Understanding Education and Health: Key Concepts and Factors
Education: Learning and Growth
Education is synonymous with learning, study, and growth. There are two main approaches:
- Educare: To draw out potential.
- Inducere: To fill the head with knowledge.
Educare focuses on developing behavior and practical knowledge, while education, in general, facilitates personal development, enabling individuals to make independent decisions.
Characteristics of Education
- Human intervention (direct or indirect)
- Intentional process (reality and environment)
- Objective-driven activity
- Integral process involving emotions and behavior
- Gradual, continuous, dynamic, and flexible
- Lifelong process of personal, social, and cultural construction
A fundamental feature of education is teaching how to think and learn from experience, fostering cultural beliefs, attitudes, habits, and values to promote autonomy throughout life.
What is Health Education?
Health education involves a combination of information and activities that empower people to:
- Want to live healthily
- Achieve health individually or collectively
- Seek help when needed
Objectives of Health Education
- Promote reflection and analysis of health factors (environmental, political, social, psychological).
- Develop healthy behaviors and lifestyles.
- Prevent disease and risks.
- Provide resources and skills for self-care, social competence, and problem-solving.
- Foster self-esteem and healthy community engagement.
Factors Influencing Health
The key factors influencing health are:
- Healthcare: 11%
- Lifestyles and conditions: 43%
- Human biology: 27%
- Environment: 19%
Implementing health education programs and promoting healthy living conditions are crucial.
Factors Related to Health Behaviors
- Social Environment: Conditions, resources, services, and cultural models.
- Surroundings: Social groups (friends, parents, school), social networks, and social support.
Personal Factors
- Cognitive Area: Background knowledge.
- Emotional Area: Beliefs, attitudes, values, and feelings.
- Skills Area: Self-care, personal, social, and psychomotor skills.
Models of Education
- Report-Custody: (EPS technology)
- Persuasive Behavioral: (EPS practice)
- Participatory Development: (EPS criticism)
Meaningful Learning
Learning occurs through experiences in the educational process. Effective teaching/learning is essential to provide opportunities for personal growth.
Teaching/Learning Process
- Awareness: Expressing the situation.
- Deepening: Developing knowledge, analyzing aspects, and reflecting on emotions.
- Behavior: Developing resources and skills, making decisions, experiencing reality, and evaluating outcomes.
Process of Behavior Change
The process involves:
- Knowledge of the problem and interest.
- Need to make decisions.
- Trying to adopt new behaviors.
- Internalizing the changes.
Variables in Adult Education
Challenges in adult education include:
- Difficult learning
- Poor study habits
- Failure to identify key concepts
- Difficulty with new cognitive schemata
- Insecurity
- Fear of ridicule
- Anxiety
- Resistance to change
- Impatience
- Lack of motivation
- Emotional barriers