PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH EDUCATION

Health education brings together the art and science of medicine and the principles and practice
of general education.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• E.g –If a HE programme regrding control of COVID 19 outbreak is orgnised to aware common
people then without their paritcipation it will be totally failed.

• Aim of this programme is to aware people regarding the severity of the outbreak and adoption of
precautionary measures for its control.People can only able to disseminate precautionary
measures if they adopt and follow it properly.

• Importance of preacutionary meaasures like avoidance of social gathering in religious places to

control the outbreak must be properly explained by the Educator so that it does not produce
negetive impact on common people.
 • Educator and reciver must be reciprocate their feelings and share their difficulties faced during
adoption of precautionary measures otherwise the aim of HE would be failed.

• A HE must be successful if it will be evaluted time to time like- to control COVID 19 outbreak
does not invole only dissemination of precautionary measures but are the common people
actually follow it ? or if they face any problem during adoption of these measures ? these need to
be evaluated by health educator time to time.

• Precationary measures like importance of hand washing ,its duration, how it should be done by
everyone need to be explained by Heath Educator by practical demonstration which produce
greater impact compare to mere verbal instructions

• To make a Health education successful voluntary participation of adminstrator, community

leaders are needed as they are much more aware of the difficulties of common people .e.g-Social
awareness regarding control of COVID 19 outbreak need involvement of leaders ,NGOs as they
can assure and convince people regarding need of adopting healthy practices like cleaning of
hands,importance home isolation etc.

• A Health educator cannot compel or force anyone during awreness programme rather provide
alternative choices e.g- cleaning of hands and use of mask is some precationary measure to
control the COVID 19 outbreak. But in rural and poor communities were there is a scarecity of
mask and sanitizers as well as low purchasing capacity ,health Educator must provide alternative
way like demonstration of home based mask prepartion and use of simple soap instead of costly
sanitizers.

SPECIFIC PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH EDUCATION

1.CREDIBILITY: it is the degree by which the message to be communicated is perceived as
trustworthy by the receiver.It should be scientifically proven,based on facts and should be
compatible with local culture and goals.

E.g- HE regrding control of COVID 19 outbreak must involve information about the
fatality of the virus.Health Educator disseminate simple advice related to its control like
use of hand - sanitizer ,soap and mask for prevention of this disease.

2.INTEREST:it is a psychological principle that people are unlikely to listen to those things
which are not to their interest.If the health education topic is of interest to the people,they will
listen to it.Health educator should identify the “felt needs”of the people and then prepare a
program that they can actively participate in to make it successful.
E.g- HE regrding control of COVID 19 outbreak if involve the scientific complex
mechanism and action of virus in our body then common people may loose interest ,rather
if Health Educator provide general information regardng preparation of home made mask
and sanitizer as he/she felt that there is a scarecity of it in local level then it may be more
intersting.
3.PARTICIPATION: It is based on psychological principle of active learning,create a sense
of involvement,personal acceptance and decision making:provides maximum feedback.

Health education should aim at encouraging people to work actively with health workers and
others in identifying their own health problems and also in developing solutions and plans to
work them out.Health Educator should encourage people to participate in the programme.Once
the people are given a chance to take part in the programme it leads to their acceptance of the
programe.Methods like group discussion,panel discussion etc provide oppurtunities for people’s
participation.

E.g HE regrding prepartion of home made mask and sanitizer to control COVID 19 must
need participation of local people otherwise they cannot be able to make it for himself or
for their family on emergency basis .Method demonstration must invole participation of
people who dicuss,ineract and provide information regarding the availabilty of local raw
materials required for home made sanitizer and mask manufacture .

4.MOTIVATION:The need for incentives is a first step in learning to change.It is contagious.It

is “ the fundamental desire for learning in an individual”.Health education can be facilitated by
the motivation provided by the desire to achieve individual goals.
E.g-for a teenager,esthetics might be a motive to take care of his health whereas for an
adult ,the expenses of undergoing manufacture of mask and sanitizer.

5.COMPREHENSION:Health educator should always communicate in the language people

easily understand.Principle of comprehension involve

• understanding level of the people who receive health education.

• Level of literacy of the audience
• Use of word familiar word instead of strange or new word
• Limited use of medical or technical term

E.g-(1) A statement saying to make sanitizer use “99%percent alcohol” may not be
comprehensive to the common people. A better way of explaining would be “3/4th cup”
along with showing the size of the cup size.
(2) A statement saying to prevent COVID 19 “eat food items that are immunity booster”
and adopt “social distancing” may not be comprehensive to the common people.A better
way of explaining would be “take food stuffs that are come in various natural colours like
colorful fruits and vegetables,raw tea, low cost protein rich food like use of two pulses like
green gram and lentil in making khichri”, “keping safe distance of 1to 2meter in crowded
social environment like market”

6.REINFORCEMENT:This is the principle that refers to the repitition needed in health

education.It is not possible for the people to learn new things in a short period of time.So
repetition is a good idea.This can be done at regular intervals and it helps people to understand
new ideas or practice better.It acts like “Booster Dose” in Health Education.

E.g-(1) The method of home base sanitizer and mask prepartion need to be repeated
several times at regular intervals otherwise it is not possible for the people to learn this new
concept.

(2) Does and Don’ts regrding control of COVID 19 outbreak need to be repeated several
times at regular intervals and it helps people to understand new ideas or practice better
like

C=Clean your hands

O=Off from gatherings
R=Raise Your Immunity
O=Only sick to wear mask
N=No to hand shake
A=Avoid Rumours
7.FEEDBACK: For any programme to be successful it is necessary to collect feedback to find
out if any modification are needed to make the programme more effective.

E.g-The difficulties faced by the people during home base sanitizer and mask prepartion
like scarecity of raw materials is needed to be reported to the Health educator to make the
programme successful.

8.LEARNING BY DOING:If the learning process is accompanied by doing new things it is

better instilled in the minds of people. “If I hear ,I forget;if I see,I remember;if I do, I know”.

E.g-Only verbal instruction of home made sanitizer preparation method may not provide
greater impact on common people as they forget it easily.If Health Educator demonstrate it
,50% of the audience can able to catch up the process ,wheras if they prepare it infront of
educator it is better instilled in their minds.

9.KNOWN TO UNKNOWN:Before the start of any Health Education programme, Health

Educator should find out how much the people already know and then give them the new
knowledge.The existing knowledge of the people can be used as the basic step up on which new
knowledge can be placed.

E.g-(1) A Health Education Programme with the aim of introducing a Mask and sanitizer
to a rural population will be better appreciated if the communicator start the programme
with “what are you using to clean your hands frequently or cover up your mouth in social
gathering at present” and then going in to details like “why are you using it now” and then
connecting it to the utility of Mask and sanitizer and then providing the details about their
mechanism of action and home based prepartion method.
10.GOOD HUMAN RELATIONS: This principle states that the health educator should have
good personal qualities and should be able to maintain friendly relations with the people.The
Health Educator should have a kind and sympathetic attitude towards the people and should
always be helpful to them in clarifying doubts or repeating what is not understood.

11.SETTING AN EXAMPLE:The health educator should follow what he preaches.He should

set an example to others to follow

E.g-(1) A health Educator who participate in a campaign on control of COVID 19 outbreak

programme highlighting the ill effects of improper hand sanitization (i.e less than 20
seconds) should not be seen hand sanitization in shorter time since it sends a wrong signal
and seriousness of the situation is lost.

12.COMMUNITY LEADERS:Community leaders can be used to reach the people of the

community and to convince them about the need for Health Education.Leaders can also be used
to educate the people as they will have a rapport and will be familiar with the people of their
community.The leader will have an understanding of the needs of the community and advice and
guide them.

E.g-HE regrding control of COVID 19 outbreak if diseminate through community leaders

then it will be much more acceptable as he/she know the people of his/her community.