What is health education, exactly?
Health education is a social science that aims to promote health and prevent disease through voluntary behavioral change activities. It is a combination of biological, environmental, psychological, intellectual, physical, and medical aspects of health focused on helping individuals and communities through self-enhancing skills and activities.
The World Health Organization describes health education as “any combination of learning experiences designed to help individuals and communities improve their health, by increasing their knowledge or influencing their attitudes.”
So, why is health education so important?
It is a well-known belief that health begins with oneself. Taking care of yourself is not up to your parents, your family and friends, nor your physician. The initiative for a healthy life starts with you and you alone.
Health education motivates individuals to improve their living conditions, specifically their state of being. It aims to develop a sense of responsibility for oneself for their overall health as members of a family unit and as members of a community.
This is also a tool in improving the state of health of a nation, specifically in developing countries such as the Philippines, through the assessment of habits and attitudes of its people as related to the awareness and prevention of diseases.
Not only is health education geared towards promoting basic health knowledge and prevention of disease, it helps re-shape and condition people towards good lifestyle habits through health promoting practices and the reduction of risky behaviors.
In conclusion, health education is important as it teaches people and gives them the opportunity to take better care of themselves. It also helps them help others, whether it be their direct family or their community as a whole.
Health Education Week is an annual program that falls every third week of October, according to the calendar by the Department of Health.
Source: http://www.lhprime.com/news/celebrating-health-education-week-health-ed-important/
