At the end of this unit students will be able to:
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Relate the information education and communication for health
Analyze the health behavior and health education
Formulate the planning for health education
Describe the health education with the individuals groups and communities
Appraise the communicating health messages
Identify the methods and media for communicating health messages
Delineate health education using mass media
Assess the strategies used in practice teaching sessions and exercise sessions.
VARIOUS TERMS USED FOR COMMUNICATION AND HEALTH EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
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Information, Education and Communication (IEC) is a term originally from family
planning and more recently HIV/AIDS control program in developing countries. It is
increasingly being used as a general term for communication activities to promote
health.
Information: A collection of useful briefs or detailed ideas, processes, data and
theories that can be used for a certain period of time.
Education: A complex and planned learning experiences that aims to bring about
changes in cognitive (knowledge), affective (attitude, belief, value) and psychomotor
(skill) domains of behavior.
Communication: the process of sharing ideas, information, knowledge, and
experience among people using different channels.
Social mobilization is a term used to describe a campaign approach combining mass
media and working with community groups and organizations.
Nutrition education is education directed at the promotion of nutrition and covers
choice of food, food-preparation and storage of food.
Family Life Education refers to education of young people in a range of topics that
include family planning, child rearing and childcare and responsible parenthood.
Patient education is a term for education in hospital and clinic settings linked to
following of treatment procedures, medication, and home care and rehabilitation
procedures.
Behavior Change Communication (BCC): Is an interactive process aimed at
changing individual and social behavior, using targeted, specific messages and
different communication approaches, which are linked to services for effective
outcomes.
Advocacy: refers to communication strategies focusing on policy makers, community
leaders and opinion leaders to gain commitment and support. It is an appeal for a
higher-level commitment, involvement and participation in fulfilling a set program
agenda.
INFORMATION EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH
IEC
Information, Education and Communication (IEC) are key concepts in primary health
care, community health and health promotion.
An operational definition of “IEC” refers to a public health approach aiming at
changing or reinforcing health-related behaviours in a target audience, concerning a specific
problem and within a pre-defined period of time, through communication methods and
principles (definition adapted from “Information, education and communication – Lessons
from the past; perspectives for the future”).
This definition helps emphasize the need for IEC initiatives to:
 Have a clear objective (the specific behaviour to change or reinforce);
 Target a specific audience (e.g., mothers of children below five years old);
 Address a “specific problem” (e.g., offering increased fluids and continuing feeding a
child with diarrhoea), rather than attempt to change many problems at the same time;
 Set a timeframe within which the results (“change in behaviour”) are expected to
occur.
Information, Education and Communication (IEC) in health programme aims to
increase awareness, change attitudes and bring about a change in specific behaviours. IEC
means sharing information and ideas in a way that is culturally sensitive and acceptable to the
community, using appropriate channels, messages and methods. It is therefore broader than
developing health education materials, because it includes the process of communication and
building social networks for communicating information.
Objectives of IEC:
 To raise the health awareness of the people
 To enable them to identify health issues, develop positive attitude towards health care
and increase access to new information and technology of health programs for the
people.
Goal
To raise health awareness of issues, which influence peoples agendas, help them
clarify their values and to acquire knowledge, skills by means of changing attitudes, beliefs,
values, behavior, or norms within individual or groups of individuals.
The goals may be achieved at various levels:
o Cognitive level: in terms of increase in knowledge
o Affective: in terms of changing existing pattern of behavior and attitudes.
o Psychomotor: in terms of acquiring new skills.