Health Education – Historical Development, Concepts & Models

Vocabulary flashcards covering definitions, historical stages, professional roles, legal bases, models, trends, and key concepts in Health Education and Health Promotion as presented in the lecture notes.

Health Education (WHO Definition)

Consciously constructed learning opportunities that use communication to raise health literacy, improve knowledge and develop life-skills conducive to individual and community health.

Health Education (Green et al., 1980)

Any combination of learning experiences designed to facilitate voluntary adaptations of behaviour conducive to health.

Health Education (Joint Committee, 2001)

Planned learning experiences, based on sound theory, that give individuals, groups and communities information and skills for making quality health decisions.

Period of Intuitive Nursing

Medieval era in which untaught, instinctive care—primarily by women—was given; illness was linked to evil spirits and treated by shamans using magic, herbs, water, fire, etc.

Period of Apprentice Nursing

Middle-Age stage when care was provided by crusaders, prisoners and religious orders without formal schooling; nursing deteriorated after Protestant confiscations closed many hospitals.

Kaiserswerth Institute

First formal training school for nurses, founded by Pastor Theodore Fliedner and wife Frederika in Germany; where Florence Nightingale trained for three months.

Period of Educated Nursing (Nightingale Era)

19th-century phase shaped by wars, rising social consciousness and women’s education; marked by Florence Nightingale’s reforms during the Crimean War.

Health Educator

A professionally prepared individual trained to use educational strategies to develop policies, procedures and interventions that foster health at individual, group and community levels.

Seven Areas of Responsibility (Health Educator)

Assess needs; plan strategies; implement programs; evaluate & research; administer programs; serve as resource; communicate & advocate for health/education.

Legal Basis – Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 (RA 9173)

Rule IV, Article VI, Sec. 28 mandates nurses to provide health education, supervise students, implement programs, perform community assessment, organise outreach and evaluate education efforts.

Characteristics of Effective Health Education

Target key influencers; repeat & reinforce lessons; adapt to existing media (songs, drama); entertain; use simple language; highlight short-term benefits; encourage dialogue and demonstrations.

Biopsychosocial Model (George L. Engel)

Framework that views health/illness as the interactive result of biological, psychological and social factors.

Personal Biological Factors

Age, gender, BMI, pubertal status, aerobic capacity, strength and other physical attributes influencing health behaviour.

Personal Psychological Factors

Self-esteem, motivation, perceived health status, competence and individual definitions of health that shape behaviour.

Personal Socio-Cultural Factors

Race, ethnicity, acculturation, education and socioeconomic status affecting health actions.

Perceived Self-Efficacy

Belief in one’s ability to perform a specific behaviour; higher self-efficacy increases commitment and lowers perceived barriers.

Commitment to a Plan of Action

Degree to which an individual intends to carry out a health-promoting behaviour; threatened by competing demands or more attractive alternatives.

Managed Care

Healthcare financing model emphasising cost-containment, primary care, early discharge and disease management to prevent overtreatment.

Disease Management

Systematic approach in managed care that promotes patient compliance with optimal behaviours through appointment keeping, correct treatment administration and lifestyle guidance.

Medical Prosumerism

Trend toward decentralised, consumer-driven health practices, including alternative medicine and self-care technologies.

Center of Excellence

Specialised healthcare facility designed to deliver particular services efficiently and at moderate cost under new healthcare economics.

Health Care Globalization

Increasing cross-border provision and consumption of medical services, technologies and professional expertise.

Wellness Screening Programs

Preventive initiatives that assess health risks, promote early detection and encourage health-promoting behaviours to reduce long-term costs.

Health Promotion (Pender)

Behaviour motivated by the desire to increase well-being and actualise human health potential.

Health Protection / Illness Prevention

Behaviour motivated by the desire to avoid disease, detect it early or maintain function within illness limits.

Nola Pender’s Health Promotion Model

Nursing framework (1982, revised 1996, 2002) detailing how individual characteristics, behaviour-specific cognitions and behavioural outcomes interact to produce health-promoting actions.

Three Major Areas (Health Promotion Model)

1) Individual characteristics & experiences; 2) Behaviour-specific cognitions & affect; 3) Behavioural outcomes.

Steps in Developing a Health Education Program

Assess needs → set goals & objectives → design setting-appropriate interventions → implement → evaluate results.

Strengths of Pender’s Model

Clear focus on wellness, applicability in community health, supports autonomous nursing practice and guides behavioural counselling.

Weaknesses of Pender’s Model

Does not articulate nursing metaparadigm, contains many concepts causing complexity, less emphasis on care of individuals already ill and may be limited by clients’ financial constraints.