Course Name- Health Education and Environmental Studies Course Code-B.P.Ed.

-107

1.2 Definition of Health, Health Education, Health Instruction, Health Supervision

Definition of Health: - `

 WHO Definition: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social

wellbeing and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity and the ability to lead
a socially and economically productive life”.
 Operational Definition of Health: “A condition or quality of the human organism
expressing the adequate functioning of the organism in given conditions, genetic
or environmental”.
 Thus Health means (a) No obvious evidence of disease and that the person is
functioning normally (b) Several organs of the body are functioning adequately as
well as in relation to one another (Equilibrium or Homeostasis).

Definition of Health Education : -

Health education is a profession of educating people about health. Areas within this
profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional
health, intellectual health, and spiritual health, as well as sexual and reproductive health
education.

Health education can be defined as the principle by which individuals and groups of
people learn to behave in a manner conducive to the promotion, maintenance, or
restoration of health. However, as there are multiple definitions of health, there are also
multiple definitions of health education. In America, the Joint Committee on Health
Education and Promotion Terminology of 2001 defined Health Education as "any
combination of planned learning experiences based on sound theories that provide
individuals, groups, and communities the opportunity to acquire information and the
skills needed to make quality health decisions."

The World Health Organization defined Health Education as "comprising of consciously

constructed opportunities for learning involving some form of communication designed
to improve health literacy, including improving knowledge, and developing life skills
which are conducive to individual and community health."

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 Course Name- Health Education and Environmental Studies Course Code-B.P.Ed.-107

Health education is a social science that draws from the biological, environmental,
psychological, physical and medical sciences to promote health and prevent disease,
disability and premature death through education-driven voluntary behavior change
activities.

Health education is the development of individual, group, institutional, community and

systemic strategies to improve health knowledge, attitudes, skills and behavior.

The purpose of health education is to positively influence the health behavior of

individuals and communities as well as the living and working conditions that influence
their health.

Health Instruction: -

The simplest explanation that I can conjure up for you is that health instruction is
referring to the physical act of teaching about health. This could be instruction on health
from a sociological perspective or health as a general concept. Health education,
however, is a field of study in and of itself.

Health education is that body of knowledge which includes all experiences both formal
(planned instructions) and informal (incidental knowledge) which favourablely influence
knowledge, attitude and practice as regards individual or community health. On the other
hand, health instruction is a formal form of interaction where health concept (content to
improve knowledge, attitude and practice) are taught with the aim of influencing these
domains of learning positively to ensure that people are equipped with relevant
information and act positively in matters of health.

They have combined it with what is known about health education and developed, as
they state, "a framework or rationale for health instruction that can be applied practically
in a classroom setting." From points of view of health, determining content, points of
emphasis in content, instructional objectives, the learning opportunities for the
organization of the instruction program, evaluation, and professional competence of
those teaching in health education, the reader gradually grasps the theory and the
application of health instruction.

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 Course Name- Health Education and Environmental Studies Course Code-B.P.Ed.-107

Health Instruction Program, presents an organizational model for health education which
demonstrates the interrelatedness of organizing elements of the curriculum, organizing
centers of the content, and behaviors in health education. The above mentioned chapters
illustrate the wholeness which needs to be re-discovered by teachers and curriculum
workers in health instruction.

Health Supervision: -

The process of being in charge of or directing something. health care supervision in a

client problem in the health related behaviors domain, defined as the management of the
treatment plan by a health care professional.

Health supervision in schools means, in part, health instruction to parents. It does not
suffice merely to send parents the reports of physical examinations. It is necessary to
cultivate their disposition for receiving health truths with gladness and with
understanding. In accomplishing this important part of the work, the greatest aid to the
school physician is the patience and perseverance of the school nurse. Success greatly
depends on her persistent effort and her consciousness of responsibility.

Many parents have a confused notion that health supervision in the school means the
treatment of sick children, and they are, therefore, apprehensive that parents' rights will
be invaded; but as a matter of fact, health supervision in schools does not imply treatment
of sick children, except with first aid measures in case of accident or sudden illness, or
isolating the child with a contagious disease for the protection of others.

Health supervision in schools implies examining children in order to notify parents of

correctable defects, as for instance, faulty vision, dangerously large or diseased tonsils,
defective hearing, heart or lung conditions, adenoids, carious teeth, malnutrition, faulty
posture, and any impending illness. The parents are promptly notified in order that the
child may receive that early attention which forestalls the dire results of neglect.

Health supervision in schools aims to disseminate the simpler truths of science, both for
the direct protection of children and that children themselves may more easily grasp the
art of living. Nothing is more worthy of our concerted efforts than ways and means to
make children more secure against ill-health. With this design, the school is becoming a

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 Course Name- Health Education and Environmental Studies Course Code-B.P.Ed.-107

sort of broadcasting station for health ideas. To introduce health ideas into a home is
easy, but to have them consistently applied is often difficult. This difficulty results, to a
considerable extent, from parents trying to direct the child too much by words and too
little by example. At the breakfast table the father, in a very, deliberate manner, explains
to his young son the evil effects of coffee, and in an equally deliberate manner pours for
himself a second cup. At the evening fireside, while the mother tries to persuade her little
boy never to use tobacco, pa is quietly blowing cigar smoke against his evening paper.
We can be reasonably sure that in the back of that boy's head there are thoughts of a little
research work-his technical requirements will be a cup of coffee and one of dad's cigars.
It is highly probable that the results will be eventually about the same as they were in the
preceding generation under similar circumstances, all of which goes to show the general
trend of unaided health supervision in the home.

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