Produce a table which details the three following approaches to health education; Social marketing, the role of mass media and community development- identify the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.

Two-way communication

The pros of a two way communication when trying to educate an individual on their own personal health can sometimes be the most effective approach if carried out in the right way. For instance, if a person wants to be a healthier person then they are more likely going to be without the need for prescribed medication. When a GP/consultant is advising a patient on their health some patients may feel the boost of self-esteem which is needed for the achievement of many goals.

Between a patient and GP (general practitioner) there needs to be a professional consultancy in order, some people are intimidated by their doctors surgery for the fear of catching someone else's germs, or feel that their issue is too embarrassing to show or discuss.

Another weakness is that many patients seem to go to 'the doctors' with a want for antibiotics or prescriptions with what seems to be the symptoms of little all.

P1- explained

Social Marketing-

Social marketing has evolved from the common business term of marketing, it was recognised how certain marketing techniques were successful for the promotion and development of a business' product, therefore public sector health organisations decided to use these same techniques in order to improve the quality of public health etc.

According to French Blair-Stevens 2006, health-related social marketing is "the systematic application of marketing, alongside other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioural goals, to improve health and to reduce inequalities."

Like all types of research and promotion, social marketing has its' key stages; the diagram below summarises these in the 'total process planning model'.

Mass Media-

MASS -MEDIA are intensively employed in public health. Vast sums are spent annually for materials and salaries that have gone into the production and distribution of booklets, pamphlets, exhibits, newspaper articles, and radio and television programs. These media are employed at all levels of public health in the hope that three effects might occur: the learning of correct health information, the changing of health attitudes and values, and the establishment of new health behaviour. However, hope is not enough most times for the news and importance of health education to get through to the general public.

Two-way communication-

In health education a two way communication is when there are two individuals for example a patient and General Practitioner, in other health educating scenarios there include:

-Pre-conceptual care- when a woman who is considering pregnancy talks to a midwife/health visitor for advice.

-Promoting safe sex- this could be a youth worker talking to a young person who they know is sexually active or when a young person goes to their GP/health centre for contraception, there would be two-way communication between the patient and professional giving advice on safe sex and warning of the STIs and their symptoms.

-Immunisation- young children are frequently immunised from a young age to fight against various illnesses; mumps, measles and rubella for example, health visitors and midwives will explain the vaccination programme and which boosters the child should get at which age.

P2- Describe two different models of behaviour change and include factors that may prevent the change;

The health belief model and the social learning theory

The Health Belief Model-

The health belief model originates from 1952 and is generally regarded as the beginning of systematic theory based research of health behaviour. The model suggests that an individual is most likely to undertake relevant action if they:

- Believe a health threat is real and serious

- Believe that the benefits of preventive action outweigh the barriers

This model refers to a person's behaviour towards their own health; it says that it depends on the person's perception of four specific areas:

- The seriousness of the illness

- The person's susceptibility to that illness

- The benefits of taking precautions to avoid illness

- The barriers that prevent taking preventive action

The health belief model also includes the reminders people set for actions towards a healthier lifestyle, for example choosing healthy foods for the shopping list or leaving notes to remind going on a walk/taking exercise, these are all important elements for maintaining the patterns of behaviour.

A person's self confidence and self esteem is vital for their attitude towards their own health behaviour and wanting to improve/change it. Confidence is a key factor in preventing people from undertaking change in health behaviour. A lack of self confidence will impact on the persons' self-esteem, although this may make them aware of how much they want/need to change but more often makes them feel too down and depressed to get motivated for exercise, some will also binge eat or comfort eat as a result of low self esteem.

The Social Learning (Cognitive) Theory-

Social Learning Theory (SLT) was originally introduced in the 1940s to explain the phenomenon of animals and humans imitating behaviour. In the early 1960s, Albert Bandura began contributing to the development of theory by showing that children naturally imitate the behaviour of other children - without needing or receiving a direct reward for the new behaviour.

The model is grounded in the belief that human behaviour is determined by interaction between three sets of factors:

- Cognitive (knowledge and attitudes)

- Behavioural (e.g. personal skills)

- Environmental (community services, peer attitude)

The interaction between these three factors is shown in the diagram below:

There are three main characteristics to the social learning theory:

- The probability that someone repeats a behaviour is strongly influenced by their perception of the consequences (e.g. if they were rewarded/punished for the behaviour before)

- People can learn by observing others (vicarious learning) in addition to learning by taking part in practical activities

- People are most likely to repeat behaviour they observed in other people, this has obvious links with peer education.

If the SLT was applied to health education on the safe sex topic, the cognitive factors may include:

- Understanding methods of safe sex

- Understanding the risks of unprotected sex

Environmental factors may include:

- Ability to access contraception

- Personal views on safe sex v unprotected sex

The skills may include:

- How to discuss and negotiate safe sex with partner

- How to put on a condom correctly

Health Education Task 1 Joanne Watson