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  • Title: Social action for health: emerging perspectives for health education.
    Author: Dhillon HS.
    Journal: Hygie; 1992; 11(2 Suppl):50-2. PubMed ID: 1618518.
    Abstract:
    Most of the world's major health problems and premature deaths are preventable. Health technology and scientific knowledge exists to combat health problems at an affordable cost. And, health education is recognized as a viable public health intervention and a vitally important means of addressing health challenges. Recently health education has played an important role in educating homosexual men and the general community about HIV infection, in influencing in favor of smoke-free environments, in increasing immunization, and in increasing community awareness about a safe water supply. Health education must not only increase knowledge and encourage behavior change toward a healthy life style, but also create social, political, and economic conditions that augment and support healthy living. For instance, hospitals need to make it easier for mothers to breast feed their infants and to provide easier access to health services. Social marketing techniques have been successful in the promotion of ideas and products for health, but people's initiatives, political commitment, supportive policies, a healthy environment, and healthy life styles contribute to health development. In order to facilitate social action, efforts must focus on 1) promoting health literacy at the community level and stimulating collective action to improve conditions, 2) mobilizing community resources at the systems level for local actions, and 3) at the policy and political levels articulating and giving a high priority to health needs as sound economics and as a political asset, not just a social imperative. Alliances must be built beyond the health sector. Limitations must be overcome: working in isolation, working at singular levels, working in poverty, and lacking skills and experience for undertaking initiatives. The process is complex and easy solutions are not possible. Exchanging knowledge and information will facilitate the process. WHO has identified some principal strategies for encouraging social action: advocacy, empowerment, and social support. The implementation of these strategies will lead to improved programs and outcomes now and in the future.
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