the customs, habits, need etc.:
Use truthful health facts. Attractive and acceptable media to get active participation by learners.
• Good human relationships:
To create better learning atmosphere;Build rapport to convince leaders“agents of change "for bringing
change through health education.
Teaching Methodologies
Andragogy:

6. The art and science of helping adults learn. It refers to learner-focused education. Its characteristics
include:
• Self concept
• Self-directed personality
• Past life experience, knowledge & time perspective
• Readiness and internal motivation and incentives are more important for andragogy
Pedagogy:
Literally means the art and science of educating children. It is a teacher-focused learning.
Its characteristics include:
• It is teacher directed who assume learner knows nothing
• Learner is a dependent personality
• It is considered to be a traditional type of teaching
• Here external rewards and punishments are motivators.
Teaching Strategies/Methods
• Lecture method
• Group discussions
• Panel discussions
• Role plays
• Case studies
• Story telling
• Trip or tour
• Demonstration
• Use of Audio-visual aids
Teaching Aids/Tools
• Chalk board
• Magic board
• Flip Charts

7. • Flash card games
• Puzzles games
• Pictures
• Posters
• Models
• Photos
• Drawings
• Teaching Methods for Development Levels
Health Teaching Plan
Situation analysis: _____________________
Assessment/ data collection: _____________
Patient/ client data:_____________________
Subjective data: _______________________ Objective data: _______________________
Socio economic status: __________________
Assessment analysis: ___________________
Nursing diagnosis: example: knowledge deficit
Health Teaching Plan Form
Date______ Student name_______ Topic ___________
Audience #. _____ Age_____ Sex______ Place _______

8. Objectives should be:
SMART
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time frame
Implementation Of Teaching Plan
• Design teaching based on assessments of individual clients
• Create a learning environment
• Keep things simple
• Focus on one issue at a time
• Be sure written materials are appropriate
• Be specific
• Avoid threatening message that generate fear
• Explain what you will be teaching and why it is important
• Develop mechanisms for support

9. • Discuss resources for further information
• Review major points of each learning session
• Keep learners involved: Ask for feedback and evaluation.
Difference in health education and nursing process
The nursing process can be carried out independently by the nurse. The nurse if the sole participant. The
education process involves multiple people, including the teacher and the learner ,
 This can create difficulties if the teacher and the student are not on the same page. It is important for the
teacher to understand which teaching techniques will be most beneficial to the learning. Also the teacher
cannot successfully teach if the learner is not engaged and willing to accept new information
 . If the patient is unwilling to change their behavior, the techniques used by the nurse are mute.
 Perhaps the biggest difference is that teaching and learning can be done in a multitude of ways, whereas
nursing care is more limited. There are only so many correct ways to clean a wound or insert a Foley.
 Education can be provided verbally, visually, or physically in many different ways.
 The education process takes this further by teaching the patient how to apply these skills or concepts
independently. Thus, the goal of the two processes are different. The nursing goal is to provide care and
get the patient healthy, whereas the education goal is to allow the patient and/or their family members
to provide their own care and stay healthy.
Scenario
Mr. Aslam, 56 years old man, started having polyuria and poly dypsia. He had not been hospitalized
before and never goes to clinic unless it is highly important. He is illiterate and father of 4 children. His father
also had diabetes and had died of heart attack 8 years back. Mr. Aslam was insisted to go to clinic by her
daughter and there he diagnosed to be having Diabetes. He was in a major shock and was not ready to accept
the fact.
After 2 months, you find him more receptive and call him to diabetic clinic. Today he comes to you in a clinic:
Plan a health education / teaching on one of the problems Mr. Aslam is facing.