Health Education

Health education entails dispatching information, and development of skills, which empowers an individual to take action to address social, economic and environmental determinants of health. It is the role of the government to facilitate health education nationwide by financing, procurement and monitoring the necessary stakeholders. Government has a core role in maintaining the standards of health education by ensuring availability of competent workforce is in place. The government through the relevant department (health and human services) guarantees quality services by employing qualified candidates who are certified for the purpose of health education. Moreover, it monitors health status to identify community health issues in the country through epidemiological studies and surveillance. The government is supposed to establish the necessary policies in the health education. Through government campaign programs, the individuals can be mobilized to understand the importance of taking the role of health promotion for personal benefits. The government also develops laws and regulations to protect the citizens from illegal group giving adulterated health messages with an aim of making money. The mode of dispatching the health message, should be formulated and prescribe by the government to ensure that effectiveness and correct messages reach the citizens or the target group in time. The government has a role to ensure that health education services are available and accessible to all target groups without bias or discrimination. In collaboration with the research centers, the government plays a role of capacity building for community health.

Local health department plays a major role in the delivery of health education. Among the services provided by the local government include; immunization services, control and prevention of communicable diseases, conducting community outreach and education programs, maintenance of food and nonfat hygiene, inspection of environmental sanitation.

The U.S.A has several agencies that play a role in health education process they include; department of health and human services, department of education which help in incorporation of health education information in the curriculum, department of agriculture mostly involved in the campaign for food production, housing and urban development involved in the designing and certification for houses to enhance safety to inhabitants and department of justice that contribute in safeguarding the health rights. There are also independent agencies such as; Consumer Product safety Commission, Society for Public Health Education, American Public Health Association, Environmental Protection Agency and the Nation Science Foundation. The local government collaborates effectively with the local public health workers community health workers and other professional in the community level to improve the provision of the health education.

Health education like many other programs has challenges that prevent the stakeholders to achieve their optimal best. The major challenge affecting health education is the political interferences where the laws makers fail to represent their voters on issues policy making but are more concern with of power struggle between the two major parties in USA. Lack of proper training on leadership in agencies participating in health education, inadequate resources to sail the programs through, poor strategic plans on emergency preparedness for threats such as chemical and biological terrorism, as well as the divergence off the population culture due to dual citizenship thus people introduce their respective cultures. The challenges can lead to failure to improve the health status of the targeted groups where they tend to really with medical, which is more of curing than prevention. It should be noted that well programmed health education could cut the medical expenses since it proactive and target adopting lifestyle that promotes health.