Public Health Dentistry Health Education And Promotion Question And Answers

Health Education And Promotion

Question 1. Define health, health education and dental health education. Give WHO’s objectives of health education. Discuss approaches to the health education.
Answer.

Definition of Health

Health is defined as “State of complete, physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. WHO (1948)

Definition of Health Education

“Health education is a process that informs, motivates and helps people to adopt and maintain healthy practices and lifestyles, advocates environmental changes as needed to facilitate this goal and conducts professional training and research to the same end.” National conference on preventive medicine in USA

“Health education comprises consciously constructed opportunities for learning involving some forms of communication design to improve health literacy, including improving knowledge and developing life skills which are conducive to individual and community health”. WHO health promotion glossary (1998)

Definition of Dental Health Education

It is defined as the provision of oral health information to people in such a way that people adopt and maintain healthy practices and lifestyle and apply in everyday living.

WHO’s Objectives of Health Education

• Informing the people (Cognitive objective): People should be informed about various diseases and their etiology and prevention from such diseases. Information increases the knowledge of people and aware them about their health problems and this helps them from preventing the disease and promoting health.
• Motivating people (Affective objective): This objective is concerned with clarifying, changing attitude, belief, value or opinion. The presence of information does not improve health. As proper health information is provided, it is necessary to motivate people for altering their lifestyles so that it is favorable to promote health and prevent the disease.
• Guiding into action (Behavioral objective): This objective is concerned with the development of skills and the action. A person who has obtained health information is motivated to change his behaviour as well as lifestyle. However the person might need professional help and guidance to bring these changes and to sustain altered lifestyles.

Read And Learn More: Public Health Dentistry Question And Answers

Approaches to Health Education

Following are the approaches to health education:

• Regulatory or legal approach
• Administrative or service approach
• Educational approach
• Primary healthcare approach.

Regulatory or Legal Approach

This approach uses the law for protecting the health of the public. In this government make laws and regulations in order to safeguard health of its people. Examples are Pollution Act, environmental Act, etc.

Disadvantages are:

• It is applicable in limited situations.
• It does not alter the behavior of individual
• It interferes with individual’s personal choices.

Administrative or Service Approach

This approach provides all health facilities to the people with the hope that they will use it.

Disadvantages is:

• It gets failed if services do not fulfill the needs of people.

Educational Approach

• This is most effective and is meant for achievement of changes in health practices and lifestyle of the community.
• Components of educational approach are motivation, communication and decision making.
• Results obtained by this approach are slow but are permanent.
• In this, sufficient time is given to the individual for bringing desired changes in his/her behavior.

Primary Healthcare Approach

• In this, there is a involvement of full participation and active involvement of people which start from planning stage till delivery of health services.
• It is solely based on the principles of primary health care.
• This approach is achieved by providing necessary guidance to help people identify their health problems and find solutions for their problems.

Question 2. Write in brief on principles of health education.
Or
Write short note on principles of health education.
Answer.

Principles of Health Education

Credibility

• Credibility is the degree to which the message is communicated and is received as trustworthy by the receiver.
• Good health education is consistent and compatible with scientific knowledge and also with local culture, educational system and social goal

Interest

• It is a psychological principle that people do not listen to those things which are not of their interest. That is why health teaching should relate to the interests of the people.
• People are not interested in health slogans such as ‘take care of your health’ or ‘be healthy’.
• Health educators must find out the real health needs of the public.
• Psychologists call them ‘felt needs’, i.e. ‘needs’ the people feel about themselves.
• If a health program will be based on ‘felt needs’ people will gladly participate in the program and only then it will be a public program.
• The health educator will have to bring about recognition of the needs before he proceeds to tackle them.

Participation

• Participation is based on the psychological principle of active learning.
• Health education should encourage the persons to work actively with health workers and others in identifying their own problems.
• Various methods such as group discussion, panel discussion, workshop all of them provide opportunities for active learning.

Motivation

• Motivation is a fundamental desire to learn.
• There are two types of motives, i.e. primary and secondary.
• Primary motives are sex, hunger, survival, which initiate people into action. These motives are inborn desires.
• Secondary motives are based on desires created by the outside forces or incentive.
• Some of the secondary motives are praise, love, rivalry, rewards, punishment and recognition.
• In health education, motivation is an important factor. The incentives may be positive or negative, but the positive must be emphasized as against the negative.

Comprehension

• Comprehension means the level of understanding of the people who receive health education.
• In health education, one must know the level of understanding for which the teaching is directed.
• Use of words should be prohibited which cannot be understood.
• Especially in the lower grade, children do not understand the meaning of health. They are not interested in it as adults are.
• So the teaching should be within the mental capacity of the children.

Reinforcement

• As per this principle the repetition at intervals is necessary.
• It is very difficult for public to learn new things in a short period of time.
• If message is repeated in different ways people are more likely to remember it.

Learning by Doing

• Learning is an action process; not a ‘memorizing’ one in the narrow sense.
• The Chinese proverb, If I hear, I forget, if I see, I remember, if I do, I know” illustrates the importance of learning.
• So health habits like other habits should be cultivated through will practice and by following certain rules rigidly.

Known to Unknown

• For imparting health education, one should proceed from, the known to the unknown. This is the rule in teaching.
• One should start where the people are and with what they understand and then proceed to new knowledge.
• The existing knowledge of the people should be used as tags on which new knowledge is hanged.
• In this way systematic knowledge is built-up.
• New knowledge will bring about a new enlarged understanding which can give rise to an insight into the problem.

Setting an Example

• Health educator should set a good example in the things which he is teaching.
• He himself should setup an example to the people.
• For example, if he is explaining on dental caries, he himself will not be very successful if he have dental caries.

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.
• Health educator should have a kind and sympathetic attitude towards the people and should always be helpful to them in clarifying their doubts or repeating what is new to them.

Feedback

• It is the key concept of systemic approach.
• Health educator may modify elements of the system as per the feedback from the audience.
• For effective communication, feedback is of importance.

Community Leaders

• Community leaders play an important role in health education.
• 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 to rapport and familiarities with the people of their community.
• Leader should have an understanding of the needs of the community, and advice and guide them, and also should be able to answer all their doubts and put an end to their fears.

Question 3. What is dental health education and its objectives. Describe the role of communication in health education.
Answer.

Definition of Dental Health education

It is defined as the provision of oral health information to people in such a way that people adopt and maintain healthy practices and lifestyle and apply in everyday living.

Objectives of Dental Health Education

• Informing the people (Cognitive objective): People should be informed about various diseases and their etiologies and prevention from such diseases. Information increases the knowledge of people and aware them about their health problems and this helps them from preventing the disease and promoting health.
• Motivating people (Affective objective): This objective is concerned with clarifying, changing attitude, belief, value or opinion. The presence of information does not improve health. As proper health information is provided, it is necessary to motivate people for altering their lifestyles so that it is favorable to promote health and prevent the disease.
• Guiding into action (Behavioral objective): This objective is concerned with the development of skills and the action. A person who has obtained health information is motivated to change his behavior as well as lifestyle. However, the person might need professional help and guidance to bring these changes and to sustain altered lifestyles.

Communication in Health Education

• Communication plays an important role in the process of learning and education.
• One of the ideal requirements for a health educator is that he should know how to communicate effectively with the people to whom he imparts health education.

Components of Communication

• Entire process of communication is generally made up of five elements, which include:
  • Sender of the message or the communicator or source
    • Sender is the originator of the message.
    • Objectives of sender are clearly defined.
    • Sender should know interests and needs ofaudience.
    • Sender should know the message.
    • Sender should know the channels ofcommunication.
    • Sender should know his professional abilitiesand limitations.
  • The receiver of the message or the audience
    • Audience can be single or in group.
    • Audience are of two types, i.e. controlled and uncontrolled.
    • Controlled audience held together by common interest and is a homogeneous group
    • Uncontrolled audience is one who are gathered together from motives of curiosity.
  • The message which the communicator gives to the audience or content
    • Message is the information which communicator transmits to the audience to receive, understand, accept and act upon.
    • Message can be in the form of pictures or signs.
    • A good message should be:
      • In line with objective/objectives
      • Meaningful
      • Based on felt needs
      • Clear and understandable
      • Specific and accurate
      • Timely and adequate
      • Culturally and socially appropriate
  • The method used for communicating the message or media of communication or channel.
    • It is the media of communication between the sender and receiver.
    • Media is capable of making the communication effective.
    • Most common preferred communication channel is face to face communication.
    • Various other methods used are television, radio, etc.
  • Feedback or effect
    • Feedback represents the flow of information from audience to sender.
    • Feedback is the reaction of audience to message.
    • Feedback provides an opportunity to sender to modify his message and make it acceptable.
    • Feedback is obtained by opinion polls, attitude, surveys and interviews.

Barriers in the Process of Communication

• Psychological barriers: These are emotional disturbances, neurosis, and depression cause barrier in communication. In this case at most care should be taken.
• Physiological barriers: These are difficulties in learning, seeing, expressing the specific method communicates with deaf, dumb or blind should be used.
• Environmental barriers: The environmental barriers are due to excessive noise, difficulties in vision, congested areas, etc.
• Cultural barriers: These include pattern of behavior, habits, beliefs, customs, attitudes, religion, etc. even the level of knowledge and understanding to be taken into consideration.

Question4. Define health education. Explain in detail the various methods of health communication.
Answer.

Definition of Health Education

“Health education is a process that informs, motivates and helps people to adopt and maintain healthy practices and lifestyles, advocates environmental changes as needed to facilitate this goal and conducts professional training and research to the same end.”—National conference on preventive medicine in USA

“Health education comprises consciously constructed opportunities for learning involving some forms of communication design to improve health literacy, including improving knowledge and developing life skills which are conducive to individual and community health”.—WHO health promotion glossary (1998)

Methods of Health Communication

Methods of health communication are divided into three approaches which are broadly classified as:

Individual Approach

As individual visits the dental clinic or healthcare center due to illness, opportunity is used well for educating him over the matters of his interest, i.e. diet, cause and nature of his illness, its prevention, beneficial diet and oral hygiene, etc. Patient will listen readily to physician’s health counseling.

Public health personals, i.e. health visitors and health inspectors can also play a role as they visit homes and interact with various individuals and their families.

Group Approach

Group teaching is the very effective way for educating the public in the community. Choice of subject should be directly related to the interest of the group. Various methods of group teaching are as follows:

Chalk and Talk (Lectures)

A lecture is defined as “a carefully prepared oral presentation of facts, organized thoughts and ideas by a qualified person”.

• Chalk is the visual component.
• Following are the characteristics of a lecture:
  • Should have an opening statement which gives the theme of the lecture
  • Group should not be more than 30 people
  • Duration of talk should not exceed 15 to 20 minutes
  • Should be based on topic of current interest
  • Its effectiveness depends upon the ability of the speaker to write and draw legibly
  • The method of lecture becomes more effective by combining audiovisual aids such as flipcharts, flannelgraph, exhibits, film and chart.

Demonstration

• Procedure is carried out step-by-step in front of an audience.
• Method involves the audience in discussion and has high motivational value.
• Audience can then carry out the procedure themselves with expert help.
• Clinical teaching in hospital is dependent on the audience.

Group Discussions

Group discussion is a process of identifying a problem and finding solution collectively by members of the group.

• Participants learn by freely expressing and exchanging their views, experiences and knowledge.
• Group should consist of 6 to 20 members. They should have a common problem and similar concern.
• During group discussion, participants should be seated in a circle.
• There is a group leader who initiates the discussion, prevent side conversation, ensures everybody participates actively in a healthy manner and sum up the discussion.
• There should be a recorder who prepares a report on issues which are discussed and agreements which are reached.
• Here the members are expected to:
  • Listen to the other person idea
  • Express ideas clearly and concisely
  • Suggest relevant matter
  • Accept criticism gracefully
  • Help to reach a conclusion.
• Group discussion has shown to be a very effective method to bring about a change in behavior.
• When a group decides collectively to accept an idea, individual members are encouraged to accept the same.
• A single disadvantage of this method is some members in the group are shy while some are dominating which shows an unequal participation.

Panel Discussion

• It consists of a chairman who opens the meeting and 4 to 8 speakers who are expert on the topic to be discussed.
• The speakers discuss the problem in front of a large group or audience.
• Once the main aspects are explored and discussed by speaker, the audience is encouraged to take part.
• The members discuss amongst themselves and the responsibility of making it a success lies with the chairman who keeps the discussion going.

Symposium

• It consists of a series of speeches on a selected topic.
• Each speaker presents a brief aspect of the topic.
• No discussion among speakers.
• In the end, audience may ask the questions.
• Chairman makes a summary at the end of the session.

Workshop

• It consists of small groups with each group having a chairman and a recorder who records the proceeding.
• Each group with the help of a consultant and resourcepersonnel carry out a series of meetings.
• Experts discuss on specific issues with emphasis on individual work within the group.
• Here each participant gets the opportunity to improve his work under expert guidance.
• It usually lasts a few days and the participants leave with an action plan on the problem.

Role Playing/Sociodrama

• It is also called as sociodrama, as the situation or the message to be conveyed is performed by a group in the form of drama.
• The audience actively pays attention, and can be included in the role playing.
• It is a good educational device in school education.

Conference or Seminars

• Programs range from half day to one week.
• Held on a regional, state or national level.
• They usually have a theme.

Mass Approach

Mass approach is a one way communication. It is useful in transmitting messages to people in the remote places. Number of people who received the messages are in millions. Its effectiveness can give high returns for time and money involved. Following are the mass media used:

Television

• It covers the large number of people in large areas.
• Illiterate people can also understand.
• Many topics can be projected and converted to general public.
• Gives entertainment and education.

Radio

• Radios are the cheaper medium for mass communication.
• Accessible by people of every socioeconomic status.
• Health education talks to the masses can be given through radios.
• Care is taken for selecting the proper language and length of the talk.

Newspapers

• They are easily accessible by community and are available in languages they can follow.
• Newspaper readers always seek and are bound to newspapers.
• Newspapers provide more factual, detailed and even statistical material.

Printed Material

• Magazine, pamphlets, booklets and handouts are used for health communication.
• They convey detailed information.
• Produced in little cost.
• Shared by family and community.

Direct Mailing

• New innovation in health communication.
• Intention is to reach remote areas with printed words.
• Leads to public awareness.

Posters, Billboard and Signs

• They are eye catching and artistic.
• Message produce should be simple, short and direct.
• They are placed at crowded areas, e.g railway stations and bus stands.

Health Museums and Exhibitions

• They play in important role in such a way that the people can come across new ideas in health matters which they have not heard.
• Increase knowledge and awareness.
• Photographic panels attract more persons than graphic panels.
• They are the packages of both personal and impersonal methods of communication.

Folk Media

• Media such as keertan, katha, folk songs, dances and dramas, puppet have roots in our culture.
• Muslims have own traditional folks like ghazal, Kawali.

Internet

Numerous internet sites provide health education to the community.

Documentary Films

• They provide realism and motion.
• Display complicated situations step-by-step, the learner can see in a few moments that might have taken a time to produce.

Question 5. Define health education, its principles and application in dental health programs.
Or
Define health education. Explain in detail various principles of health education.
Or
Define health education. Describe principles of health education.
Or
Define health education. Explain the principles of health education.
Answer.

Definition of Health Education

“Health education is a process that informs, motivates and helps people to adopt and maintains healthy practices and lifestyles, advocates environmental changes as needed to facilitate this goal and conducts professional training and research to the same end.” —National conference on preventive medicine in USA

“Health education comprises consciously constructed opportunities for learning involving some forms of communication design to improve health literacy, including improving knowledge and developing life skills which are conducive to individual and community health”.—WHO health promotion glossary (1998)

Application of Health Education in Dental

Health Program Health education should be applied in dental health program by individual approach, group approach and mass approach.

Question 6. Define health education. Enumerate on principles and methods of health education for rural setting.
Answer.

Enumeration of Principles of Health Education

Following are the principles of health education

• Credibility
• Interest
• Participation
• Motivation
• Comprehension
• Reinforcement
• Learning by doing
• Known to unknown
• Setting an example
• Good human relations
• Feedback
• Community leaders

Methods of Health Education for Rural Setting

Television

• It covers the large number of people in large areas.
• Illiterate people can also understand.
• Many topics can be projected and converted to general public.
• Gives entertainment and education.

Radio

• Radios are the cheaper medium for mass communication.
• Accessible by people of every socioeconomic status.
• Health education talks to the masses can be given through radios.
• Care is taken for selecting the proper language and length of talk.

Newspapers

• They are easily accessible by community and are available in languages they can follow.
• Newspaper readers always seek and are bound to newspapers.
• Newspapers provide more factual, detailed and even statistical material.

Printed Material

• Magazine, pamphlets, booklets and handouts are used for health communication.
• They convey detailed information.
• Produced in little cost.
• Shared by family and community.

Posters, Billboard and Signs

• They are eye catching and artistic.
• Message produce should be simple, short and direct.
• They are placed at crowded areas, e.g. railway stations and bus stands.

Folk Media

• Media such as keertan, katha, folk songs, dances and dramas, puppet have roots in our culture.
• Muslims have own traditional folks like ghazal, Kawali.

Documentary Films

• They provide realism and motion
• Display complicated situations step-by-step, the learner can see in a few moments that might have taken time to produce.

Question 7. What is health education? Describe various educational media used for the improvement of community dental health.
Answer.

Definition of Health Education

“Health education is a process that informs, motivates and helps people to adopts and maintains healthy practices and lifestyles, advocates environmental changes as needed to facilitate this goal and conducts professional training and research to the same end.” National conference on preventive medicine in USA

“Health education comprises consciously constructed opportunities for learning involving some forms of communication design to improve health literacy, including improving knowledge and developing life skills which are conducive to individual and community health”. WHO health promotion glossary (1998)

Educational Media used for the Improvement of Community Dental Health

• A wide varieties of media are used for transmitting health education.
• They can be basically classified into the categories as:
  • Audio aids
  • Visual aids
  • Combination of audio and visual aids.

Audio Aids

• Audio aids are based on the principles of sound, electricity and magnetism.
• Most commonly used audio aids in health education are:
  • Megaphone
  • Radio
  • Tape recorders
  • Gramophone recorders and disks
  • Public addressing system or microphones
  • Sound amplifiers.

Visual Aids

• Based on principle of projection
• Visualization helps individual to understand better than any other media.
• They are classified as:

Projecting Aids

Need projection from a source on to a screen. They includes:

• Films or cinemas
• Film strips
• Slides
• Overhead projection
• Epidiascope
• Bioscopes
• Transparencies
• Videocassettes
• Silent films.

Non-projecting Aids

Which do not require any projection. They include:

• Blackboard
• Picture or photographs
• Cartoons
• Charts
• Models
• Folders.

Combination of Audiovisual Aids

• It is the modern media.
• sound and sight are combined, it produces better presentation.

This Includes:

• Television
• Tape and slide combination
• Multimedia computers
• Videocassette players and recorders.

It also includes traditional media, i.e.

• Folk dances
• Folk songs
• Puppet shows
• Dramas.

Question 8. Write short note on audiovisual aids.
Answer. Following are the audiovisual aids:

• Television
  • Coverage to large number of people
  • Can also reach to illiterate people
  • Can influence public opinion effectively
  • Provide entertainment as well as education
  • Disadvantage is high cost.
• Tape and slide combination
  • Should catch the eye and may be artistic
  • Message is simple and short
  • Should be changed frequently to maintain their effects.
• Videocassette players and recorders
  • Entertaining way of teaching content and raising issues
  • Keep groups attention
  • Looks professional
  • Stimulates discussion
  • Can raise too many issues to have a focused discussion.
• Motion pictures or cinemas
  • Provide realism and motion
  • Disadvantage is high cost
• Multimedia computers
  • Multimedia computers are mainly concerned with the usage of internet.
  • There are a number of internet sites providing health education to society.
  • Main disadvantage is that it is expensive and accessible to only the elite few.
  • There are chances of providing misleading information without any scientific basis.
• Traditional media
  • Media such as keertan, katha, folk songs, dances and dramas, puppet have roots in our culture.
  • Muslims have own traditional folks like ghazal, Kawali.

Question 9. Discuss the importance and mode of communication of public health education in community.
Answer.

Importance of Public Health Education in Community

Human Biology

Most of the public health teaching regarding human biology is included in school curriculum, like teaching of body parts, their structures and functions. Physical fitness and advantages of exercise. Hygiene and good diet, rest and sleep are also taught. The bad effects of alcohol and smoking are also included.

Nutrition

The main aim of public health education is that the people get informed about the importance of optimum nutrition and balanced diet, motivate them to make the best use of available resources and preference for the nutritious food and necessarily the most expensive foods. Education is also given about the preparation, serving and storage of food nutritions.

Hygiene

Health education includes the importance of hygiene and its maintenance. It has two aspects:

• Personal hygiene: Education is given to promote hygiene on an individual basis like bathing, clothing, washing hands, care of teeth, nails, coughing, sneezing, etc. It should begin at a very early age.
• Environmental hygiene: It further has two aspects; domestic hygiene, which includes general hygiene at home, use of soap, light and ventilation, hygienic disposal of waste, etc. Community hygiene includes hygiene of the surroundings, e.g. proper collection and disposal of garbage, proper drainage and avoidance of stagnation of water to check water-borne diseases.

Family Health Care

Health education strengthens and improves the quality of life of the whole family. Focus is not on an individual, but the family as a whole. Focus of attention is nowadays on mother and child health care, family planning, immunization, nutrition, population dynamics and other related activities.

Control of Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases

Education regarding the nature of disease is given. Diseases like leprosy, tuberculosis, malnutrition, alcoholism, drug addiction, dental diseases, etc. are a few of the ones which need health education activities. People are educated to prevent the recurrence of such diseases and are also encouraged to participate actively in programs directed towards disease control health protection and promotion.

Mental Health

Present day lifestyle and culture has shown an increase in diseases related to mental health like depression, neurosis, etc. The aim of health education in mental health is to keep people healthy mentally in the community and to prevent mental breakdown.

Prevention of Accidents

Modernization is a major factor for increase in accidents, which may take place on road, work place or even at home. Health education should be directed towards safety measures in their respective workplace like factories, mines, roads and safe environment should be provided.

Uses of Health Services

Individuals should be educated about the health services that are available. They should be motivated to avail these services and actively participate in national health program for prevention of disease and health promotion.

Mode of Communication of Public Health Education in Community

The modes of communication of public health education in community are by individual approach, group approach and mass approach.

Question 10. Discuss the importance of dental health education. What factors would you include in the health education of a community.
Answer.

Importance of Dental Health Education

• Adoption and continuing regular application of prescribed oral hygiene and nutritional practices.
• Periodic dental care either for early treatment for disease or for application of specific preventive measures such as topical application of fluoride for dental caries prevention or professional cleansing of the teeth to prevent periodontal disease.
• Application of community wide measures such as fluoridation of water supply.
• For educating individuals with malocclusion and emphasisshould be placed on obtaining corrective treatment as early as possible.
• Providing education to dentist to recognize earliest signs and symptoms of oral cancer and other tumors and to refer patients to appropriate diagnostic facilities.
• Dental health education guides the people to use properly fitted mouth guards while driving and during playing sports to avoid trauma.

Factors Include in Health Education of a Community

Factors include in the health education of a community are by various approaches, i.e. individual approach, group approach and mass approach.

Question 11. Write in brief on mass media.
Answer. Mass media is a one way communication. It is useful in transmitting messages to people in the remote places. Number of people who received the messages are in millions. Its effectiveness can give high returns for time and money involved. Following are the mass media use:

Television

• It covers the large number of people in large areas.
• Illiterate people can also understand.
• Many topics can be projected and converted to general public.
• Gives entertainment and education.

Radio

• Radios are the cheaper medium for mass communication.
• Accessible by people of every socioeconomic status.
• Health education talks to the masses, can be given through radios.
• Care is taken for selecting the proper language and length of talk.

Newspapers

• They are easily accessible by community and are available in languages they can follow.
• Newspaper readers always seek and are bound to newspapers.
• Newspapers provide more factual, detailed and even statistical material.

Printed Material

• Magazine, pamphlets, booklets and handouts are used for health communication.
• They convey detailed information.
• Produced in little cost.
• Shared by family and community.

Direct Mailing

• New innovation in health communication.
• Intention is to reach remote areas with printed words.
• Leads to public awareness.

Posters, Billboard and Signs

• They are eye catching and artistic.
• Message produce should be simple, short and direct.
• They are placed at crowded areas, e.g. railway stations and bus stands.

Health Museums and Exhibitions

• They play an important role in such a way that the people can come across new ideas in health matters which they have not heard.
• Increase knowledge and awareness.
• Photographic panels attract more persons than graphic panels.
• They are the packages of both personal and impersonal methods of communication.

Folk Media

• Media such as keertan, katha, folk songs, dances and dramas, puppet have roots in our culture.
• Muslims have own traditional folks like ghazal, Kawali.

Internet

Numerous internet sites provide health education to the community.

Documentary Films

• They provide realism and motion
• Display complicated situations step-by-step, the learner can see in a few moment that might have taken a time to produce.

Question 12. Define health education. Describe the methods of group health education.
Answer.

Definition of Health Education

“Health education is a process that informs, motivates and helps people to adopt and maintain healthy practices and lifestyles, advocates environmental changes as needed to facilitate this goal and conducts professional training and research to the same end.” National conference on preventive medicine in USA

“Health education comprises consciously constructed opportunities for learning involving some forms of communication design to improve health literacy, including improving knowledge and developing life skills which are conducive to individual and community health”. WHO health promotion glossary (1998)

Methods of Group Health Education

Group teaching is the very effective way for educating the public in community. Choice of subject should be directly related to the interest of the group. Various methods of group teaching are as follows:

Chalk and Talk (Lectures)

A lecture is defined as “a carefully prepared oral presentation of facts, organized thoughts and ideas by a qualified person”.

• Chalk is the visual component.
• Following are the characteristics of a lecture:
  • Should have an opening statement which gives the theme of the lecture.
  • Group should not be more than 30 people.
  • Duration of talk should not exceed 15 to 20 minutes
  • Should be based on topic of current interest.
  • Its effectiveness depends upon the ability of the speaker to write and draw legibly.
  • The method of lecture becomes more effective by combining audiovisual aids such as flipcharts, flannelgraph, exhibits, films and charts.

Demonstration

• Procedure is carried out step-by-step in front of an audience.
• Method involves the audience in discussion and has high motivational value.
• Audience can then carry out the procedure themselves with expert help.
• Clinical teaching in hospital is dependent on the audience.

Group Discussions

• It is a two way communication.
• Participants learn by freely expressing and exchanging their views, experiences and knowledge.
• There is a group leader who initiates the discussion and ensures everybody participates actively in a healthy manner.
• Here the members are expected to:
  • Listen to the other person idea
  • Express ideas clearly and concisely
  • Suggest relevant matter
  • Accept criticism gracefully
  • Help to reach a conclusion.
• Group discussion has shown to be a very effective method to bring about a change in behavior.
• When a group decides collectively to accept an idea, individual members are encouraged to accept the same.
• Group should consist of 6 to 20 members. They should have common problem and similar concern.

Panel Discussion

• It consists of a chairman who opens the meeting and 4 to 8 speakers who are expert on the topic to be discussed.
• The speakers discuss the problem in front of a large group or audience.
• Once the main aspects are explored and discussed by speaker the audience is encouraged to take part.
• The members discuss amongst themselves and the responsibility of making it a success lies with the chairman who keeps the discussion going.

Symposium

• It consists of a series of speeches on a selected topic.
• Each speaker presents a brief aspect of the topic.
• No discussion among speakers.
• In the end, audience may ask the questions.
• Chairman makes a summary at the end of session.

Workshop

• It consists of small groups with each group having a chairman and a recorder who records the proceeding.
• Each group with the help of consultant and resourcepersonnel carry out a series of meetings.
• Experts discuss on specific issues with emphasis onindividual work within the group.
• Here each participant gets the opportunity to improve his work under expert guidance.
• It usually lasts a few days and the participants leave with an action plan on the problem.

Role Playing/Sociodrama

• It is also called as sociodrama, as the situation or the message to be conveyed is performed by a group in the form of drama.
• The audience actively pays attention, and can be included in the role playing.
• It is a good educational device in school education.

Conference or Seminars

• Programme range from half day to one week.
• Held on a regional, state or national level.
• They usually have a theme.

Question 13. Write short note on dental health education.
Answer.

Definition of Dental Health Education

It is defined as the provision of oral health information to people in such a way that people adopt and maintain healthy practices and lifestyle and apply in everyday living.

Objectives of Dental Health Education

• Informing the people (Cognitive objective): People should be informed about various diseases and their etiologies and prevention from such diseases. Information increases the knowledge of people and aware them about their health problems and this helps them from preventing the disease and promoting health.
• Motivating people (Affective objective): This objective is concerned with clarifying, changing attitude, belief, value or opinion. Presence of information does not improve\health. As proper health information is provided, it is necessary to motivate people for altering their lifestyles so that it is favorable to promote health and prevent the disease.
• Guiding into action (Behavioral objective): This objective is concerned with the development of skills and the action. A person who has obtained health information is motivated to change his behavior as well as lifestyle. However, the person might need professional help and guidance to bring these changes and to sustain altered lifestyles.

Importance of Dental Health Education

• Adoption and continuing regular application of prescribed oral hygiene and nutritional practices.
• Periodic dental care either for early treatment for disease or for application of specific preventive measures such as topical application of fluoride for dental caries prevention or professional cleansing of the teeth to prevent periodontal disease.
• Application of community wide measures such as fluoridation of water supply.
• For educating individuals with malocclusion and emphasisshould be placed on obtaining corrective treatment as early as possible.
• Providing education to dentist to recognize earliest signs and symptoms of oral cancer and other tumors and to refer patients to appropriate diagnostic facilities.
• Dental health education guides the people to use properly fitted mouth guards while driving and during playing sports to avoid trauma.

Question 14. Write short note on group discussion.
Answer. Group discussion is a process of identifying a problem and finding, solution collectively by members of the group.

• Participants learn by freely expressing and exchanging their views, experiences and knowledge.
• Group should consist of 6 to 20 members. They should have a common problem and similar concern.
• During group discussion, participants should be seated in a circle.
• There is a group leader who initiates the discussion,prevent side conversation, ensures everybody participates actively in a healthy manner and sum up the discussion.
• There should be a recorder who prepares a report on issues which are discussed and agreements which are reached.
• Here the members are expected to:
  • Listen to the other person idea
  • Express ideas clearly and concisely
  • Suggest relevant matter
  • Accept criticism gracefully
  • Help to reach a conclusion.
• Group discussion has shown to be a very effective method to bring about a change in behavior.
• When a group decides collectively to accept an idea, individual members are encouraged to accept the same.
• A single disadvantage of this method is some members in group are shy while some are dominating which shows an unequal participation.

Question 15. Write a note on health promotion.
Answer. Health promotion is defined as “the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health”. By Ottawa Charter for health promotion, First international conference on health promotion, Ottawa, 21 November 1986.

Five Priority Action Areas for Health Promotion by Ottawa Charter

• Build healthy public policy
• Create supportive environment for health
• Strengthen community action for health
• Develop personal skills
• Re-orient health services

Build Healthy Public Policy

• Health promotion goes beyond the health care. It puts health on the agenda of policy makers in all the sectors and at all the levels, directing them to be aware of health consequences of their decisions and to accept their responsibilities for health.
• Legislative policy may have a very powerful influence on health by forming the social environment which either protect or improve the health.
• Fiscal policy is one of the part of health promotion, it seek to influence cost of items which is influential to the health.
• Tax applied on the unhealthy products may increase their cost and make them less affordable. This can increase the pressure on disadvantaged groups in society who depends mostly on these products which worsen their health status.
• Example: In the present scenario carbonated beverages are cheap as compared to fluoridated toothpastes. Dental professionals should met the government and involve in facilitating changes in public policies to decrease the cost of healthy products to enable large number of people to select the healthy options.

Create Supportive Environment for Health

• Health promotion gives rise to the living as well as working conditions which are all safe, stimulating, enjoyable and satisfying.
• The protection of the natural and built environments and the conservation of natural resources must be addressed in any health promotion strategy. The manner in which society organizes work help to create healthy society which is known as organizational change.
• Main principle for world, nations, religions and communities is to encourage reciprocal maintenance i.e. to care for each other, communities and the natural environment.
• Example: Proper healthy catering services and by establishing smoke free areas.

Strengthen Community Actions

• Health promotion works via concrete and effective community action for setting priorities, making decisions, planning strategies and implementing them to achieve better health.
• At the heart of this process there is empowerment of communities—their ownership and control of their own endeavors and destinies.
• Development of community draws on existing human as well as material resources in community for enhancing self help and social support to develop flexible system to strengthen public participation in and direction of the health matters. This needs full as well as continuous access to information, to learn opportunities for health and funding the support.
• Example: Establishment of self-help groups where people are affected by oral health problems and share their experiences to explore the solutions.

Develop Personal Skills

• Health promotion supports both personal and social development through providing information, education for health, and enhancing the life skills. By doing this, it increases the options available to people to exercise more control over their own health and over their environment, and to make choices conducive to health.
• Example: Knowledge of patient should be increased about role of sugar and plaque in causing dental diseases and to develop skills of toothbrushing and promotion of self care.

Reorient Health Services

• It needs stronger attention to the health research and changes in professional education with training. There should be a mandatory change of attitude and organization of health services along with the health sector which is moving increasingly in the direction of health promotion, beyond its responsibility for providing clinical and curative services.
• Focus should be on the development of high quality oral health care which place more emphasis on preventive care and on ways to support and maintain oral health.
• Example: Encouragement and rewards to dentists for effective prevention and research activities.

Approaches to Promotion of Health

• Preventive: It aims to reduce the disease levels in which health professional are experts and patients are the passive recipients of the preventive care. It is known as ‘Top-down’ authoritative style of working. Example is screening programme for detection and prevention of oral cancer.
• Behavior change: This is the expert led approach which is based on assumption that provision of information will lead to sustained change in behavior. It encourages individuals to take up the responsibility for their health and adopt the healthier lifestyle.
• Educational: It uses range of methods to help individuals to make informed choices about their health related behavior. This approach is led by an expert and does not persuade a person to change, and provide the individual with choices which they select on their own.
• Empowerment: It helps people to identify their own priorities and concern in developing the confidence and skill to address these issues. It’s a bottom up approach in which health professional act as a facilitator by helping individuals or communities to identify their problems and to seek proper solutions. This approach provides strength to community action for health.
• Social change: It changes the physical, social and economic environment to promote both health and well being. For achieving this, it need changes in policy and political support via lobbying and policy planning.
  All the above mentioned approaches consists of certain weakness and strengths, so combination of all these approaches is the best way to promote the oral health.

Question 16. Write short answer on types of communication in health education.
Answer. Following are the types of communication:

One-way Communication (Didactic Method)

The flow of communication is “one-way” from the communicator to the audience. The familiar example is the lecture method in class rooms. The drawbacks of the didactic method are :

• Knowledge is imposed
• Learning is authoritative
• Little audience participation
• No feedback
• Does not influence human behavior

Two-way Communication (Socratic method)

Socratic method is a two way method of communication in which both the communicator and the audience take part. Audience may raise questions, and add their own information, ideas and opinions to subject. Process of learning is active and “democratic”. It is more likely to influence behavior than one way communication.

Verbal Communication

Traditional way of communication has been by word of mouth. The advent of written and printed matter is of comparatively recent origin. Direct verbal communication by word of mouth may be loaded with hidden meanings. It is persuasive. Non direct or written communication may not be as persuasive as the spoken word.

Non-verbal Communication

Communication can occur even without words. It has a whole range of bodily movements, postures, gestures, facial expressions (e.g., smile, raised eye brows, frown, staring, gazing etc.), Silence is non-verbal communication. It can speak louder than words.

Formal and Informal Communication

Communication has been classified into formal (follows lines of authority) and informal (grape-vine) communication. Informal network (e.g., gossip circles) exists in all organizations. The informal channels may be more active, if the formal channels do not cater to the information needs.

Visual Communication

The visual forms of communication comprises of charts and graphs, pictograms, tables, maps, posters etc.

Telecommunication and Internet

Telecommunication is the process of communicating over distance using electromagnetic instruments designed for the purpose. Radio, TV and internet etc. are mass, communication media, while telephone, and telegraph are known as point-to-point telecommunication systems. The point-to-point systems are closer to interpersonal communication. With the launching of satellites, a big explosion of electronic communication has taken place all over the world.