Wisdom says prevention is better than cure, and this is the main goal of the idea of Health Awareness, which is to make members of society develop a self-awareness stemming from within them about the importance of maintaining health in various ways, for example awareness of the importance of proper nutrition, which is ultimately reflected on the society as a whole in
The concept of Health Awareness
Health awareness is a term that refers to a person’s ability to access, understand and analyze information in a way that promotes the possibility of being healthy and always healthy.
This awareness is not limited to the ability of the individual to read or access health bulletins, doctors ‘ instructions or other means of health awareness.it also must not only be a personal resource from which the individual can benefit, but must be raised among the population of society in general, as this will benefit society as a whole.[1]
Health awareness goals
Awareness is something gained through health education, health education is not just advice provided by any individual or can be obtained by watching a video on the internet, punch a social science based on psychological, physical, medical and biological sciences, and draws from all previous Sciences everything that will improve and promote public health and disease prevention, and from the goals of Health Education:
Contribute to the knowledge and understanding of healthy behavior through scientific research.
To maintain the highest standards of academic excellence in teaching and professional preparation for future health promotion specialists at the undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Develop leaders who will contribute to the growth of the profession and the achievement of community health goals, to serve as a source of health promotion for the community, at the regional and national levels.
One of the most important goals of the health awareness is achieving some of the Sustainable Development Goals, which do not include very specific health situation.
This concept covers a wide range of social and environmental interventions designed to benefit and protect individuals ‘ health and quality of life, by addressing and preventing the root causes of ill health, not just focusing on treatment and healing.
As mentioned, one of the goals of awareness is to achieve the goals of sustainable development.this is because individuals with a high level of Health Awareness have behaviors that help them to preserve their families and their society from diseases, which in turn may lead to the spread of poverty due to disability. the performance of functional tasks is due to ill health. this in turn leads to the inability of the individual to meet his or her personal needs and that of his or her family. thus, poverty spreads in society. indeed, the relationship between health awareness and poverty is inverse. the more poverty spreads in a society, the less health awareness in that society.
Importance of Health Awareness
The cost of Health Awareness, much less when you compare it to the cost of providing health services to individuals.
Science-based health awareness has positive results in all other aspects of society.
Health awareness is one of the preventive services through which many diseases can be avoided.
The upbringing of a conscious and aware generation of the seriousness of the disease and the importance of prophylaxis helps in future development.
Health awareness enables people to increase control over their health and improve.
Health awareness makes the population as a whole, engaged in the context of their daily lives.
Stages of Health Awareness development
The development of health awareness in individuals in any society should be carried out in three stages: :
Excitation phase
Where the individual is paid attention to his health as most of the human diseases are caused by the same human behavior such as wrong habits in nutrition, which causes almost most chronic diseases such as diabetes and blood pressure.
Acceptance stage
It is the stage where knowledge and information accumulate within the minds of members of society and they begin to accept the idea of health practices, for example, that many people today are aware of the importance of proper nutrition, are fully aware of the types of benefits of healthy food, and are willing to spend more time preparing it.
Implementation phase
This is the stage that begins the process of implementing what has been accepted from the knowledge they have accumulated in the past, and they begin, for example, to take care to prepare healthy food even if it is more expensive, because they become fully aware of its benefits in the short and long term, and also be aware of all signs that my nutrition is
Health awareness strategies
The choice of health awareness strategies and means of education for society depends on the individuals and communities that seek to educate them health, and health education is just a strategy of spreading health awareness, because words or conversations without action will not lead to any goal or progress in society.
Health awareness strategies include:
Strategies for health education to inform people what they can do to stay healthy.
Health promotion activities are aimed at promoting health and preventing ill health rather than focusing on people at risk of certain diseases, and this treatment includes developing a public policy of the state that helps develop and support health awareness in individuals.
Health education
Should strengthen health education activities the overall objective of the programme Health Promotion and disease prevention, and should be a material that is developed health education programmes culturally appropriate and tailored to the target population to ensure cultural competence, this means if you are aiming to rural communities must address the cultural and linguistic differences, and address potential obstacles health promotion and disease prevention in rural areas.
Uses of Health Education also in coordination to remove barriers to access to health care, and health is one of the types of care coordinators who provide education to individuals, families and communities،
Methods or means of Health Education:
Lecturing
Holding of Sessions
Seminars and webinars
Organizing workshops
Awareness classes, which may include lessons, quizzes, writing a health awareness expression and other teaching aids.
Health education strategies should include:
Work should be done to include the target population in those programs and not any individual.
An assessment of the needs of the community, to determine its capabilities, resources, priorities and needs, must first be completed before implementing health education programmes.
Programmes with integrated and well-planned curricula and materials should be implemented in an environment suitable for participants.
Providing information with computer-based audiovisual support such as slides, projectors, videos, books on health education, CDs, posters, images, websites or programs, the use of this method of education and health awareness raising has a great benefit, because it enhances the attention and concentration of the recipients, and at the end of it can make a health awareness questionnaire to make
Ensure the competence of the education programme staff, by giving them quality training prior to the start of the health education programme, to maintain the integrity of the programme model.
