Important principles of health education are given below:
1. Interest:
Health education must be imported in a interesting manner. Learning only takes place when one is interested method like explaining example of current events creates interest. Health programmes of schools must be organized in a interesting manner, so students participation will be more.
previews.123rf.com
2. Readiness of learner:
Learner must feel comfortable and willing to participate in school healthy programmes. Therefore proper motivation and interest should be aroused in students.
3. Positive manner:
In health education, positive statements like Be Clean area preferable, there should not be negative statements like do not remain dirty, positive statements are effective and workable than negative statements
4. Practical knowledge:
Health education is better understood if imparted in practical situations. Practically experiencing healthy programmes develop more interest and learning.
5. Classification of healthy education:
Subject matter imparted in healthy education must be classified according to the age group. Topic suitable for higher secondary students may be very difficult for elementary students like Topic on Aids, Cancer etc.
6. Better communication:
Language used must be easy and understandable so that better communication will take place and students can easily make their doubts clear.
7. Based on need of the hour:
Health education must cover the most required topics. Health programmes running under school organization therefore mainly includes topics like personal hygiene, communicable disease, first/aid. School health education programmes mainly concern about childhood and adolescent needs.
8. Teaching Aids:
Utilization of teaching aids like audio/visual adds or illustrative materials in explanations lead to better and interesting learning in students. Showing films or photographs with message of health importance are preferable.
9. Individual Attention:
Sometimes situation may not permit to adopt health habits quickly, therefore effective health educational process will only take place when individual attention and reasonable time is given to the same person. Punishment must not be given to students if one is unable to adopt health education practically.
10. No competitive spirit:
Health education is against the competitive spirit. No two individuals could be alike in posture and no single posture is said to be best. Therefore, there should
not be any kind of competitive spirit, this may lead to unhealthy competition and use of unfair means.
11. Motivation:
Providing motivation is the most necessary part of health education, for practicing health programmes in life style.
12. Health Education is a collective effort:
It is duty of every individual to contribute in the health of community. Not only physical teachers, every general teacher and student are involved in the health educational guidance and counseling programmes.
13. Systematic and Continues efforts:
Systematic and continues health programmes are more beneficial than unsystematic and noncontinuous programmes. To produce desirable education what benefits they are gaining etc., are the quarries need to be properly checked for betterment of the health education system if needed.
14. Socially Accepted:
In many education institutions, health education includes the knowledge of ‘sex education’ and many times it was protested by some people as they declare this topic ‘non-educational’.
Topics like causes of Aids, Hepatitis-B are equally essential, rather more important. Therefore in a cooperative manner, health educator need to progress in imparting knowledge on such topics.
Now a days society has accepted ‘health education’ as important discipline, but then also the knowledge imparted to students must” be acceptable to local community.