HEALTH EDUCATION & IEC (INFORMATION – EDUCATION COMMUNICATION)
I. Introduction
Any health activity remains completely or partially ineffective if the population does not understand and approve of the health action. This is why health education of the population is a regular part of almost all health programs, representing an important component of any prevention strategy.
The goal of health education: It is to help the population acquire learning that will influence their behavior in the long term.
II. Objectives of health education
Take action to induce individuals to change their behavior in order to acquire health through their own efforts
Sensitize officials to the needs of the population they are supposed to serve
Develop multi-sectoral cooperation to enable the improvement of the standard of living in general and that of education in particular
III. Stages of health education
- Know the community you want to educate in order to properly identify the receiver.
- Building the educational message from the foundations of this community and the goal we want to achieve
- Conveying the educational message
- Study the technical means that can be used to get the message across (educational means)
- Develop relevant indicators to evaluate the results obtained
IV. General methodology of educational action
The “theoretical” approach to any health education action:
1 – Knowledge of the problems
2 – Definition of operational objectives
3 – Raising awareness among individuals
4 – Educational action on the ground
5 – Evaluation of actions taken
1- Knowledge of the problems
- Search for information about health issues
- Development of the general framework for actions by a multi-sectoral (health/education) and multidisciplinary working group familiar with the problems posed
- Objectives assigned to the working group
- Identify prevalent health problems
- Develop preventive measures to be implemented
2- Definition of operational objectives
- At a first level: Seek to modify the often fatalistic or fixed attitude by providing and/or supplementing knowledge
- At a second level: Individuals are given the opportunity to integrate what they have learned into everyday life.
3- Raising awareness among individuals
- Find the most suitable means of communication
- Developing the messages to convey
- All possible means will be used, which must be adapted
- Educational documents (manual, brochures, leaflets, coloring book, posters, etc.)
- Photo exhibitions, billboards
- Audiovisual documents (films-slides, etc.)
4 – Educational action on the ground
Most important and longest phase (several years) whose final objective is to:
Modify inappropriate or unstructured behaviors
Stimulate new and positive health behaviors
Appeal during this phase
- To health personnel ( reference element )
- To experienced educators
To be effective, educational action must be complemented and integrated into a health program (screening and treatment) responding to the needs raised by the educational action.
Example = oral hygiene with toothpaste and toothbrush combined with a dental caries screening and treatment program
5- Evaluation of actions undertaken
The evaluation of the actions undertaken will focus on three levels.
HEALTH EDUCATION & IEC (INFORMATION – EDUCATION COMMUNICATION)
Example: in a school environment
Axis (1)
- Testing teachers’ attitudes and behavior towards health education actions in schools
- Test their commitment to achieving set goals
Axis 2
Assess the suitability and relevance of educational materials intended for teachers and students by involving teachers = main users
In particular, the adequacy of educational materials and the level of teaching
Axis 3
Monitor the development of children’s knowledge and behavior based on the objectives set in consultation with health/education
A good before/after method
Components & Concept of IEC:
1 – INFORMATION: production and dissemination of information messages to raise awareness among target groups (CG). This component will promote the necessary changes in the behavior of these target groups.
2 – EDUCATION: will facilitate learning to help GCs make the best informed decisions. This component will influence GCs’ behavior in the long term
3 – COMMUNICATION : Latin word “communicare” = to share
This component is a planned process designed to encourage GCs to adopt new attitudes or behaviors or to use existing services.
IEC is a global term that concerns an overall intervention that allows to achieve or consolidate changes in behavior or attitude.
Key elements:
– IEC is always based on expressed needs
– Involves several sectors of activity and calls upon multidisciplinary skills
Target audiences: Target groups, target audiences, target populations… It is out of the question to speak in IEC activities of “general public”
IEC activities are particularly effective when they address the specific needs of target audiences
Target Audience Characteristics:
– Have things in common
– Share the same points of view, the same problem,
Use the same language …..
Criteria for defining target audiences:
Demographic indicators: age, gender, income, occupation
Reference points: ethnicity, language…
Organizations to which they belong: factory, hospital, association , school…
Risky behavior: AIDS, homosexuality, drug addiction…
Examples:
IEC in family planning: Women of childbearing age – Young people aged 14-25 – Married men – young couples
IEC for the fight against AIDS: – health personnel – adolescents – homosexuals – drug addiction
There are several ranges of audiences:
1st row : the audience expected to adopt the recommended behavior.
Second row: the audience that exerts a positive influence on the front row audience
Example: decision makers, board members, media managers, health service providers, etc.
Objectives in an IEC program
Objectives describe the desired end result of a program component.
To define relevant objectives , the following questions will need to be answered:
– change what?
– what are the target groups?
– how to bring about change?
Lens Features:
- Specific: avoid different interpretations
- Measurable: to enable monitoring and evaluation
- Appropriate: relevant to the problems
- Achievable
- Time
Example of IEC objectives in the fight against AIDS
Purpose: Prevention of HIV infection through blood
Target audience : Health workers
Goals:
– Better understanding of the modes of transmission of HIV through blood
– Adopt preventive measures to avoid the risk of inoculation of the virus
Dental crowns are used to restore the shape and function of a damaged tooth.
Bruxism, or teeth grinding, can cause premature wear and often requires wearing a retainer at night.
Dental abscesses are painful infections that require prompt treatment to avoid complications. Gum grafting is a surgical procedure that can treat gum recession. Dentists use composite materials for fillings because they match the natural color of the teeth.
A diet high in sugar increases the risk of developing tooth decay.
Pediatric dental care is essential to establish good hygiene habits from an early age.