philosophical aspets of health education

PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS OF

HEALTH EDUCATION

PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECT OF HEALTH EDUCATION

A comprehensive health program in the society should influence, in a positive way, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours, ultimately leading to an enhanced quality of life for all. Through the involvement of home, school and community, the comprehensive health program should relate to every aspect of a person’s life including: the physical, intellectual, emotional, social and moral development.


A comprehensive health program encompasses a wide range of home, school and community personnel collaborating to enhance the well-being of all. The program deals with a broad spectrum of health topics in an integrated and holistic way. The health instruction component of the program should be coordinated with health services, within a healthful school and community environment.


Comprehensive health programs achieve their goals through:

formal and informal instruction support services a healthy environment social support

FORMAL AND INFORMAL INSTRUCTION

SUPPORT SERVICES

A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

SOCIAL SUPPORT

GENERAL PHILOSOPHIES OF HEALTH EDUCATION

Develop a basic understanding of the components of health.

Develop a positive self-concept and to exhibit self-efficacy.

Foster an awareness of the role of the school, the home and the community as they relate to all aspects of health.

Develop skills and to promote behaviours for health and injury prevention.

Promote and to reinforce positive attitudes towards health and well-being.

GENERAL PHILOSOPHIES OF HEALTH EDUCATION

Foster the idea of self-responsibility and capability for health and well-being.

Help acquire a body of knowledge and skills that will lead to sound decision making regarding health and well-being.

Encourage the appropriate selection and use of health information and services.

Promote a holistic view of health as a resource for everyday living.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF HEALTH EDUCATION

GUIDE QUESTIONS: What is ‘psychology’ and why is it so important in the context of health education?

What do we mean by ‘health’ and why is psychology central to the effective delivery of health education?

WHAT IS ‘PSYCHOLOGY’ AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT IN THE CONTEXT OF

HEALTH EDUCATION?

Psychology is the study of human behaviour, thought processes and emotions

Health psychology refers to the application of psychological theory and research to promote evidence-based personal and public health.

Therefore psychology sits alongside these other disciplines to make an important contribution to the health and well-being of the population.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ‘HEALTH’ AND WHY IS PSYCHOLOGY CENTRAL TO THE EFFECTIVE

DELIVERY OF HEALTH EDUCATION?

There are many ways in which psychological theory and research can contribute to improvements in health education including: appreciate how people’s

understandings and needs vary, so that we can try to ensure that the individualized care we provide is both appropriate and optimal;

gain a better understanding of communication processes so that we can identify ways of improving the therapeutic relationship and work more effectively in interprofessional and inter-agency contexts;

identify factors that affect how people cope with such situations as acute and chronic illness, pain and loss, and the demands of everyday life

inform us about factors that influence people’s lifestyles and what motivates certain health-related behaviours such as smoking, dietary change and exercise

apply evidence-based interventions to enhance health and well-being

help people to change or modify their lifestyles.

SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF

HEALTH EDUCATION

The Sociology of Health Education examines the interaction between society and health.

The objective is to see how social life has an impact on morbidity and mortality rate, and vice versa.

The sociology of health education covers sociological pathology (causes of disease and illness), reasons for seeking particular types of medical aid, and patient compliance or noncompliance with medical regimes.

EXAMPLE:Health, or lack of health, was

once merely attributed to biological or natural conditions. Sociologists have demonstrated that the spread of diseases is heavily influenced by the socioeconomic status of individuals, ethnic traditions or beliefs, and other cultural factors. Where medical research might gather statistics on a disease, a sociological perspective on an illness would provide insight on what external factors caused the demographics who contracted the disease to become ill.

There are obvious differences in patterns of health and illness across societies, over time, and within particular society types.

There has historically been a long-term decline in mortality within industrialized societies, and on average, life-expectancies are considerably higher in developed, rather than developing or undeveloped, societies.

Patterns of global change in health care systems make it more imperative than ever to research and comprehend the sociology of health and illness.

Continuous changes in economy, therapy, technology and insurance can affect the way individual communities view and respond to the medical care available.

Advancing information is vital because as patterns evolve, the study of the sociology of health and illness constantly needs to be updated.