The most important reason of health education is to positively impact the health conduct of people and communities as well as the living and working conditions that affect their health. Health education builds learners’ information, aptitudes, and positive demeanors towards health.
Health education lessons cover ranges, such as physical, mental, enthusiastic, and social health. Advance, It persuades students to make strides and keep up their fitness, anticipate illness, and diminish practices that seem to put them at the chance.
Health education curricula and instruction offer assistance students learn aptitudes that will be of utility to them in making solid choices all through their lifetime. The conclusion result of the viable educational module is positive changes in conduct that decrease understudy dangers around liquor, tobacco, and other drugs, damage avoidance, a mental and passionate health, sustenance, physical action, avoidance of infections as well as sexuality and family life.
Health education advances learning results in other subjects. A study appeared that perusing and arithmetic scores of students who got comprehensive health education were altogether higher than those who did not.
In general, healthy students learn better. Previous studies have shown that more healthy students tend to do better in school. They have higher participation, better grades, and perform better on tests.
Health education propels individuals to receive health-promoting practices by giving legitimate information and making a difference to create a positive demeanor. It makes individuals form choices around their health and have confidence and aptitudes to put their decisions into practice.
Principles of Health Education
All health education ought to be need-based. Therefore, including any person, people or the community in health education programme must be with a specific reason or purpose. The requirements ought to be set up.
It must be significant issues and accessible arrangements must be made. Health education basically points to behavioral changes.
Subsequently, the multidisciplinary approach is vital for the understanding of human behavior as well as for successful health education.
It is crucial to have a free flow of communication for successful health education undertaking. The two-way communication is especially significant in health; a message is sent from the sender to the receiver and vice-versa.
What are the Ways to Promote Health Education? Plan learning activities for street children and mothers in the community Provide information on ways to have healthy habits. Do a needs analysis in order to identify the resources the community needs Implement programs that raise awareness on the importance of health education Organize lectures and seminars to keep the citizens educated on facts about health.
Why is Health Education Important
Health education is giving people the skills, tools, and knowledge to live healthier. It has been proven to reduce early death, preventable diseases, and it is cheaper than treating the illnesses it prevents.
Health education is everything from signs reminding someone to wash hands in the bathroom to courses on advanced nutrition. It can happen at the personal level or the community level. It can be in advertising and workplace incentive programs. The following are the importance of health education in community, school and society at large:
1. Teaches People to Improve and Maintain their Health
The importance of health education impacts many areas of wellness within a community, including; chronic disease awareness and prevention, maternal and infant health promotion, tobacco use and substance abuse prevention, injury and violence prevention, mental and behavioral health promotion, nutrition, exercise and obesity prevention and the reduction of risky behaviors.
Health education can also lead to more accurate health beliefs and knowledge, and thus to better lifestyle choices, but also to better skills and greater self-advocacy.
Education improves skills such as literacy, develops effective habits, and may improve cognitive ability
2. It Builds Knowledge, Skills, and Positive Attitudes about Health
Health education encourages people to learn new skills they will use to make healthy choices throughout their lifetime. Resulting in positive changes in behavior and attitudes that are critical in risk reduction especially among young people, students and vulnerable population.
Sexuality education, as a part of health education, is vital for young people’s development, learning, and overall wellbeing. Learning in this area also contributes to academic success and positive mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health.
3. Help to Prevent Diseases
It is no secret that if we do not want to get sick, we need to make an effort to take care of our overall health. Thus, if you want to prevent diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes, heart diseases and chronic pain, a healthy lifestyle is the key.
4. Help to Achieve Better Immunity
Staying active helps you stay in shape, manage your weight, boost immunity, and increase your energy level. If you want to stay healthy, you need to make an effort to eat healthy food and exercise regularly.
5. It Improve Mood
Having a healthy lifestyle fuels you to be energetic. This boosts your mood and confidence. Plus, when you’re feeling healthy, you can have a better outlook in life because you have the strength to face and overcome stress.
6. Improve and Boost Energy
As mentioned earlier, when you take care of your overall health, it will boost your energy. You can achieve this by having a balanced diet, doing regular exercise, and sleeping right.
Functions of Health Educations: What Trained Health Educators Do
Health educators teach people about behaviours that promote wellness. They are change agents (positive behaviour change) They also:
- Teach health education in schools
- 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 and 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 behavior
- Use a variety of education/training methods
- Develop audio, visual, print and electronic materials
- Conduct research
- Write scholarly articles
