Health Education Methods and Materials

Methods refers to ways through which messages are conveyed to achieve a desired behavioral changes in a target audience. In health education it is not enough to decide what will be done; by whom and when, we also need to decide how it will be done (methods).

Common teaching methods in health education

Teaching methods can be broadly categorized into informal and formal approaches. The following table summarizes the common health education methods as outlined in the material:

Detailed Health Education Methods

1. Health talks

When talks are on health agenda we call it health talks. It is the most natural way of communicating with people to share health knowledge and facts. These can be conducted with one person or with a family or group of people or through mass communication.

2. Lecture

It is oral, simple, quick and traditional way of presentation of the subject matter. It presents factual material in direct, logical manner and is economical, though in most cases the audience is passive.

Forms of lecture

• Traditional lecture: Teacher is the only speaker.
• Participatory lectures: Begins with learner brainstorming and use pause in between.
• Feedback lecture: Mini lectures followed by small group discussion, it gives opportunity to manipulate lecture content.
• Mediated lecture: Use of media such as films, slides along with traditional methods.

3. Group discussion

In this method, the participants have equal chance to express freely and exchange ideas. The subject of discussion is taken up and shared equally by all the members.

Information Education Communication (IEC) materials

Commonly referred to as Health Learning Materials (HLMs), these include printed materials like posters, flipcharts and leaflets. These materials are used to effectively convey health messages to target audiences. Guidance on the content, purpose and proper use of these materials is essential for successful health education.