Health education in india A holistic thinking therapy

 Eealth education' means teaching people about the maintenance and promotion of their health. It is related to raising awareness about physical, mental, psychological, social, sexual health and reproductive health. The 'World Health Organization' (WHO) defines health education as improving health literacy and developing skills conducive to individual and community health. Therefore, 'health education' means educating an individual and community to adopt better, healthier and cleaner living conditions.

India in the context of health education

Today, about 23 institutes in India offer master's degree in public health, with 573 candidates enrolled every year. The School Health Program was launched by the Government of India in 2009 with the aim to meet the health needs of school-going children. This program not only meets the physical understanding of school-going children but also their psychological, emotional and nutritional needs. Every year, a large number of programs are organized for this program huge funds are allocated from the Centre and the states which benefit lakhs of students who are from the marginalised sections of society. Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PSSY) was launched in 2003 with the aim to make higher healthcare affordable to the people and improve the quality of medical education.

Objective of health education

The aim of health education is to improve the health status of the individual and the community. It teaches the individual how to stay healthy and prevent diseases, and also develops a sense of responsibility towards self as well as the community. Health education is important in developing countries which provides basic health knowledge about health-hygiene to the people by shaping their daily activities. Apart from this, health education also aims to address serious issues like stress, depression or other emotional disturbances. Hence, the aim of 'health education' is to provide knowledge about the measures that can be taken by an individual or a community to improve their overall health.
Today in developed India, various infectious and non-infectious diseases cause the death of thousands of people every year. Moreover, the data shows variation in infant mortality rate according to the states, it is 100 per 1000 births in Kerala is 6 in the state and 64 per 1000 births in Uttar Pradesh. The main reason for high infant mortality rate is the absence of trained doctors and also the ignorance of people about their health conditions. In such a situation, it becomes imperative to have an effective supporting infrastructure to meet medical needs, health education and increase literacy levels equally. Health education is a broad subject. It can also include health issues such as alcohol, drugs, tobacco, prohibited narcotics and environmental health. In layman's language, health education can be understood as a program that teaches an individual or a community the ways to strengthen their health conditions by providing them health literacy.

Importance of health education

Health education improves the overall health status of the individual and the community which in turn improves the health of the nation as a whole. Health education is related to the economic development of a nation as better health education results in higher standards of living. Every year millions of people die due to infectious diseases and other causes across the world due to lack of health education and awareness among the general public. The situation is even more serious in developing countries where infant mortality is very high due to lack of basic health facilities and public awareness. In India, diarrhea, lower respiratory tract infections and other infectious diseases are the major causes of infant mortality.
However, the average life expectancy at birth in India has increased from 49.7 years in 1970-75 to 69.1 years in 2018 due to the government's efforts in promoting health education through well-trained and equipped staff. Also, the infant mortality rate has almost halved over the past decades to 34 per 1000 births. Health education provides information about the factors that affect the health and hygiene of an individual or community. Anyone with proper information about health-hygiene and relevant knowledge on health issues can provide health education by interacting face-to-face with the individual or the community. However, some people are specially trained for this purpose. They are certified health specialists also called health educators.
The government has decided to increase healthcare, prevent spread of infectious non-infectious diseases and several programs have been initiated for the prevention of diseases and other causes. These programs have a dedicated team of trained members who act as health educators and medical supervisors. Health educators interact with the villagers, educating them on common health and disease issues.

The power of health education in India

One of the main strengths of health education in India is the presence of adequate multi-level infrastructure in both government and non-government sectors. The Central Bureau of Health Education works in conjunction with the State Health Education Bureaus down to the block level. Most health educators are graduates or post graduates. Another feature of health education is the successful dissemination of information across states despite linguistic diversities. Despite India having 15 official languages and many local dialects, health education programmes are able to successfully deliver the message. It also requires targeting the underprivileged sections of Indian society as these are the people who are deprived of basic health education. They are deprived of facilities and are unaware. It is necessary to open new avenues of health education and strengthen the infrastructure related to health education at the grassroots level. 

Health provides education!

Health education is imparted by trained professionals known as health educators. They are certified specialists holding certification on public health or a specific health issue. The workforce of public health education includes doctors, paramedics and nursing staff. They are trained in the areas of health and hygiene, and are also equipped with the necessary resources to reach out and educate people. Many professionals from different fields also volunteer to impart health education to people after receiving the required training.

Ways to improve health education

One of the best ways to improve the status of public health education in India is to develop better alternatives for health education in remote areas. Emphasis should be laid on interacting with villagers on the occasion of public gatherings like fairs, markets etc. In addition, instead of print media, the message can be conveyed through means like dramas, folk shows etc. People visiting hospitals or clinics are more aware about health issues. Hence efforts should be made to educate them. They are naturally more receptive and benefit from the programmes. Schools also play an important role in spreading health education. There are many ways to interact with children from different sections of the society school is a good place for this. Teachers can be trained adequately to impart health education to children. On the other hand, children can share their knowledge with their parents and friends. Apart from this, it should be made compulsory to work for a certain period in remote villages or towns where they will be entrusted with the responsibility of treating people as well as educating them about health and hygiene.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be said that there is an urgent need for health education in developed and developing countries so that mortality due to other health related issues can be reduced by increasing health literacy. In this regard, there is a need for compulsory health education in schools by making radical changes and teachers can be trained as health educators to create awareness among students and the community. It is very important to improve the unprecedented standards of health.

Despite various government programmes to improve and promote the quality of health education in India, many people still do not have access to basic health services and are out of the reach of public health educators due to lack of necessary infrastructure at the grassroots level. Many programmes aimed at increasing awareness among people about AIDS, cancer, malaria, etc. have failed to create the necessary infrastructure at the grassroots level.

Therefore, to make health education successful in India, adequate infrastructure and well trained and equipped workforce are required.