Health education is basically a profession of teaching individuals about health. Different fields in this profession include occupational health education, public health education, epidemiology and nutrition education, public health practice, pharmacology and therapy education, occupational or geriatric health education, health management instruction, medical ethics, philosophy of education, psychology of education, sociology of education, and behavioral science. Health education may be delivered in formal settings such as schools, colleges or training institutes, or it may be delivered via non-formal means such as brochures, books, videos, or internet. The objective of health education is to create awareness about the need for healthy practices and information on ways of preventing and relieving diseases that affect man. Since education addresses the learning and development needs of individuals, it promotes individual self-awareness that in turn improves individual health and social adjustment.
In line with its goal of promoting individual responsibility and control over health via education, health education and promotion are popularly associated with community service. In many countries, public health educators are responsible for delivering public health educational programs such as immunization drives, distribution of vaccines, educating the public about healthy practices and preventing diseases, and distributing educational materials on health care. Health promotion is also promoted through mass media such as radio, television and print campaigns. Health education and promotion are practiced by health educators in nursing colleges and health departments in schools. Health education and promotion may also be implemented at the personal level by imparting knowledge about healthy eating, exercise, water intake and other habits that help in the prevention and management of diseases.
Since the focus of the health education and promotion is on disease control, it concentrates on teaching the public about prevention of disease through vaccination. However, some health education and promotion classes may teach about the avoidance of diseases through vaccination and may also teach about personal hygiene and about avoiding exposure to disease-causing agents. These classes may also provide information on diseases caused by food products or animals. It is important that you learn how and when to remove this template message when using this website.