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Communication for Health Education

Communication :

regarded as two way process of exchanging or shaping ideas, feelings and information. Ultimate goal of all communication is to bring about a change in the desired direction of the person who receives the communication cognitive (increase in knowledge), affective(change in existing pattern of behavior & attitude) & psychomotor (acquire new skill)Communication Process :

Complex process having five components :

Sender (source) Receiver (audience) Message (content) Channel (medium) Feedback (effect)

Sender : originator of the message must know - his objectives, should be clearly defined. his audience: its interests & needs his message channels of communication his professional abilities and limitation

Receiver: single person or group

Two types- Controlled audience : one which is held together by common interest, homogeneous Uncontrolled audience : one which has gathered together from motives of curiosity. - the more homogenous the audience is, the greater are the chances of an effective communication

Message: is the information which the communicator transmits to his audience to receive, understand, accept and act upon.

transmitting right message to the right people at right time is very crucial factor in successful communication.

Channels of Communication : Interpersonal Mass Media Folk Media

Feed back:Reaction from the audienceMay reject if message is not clear or not acceptableHence opportunity to sender to modify message and render it acceptable.Inter-personnel communication- immediate Mass communication- takes timeFeedback is obtained through opinion polls, survey and interviewsTypes of Communications: One way communication Two way communication Verbal communication Non verbal communication Formal and Informal communication Visual communication Tele communication and internetOne way communication: (Didactic Method)

E.g. lecture method in class roomsDraw backs - knowledge is imposed - learning is authoritative - little audience participation - no feedback - does not influence human behaviorTwo way communication (Socratic Method):

Audience may raise questions

Add their own information, ideas and opinions to the subject

Learning is active and democratic

More likely to influence behavior than one way communication

Verbal communication:

Word of mouth, traditional way

It is persuasive

Non verbal communication

Communication without words

Bodily movements, postures, gestures, facial expressions

Silence is a non verbal communication

It can speak louder than wordsFormal communication:

Follows lines of authority

Informal communication:

E.g.: gossip circles

May be more active, if formal channels do not cater to the information needsVisual communication:

ChartsGraphspictogramsTablesmapsPosters Telecommunication and internet:

Communication over distance

Radio, TV, internet, telephone, telegraph etc

Point to point telecommunications systems (telephone, telegraph) are closer to interpersonal communicationsHealth Communication :Health Communication has to cater the following needs, Information Education Motivation Persuasion Counselling Raising morale Health development Organization

Health Education : A process aimed at encouraging people to want to be healthy , to know how to stay healthy , to do what they can individually and collectively to maintain health, and to seek help when needed.

Aims & objectives of health education:

To encourage people to adopt & sustain health promoting lifestyles and practices

To promote the proper use of health services provided to them

To arouse interest, provide new knowledge, improve skills & change attitudes in making rational decisions to solve their own problem

To stimulate individual & community self reliance & participation to achieve health developmentApproach to Health Education : Regulatory approach (Managed prevention) Service approach Health education approach Primary health care approach

Models of Health Education : Medical Model Motivational Model Social Intervention ModelMedical Model:

Dissemination of health information based on scientific facts

In this model social, cultural and psychological factors were thought to be little or no importance

Did not bridge the gap between knowledge and behaviorMotivational Model:Awareness Motivation Interest -Evaluation - Decision makingAction - Adoption or acceptance

Interpersonal communication (friends, groups, technical persons) is vital to lend support to his decision making

Internalization:New ideas or acquired behavior which becomes part of a persons own existing values

Social Intervention Model:In some situations it is not the individual who needs to be changed but the social environment which shapes the behavior of the individual & community.

An effective health education model is based on precise knowledge of human ecology & understanding of the social interaction between the cultural, biological, physical & social environmental factors.Contents of Health Education: Human Biology Nutrition personal Hygiene Family Health Disease prevention and control Mental health Prevention of accidents Use of health services

EnvironmentaldomesticcommunityPractice of Health Education: Audio Visual Aids : Auditory aids Visual aids Not requiring projection and requiring projection Combined A V aidsMethods in Health Communication :1.Individual approach 2.Group approach 3. Mass approach Individual Approach Personal contact Home visits Personal letters Group Approach- Lectures DemonstrationDiscussion methods Discussion methods Group discussion Panel discussion Symposium Workshop Conference Seminar Role Play

Mass Approach Television Radio Newspaper Printed material Direct mailing Posters Health museums and exhibition Folk methods Internet

Lectures (Chalk & Talk):

Group should not be more than 30

Talk should not exceed 15 20 mins

Can be made more effective by combining with audio- visual aids such as ; - flip charts, flannel graph, Exhibits, Films & charts

Disadvantages of lecture:

Minimum student involvement,

Passive learning,

Comprehension varies with student

Health behavior of listener is not necessarily affected

Do not stimulate thinking or problem solving capacity

Demonstration:

Carefully prepared presentation to show how to perform a skill or procedure

Clinical teaching in hospitals

This method has a high motivational value

Can be used in programmes like environmental sanitation (construction of sanitary latrine), mother & child(ORS) etc Group discussion:Aggregation of people interacting in a face to face situationFor effective group discussion:-should comprise not < 6 & not > 12 members-seated in a circle, each is fully visible to others-group leader; initiate the subject, helps discussion in proper manner, prevents side conversations, encourages everyone to participate, sums up the discussion in the end- desirable to have a person to record

Group discussion contd

Considered very effective in health communication

The group may arrive at decisions which no individual would have been able to make alone

Decision taken by the group tends to adopted by each individual rather than a solitary one

Where long compliance is involved (e.g. cessation of smoking, obesity reduction) group discussion is considered valuableLimitations of group discussion:

Those shy may not take part in discussions

Some may dominate the discussion

Some may deviate from the subject and make the discussion irrelevant or unprofitable

Panel discussion:

4- 8 persons, qualified to talk about the topic, sit & discuss a given problem

In front of a large group or audience

Panel comprises of a chairman & 4 8 speakers

No specific agenda, no order of speaking & no set of speech

Success of the panel depends upon the chairman

After the main aspects of the subjects are explored by panel speakers, the audience is invited to take part

Symposium:

Series of speeches on a selected subject

Each expert presents an aspect of the subject briefly

No discussion among the symposium members

Audience may raise questions in the end

Chairman makes a comprehensive summary at the end of the entire sessionWorkshop:

Consists of a series of meetings, usually 4 or more

Emphasis on individual work, within the group, with the help of consultants or resource personnel

Provides each participant opportunities to improve his effectiveness as a professional worker Role playing (socio - drama) :

Many values in a situation cannot be expressed in words

Communication can be more effective if the situation is dramatised by the group

Size of the group is best thought to be at about 25

Role playing is useful technique to use in providing discussion of problems of human relationship

Particularly useful educational advice for school children

Role playing is followed by discussion of the problemConferences & Seminars:

Contains a large component of commercialized continuing education

Usually held on a regional, state or national level

Range from once half day to one week in length

May cover a single topic in depth or be broadly comprehensive

Usually use variety of formats to aid the learning process

If I hear , I forget ; If I see, I remember ; If I do, I know