Health education that is right
It is generally believed that effective health education is a more desirable and cheaper way to attain good health status in an individual and the general population. But, practically, there exists no ideal singular model, to achieve this objective.
The human mindset is very resistant to change from old habits, cultivated over years, however detrimental to health they may be. There is a common expression in everyday parlance which goes: "Old habits die hard". Human psychologists believe that we are conditioned by the belief system of the society we live in and constantly pick up habits from especially our peers. A child may become a chain-smoker by initially imitating a friend who had picked up this same habit. We put on weight because of our craving for food to fill a void in our lives. It is widely believed that it is easier to switch from a bad habit to a good one by re-orientating one's value system and engaging in an activity which takes the time off the bad habit than to simply switch off a bad habit, without filling the void in human mind or existence. Human life with a void leads to boredom and depression. We need to have mind occupation and challenges in our lives but these should not ,however, overwhelm us and crash the mind, creating a sense of inadequacy in us or a void, which we seek to fill, in the first place.
Most health education programs have failed because the root causes of deviant or unhealthy human behaviors have not been properly addressed. Rather, the programs have focused on health information without providing education and support on behavior change. Group therapy and individualized counseling may be used, depending on the specific cases and the individual's mental disposition at the time. Since people differ in their outlook on life, a given health message has to given differently to different individuals for behavior change to be effected.
Motivation must precede behavior change. While some people are motivated by positive rewards in staying healthy, others are motivated by fear of a health catastrophe which will befall them if they do not stick to healthy habit. After such motivation, the mind becomes more open to information and the individual may be ready to change behavior. Motivation differs with different individuals, since we have our likes and dislikes, peculiar to our genetic make-up and social upbringing. Two people can achieve an identical health outcome, through different motivation strategies. It is the duty of the health educator to identify the likes of an individual and play on them, to achieve the desired health goal. Demographics are therefore an essential component of a good health education program as specific messages can then be delivered to specific target groups, with less effort.
Dr Oliver Verbe Birnso
The human mindset is very resistant to change from old habits, cultivated over years, however detrimental to health they may be. There is a common expression in everyday parlance which goes: "Old habits die hard". Human psychologists believe that we are conditioned by the belief system of the society we live in and constantly pick up habits from especially our peers. A child may become a chain-smoker by initially imitating a friend who had picked up this same habit. We put on weight because of our craving for food to fill a void in our lives. It is widely believed that it is easier to switch from a bad habit to a good one by re-orientating one's value system and engaging in an activity which takes the time off the bad habit than to simply switch off a bad habit, without filling the void in human mind or existence. Human life with a void leads to boredom and depression. We need to have mind occupation and challenges in our lives but these should not ,however, overwhelm us and crash the mind, creating a sense of inadequacy in us or a void, which we seek to fill, in the first place.
Most health education programs have failed because the root causes of deviant or unhealthy human behaviors have not been properly addressed. Rather, the programs have focused on health information without providing education and support on behavior change. Group therapy and individualized counseling may be used, depending on the specific cases and the individual's mental disposition at the time. Since people differ in their outlook on life, a given health message has to given differently to different individuals for behavior change to be effected.
Motivation must precede behavior change. While some people are motivated by positive rewards in staying healthy, others are motivated by fear of a health catastrophe which will befall them if they do not stick to healthy habit. After such motivation, the mind becomes more open to information and the individual may be ready to change behavior. Motivation differs with different individuals, since we have our likes and dislikes, peculiar to our genetic make-up and social upbringing. Two people can achieve an identical health outcome, through different motivation strategies. It is the duty of the health educator to identify the likes of an individual and play on them, to achieve the desired health goal. Demographics are therefore an essential component of a good health education program as specific messages can then be delivered to specific target groups, with less effort.
Dr Oliver Verbe Birnso
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