Health education is important at all stages of life, from childhood through to older adulthood. It plays an essential role in community well-being, empowering individuals, and as a preventative health measure. Health knowledge involves promoting awareness and healthy practices across all age groups.
Unfortunately, health education is in a dire position in the United States. Statistics from the Center for Health Care Strategies reveal that nearly nine out of ten adults in the country struggle with health literacy.
Low health literacy negatively impacts quality of life and strains the United States’ healthcare system. It can lead to worsened health outcomes and create additional costs. It also disproportionately affects marginalized populations.
Health education is crucial for everyone, including healthcare professionals. Structured learning and continuing education through pathways, such as those offered at Rockhurst University Online, ensure that professionals in health-related careers stay up to date with industry practices and knowledge, so they can provide accurate health education to patients and clients.
What is health education?
Health education is the process of informing and educating individuals about health risks, preventative practices, and effective responses to health-related issues. The main goal of health education is to increase awareness and compliance with healthy practices.
There are many ways to achieve health education. Common strategies include integrating health and physical education into school curricula, outreach programs, communication initiatives, and fostering environments in healthcare settings that encourage shared decision-making.
The concept of health education is closely linked to health promotion and health literacy. Health promotion is a term that refers to the process of enabling people to increase control over their own health and decisions. This is part of and a result of successful health education.
Similarly, health literacy refers to a person’s ability to access, understand, appraise, and use information and services in a way that promotes good health. It’s not just being able to access websites and read a pamphlet, but being able to think critically about the information presented and make an informed decision regarding your own health.
Why does it matter?
When it comes to health, the phrase “knowledge is power” couldn’t be more true. The more an individual understands their own health, the healthcare system, and the outside influences that can influence them, the more empowered they are to make informed decisions that lead to a healthier life.
To understand why health education is important, it can be helpful to look at the benefits health education has on individuals and communities. Several positive outcomes include:
- Better understanding of the social determinants of health
- Reduces health inequalities
- Promote better health-related habits
- Foster positive attitudes towards wellbeing
- Empower communities through informed decision-making
- Reduce strain and cost on the healthcare system
- Helps individuals better understand healthcare information and systems
- Leads to better healthcare outcomes
Health education and educators enable people of all ages to develop skills and understanding that can positively influence their health and overall wellbeing. The US healthcare system is also under significant strain, and better education can help lessen the load.
US healthcare is currently the most expensive in the world. Additionally, fewer than 1 in 20 Americans know how much health care services will cost before receiving them. Better health education would improve these statistics and help reduce healthcare expenditure.
Health education in schools
Health education should be one of the primary goals of all schools—at all levels—and is linked to positive outcomes. Research suggests that quality school health programs can influence the following outcomes:
- Reducing risk behaviors linked to sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and unintended pregnancy.
- Decreasing substance and tobacco use.
- Increasing help-seeking behaviors to improve mental health and well-being.
Health education provides youth with the knowledge and skills they need to be healthy adults. It helps them learn basic health knowledge, the foundation for health literacy and promotion, and build skills for lifelong well-being.
Research has also found that behaviors and experiences related to early sexual initiation, violence, and mental health problems, when there is a lack of health education, can lead to:
- Poor grades
- Low test scores
- Negative health outcomes
Improving health literacy
Improving health literacy and health education overall should be one of the primary goals of healthcare organizations, schools, and community services. In a study published on ScienceDirect, it was found that over 60% of American adults demonstrated inadequate health literacy.
Education level and regional differences also influence health literacy disparities. In particular, lower socioeconomic areas, rural communities, and marginalized groups are impacted hardest.
Examples of ways an individual can improve their own health literacy include:
- Bring a support person to health appointments
- Rely on trusted sources to avoid falling for medical misinformation
- Prepare any questions, symptoms, or concerns before an appointment
- Use the teach-back method. After something is explained by a health professional, explain it back in your own words to ensure you understand
Improving health literacy is vital to the success of America’s healthcare system. It’s a multifaceted problem that will require targeted interventions, tailored for each audience.
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