HEALTH EDUCATION IS STILL RELEVANT TODAY!

Is Health Awareness/Education Still Important Today

Do you remember learning the importance of brushing twice a day and bathing twice a day ?

Or the importance of washing your hands after using the bathroom, before eating and after playing outside ? How would your life be right now if you never learnt all these things ?

These are fun memories of learning Physical and Health Education in Primary/Elementary school, but did you know Health Education is still important and happening today? Yes it is, and social media is helping us make the impact bigger than ever!

What Is Health Awareness/Education?

Put simply, health awareness or education is the act of sensitizing the public about a particular health issue (diabetes), a health risk (smoking) or health practice (hand washing). It’s usually the first step in public health and the goal is help people lead longer, healthier lives by avoiding illness.

An example could brush your teeth day held in schools or a workshop teaching diabetic patients how to monitor their own blood sugar and plan meals.

How Is Health Awareness Happening Today?

Health awareness today is still much like in the past with physical outreaches and initiatives. But with the internet, the spread of crucial health information to those in desperate need and just the general public has been faster and more effective than ever before.

If you’re anywhere on the much less dramatic side of the internet, (which if you’re reading this blogpost you probably are) you’d know that October was breast cancer awareness month. Probably through a post or maybe your favorite influencer said something about it.

Many known NGO’s and health institutions never miss an opportunity to make social media posts, hold campaigns, events, outreaches etc. about these two conditions.

You’ve probably seen a lot of awareness post about random health conditions you’ve probably heard of like sickle cell awareness day, hemophilia awareness day, mental health awareness month, suicide prevention day etc. And probably many you’ve honestly never heard of.

This is all due to the impact of health education today. In the past, you’d have probably never heard of many of these conditions and how to avoid them except you had a relative who had that condition. Sometimes even shame was associated to some of these conditions making information about them fully inaccessible to the public.

Health education today is absolutely relevant and more people still need to know.

Don’t Most People Already Have This Information?

Even with efforts there are still people who don’t know that need to know. Health education is a trusted method of disease prevention that works, It should be capitalized on for a generally healthy community not reduced because of urban assumptions.

And in your mind you probably think “Don’t men over 50 years know they’re meant to check their prostate.” or “doesn’t every woman know they need to examine their breasts frequently and nipple dimpling needs to be looked at” or even “Doesn’t everyone know they need to check their genotypes before trying to make babies”

This is just a few normal health facts most people expect everyone to know. But the truth is everyone doesn’t know this! Especially in a developing country like Nigeria and our continent as a whole. A lot still needs to be done concerning health education and awareness.

I think being in a hospital environment truly allows me to see the effects of my work in health awareness. And maybe this article can let you see the effects of health awareness today too.

Are The Effects of Health Education Actually Real ?

Quick story: During breast cancer awareness month after an event held in the city of Warri, it was a wonderful morning of me going to class late… again.

Anyways, my classes are held within a hospital complex and I was stopped by 3 different women asking where they could get their breasts checked. I was pleasantly surprised and happy that more women know and realize the need for this check-up and actually excited that the health education efforts didn’t go to vain.

I also remember seeing a social media post about awareness of Prostate cancer and bugging my dad to get his checked till he did.

The point is, health education is still important today, especially in third-world countries like ours.

How Can I Aid Health Education Efforts ?

People still don’t know and still need to know.

(Peep my friends at a health awareness campaign event)

So when you get the chance to be part of an outreach, join!

And when there’s a social media post or Instagram carousel, make sure to repost. Re-share that Whatsapp status and let more people know.

Another way is to take the information learnt to heart. Practice it and teach those around you by example. Now share this post to anyone you know that doesn’t participate in health awareness efforts or thinks they’re out of date.

If you’ve read up to this point, you’d probably be interested in all the other stuff I’d be talking about concerning health and UN SDG 3, My name is Efemini Loretta (aka The Content Unicorn), follow me for more content like this and subscribe if you want everything I post directly in your email!

Oh and don’t forget to like and clap for this post so more unsuspecting readers can know more about health education and awareness.

Welcome to my corner;

The Content Unicorn