Nowadays, information technologies rule the world. Health education is a process of “transmission of information in health” (Aparecida Salci et al., 2013). However, it does not depend on a set of knowledge. It is based on the corresponding activities or healthy lifestyle. My personal health education relates to the behaviorally focused as well as empowerment grounded philosophy, which is holistic. It is based on the education type, which tends to be the first stage of disease prevention through the maintenance of healthy lifestyle, namely the father of wellness introduced by Dunn (Raingruber, n.d., p.15). The focus of the emerged problem mainly lies at the primary stage of different disease prevention as it is mostly neglected nowadays. People fill the responsibility to care about their health when the disease is in interrupted progression or at the rehabilitation stage. However, they forget to prevent the primary stage when the process of disease has not started yet. Research conducted by the https://papers-land.com/services/rewriting/
Explanation of Philosophy Principles
The main principles of my philosophy base on the holistic approach. It considers health as “physical, mental, spiritual, emotional and social components”, which influence human wellbeing (Hernandez, 2011, p.16). Only the balance of all these five components creates the quality of a person’s existence. However, if one component is missing, the “health is affected” (Strauss, n.d.). Holism promotes indissoluble mind, body and spirit interrelation. However, mental and spiritual health is considered as precursor for the physical state (Ekfre, Ekanem & Ekpenyong, 2014). A person is unable to have a good quality of life with absence of even one holistic component of health.
Unfortunately, people rarely regard health seriously until they face the related problems. Therefore, it is necessary to empower them to care about their health condition beforehand. According to Aparecida Salci et al. (2013), the implementation of empowerment principle of health education philosophy leads to person’s autonomy (2013). It means that a person takes the entire responsibility for his or her health condition and is aware of the possible outcomes. Moreover, it leads to “self-monitoring to modify an unhealthy habit “(Hobbs, n.d.). The right implementation of this approach will result in the tendency that people will be able to empower themselves to maintain proper lifestyle and prevent diseases without continual external help and influence.
Successful empowerment principle should lead to behavioral change, which lies in self-monitoring in order to change an unhealthy habit. The instruments of behavioral change are “health literacy, knowledge, awareness to avoid high-risk situation, prevention of negative health behaviors” (Strauss, n.d.). Behavioral change plays an important role in the new health-disease process portrayed by Aparecida Salci et al. (2013). It lies in the tendency that “healthy people may take care of their health, insert healthier practices into their daily routine” (2013). The principles of behavioral change and people empowerment should demonstrate the importance of health education provided for ill as well as healthy people in the living process.
The above-mentioned principles of my personal behaviorally focused as well as empowerment grounded holistic philosophy are impossible without involving decision making process technique. It is vital to educate people on the importance of weighted decision taking practice. It should be concurrent with lectures about diseases treatment and prevention, as on-the spot decisions related to bar behavior change the empowerment process to a large extent. Such scientists as Kolbe, Iverson, Krenter, Christein and Hochbaum support decision making process (Governali, Hodges & Videto, 2005), which consists of several steps. These are identification of the decision, listing of the possible options, weighting advantages and disadvantages, decision taking and explanation of certain choice (Strauss, n.d.). The knowledge and implementation of this technique can help a person to take health friendly decisions without special professional help. There are numerous books, articles and publications on healthy lifestyle. They are helpful in weighting advantages and disadvantages as well as make the right decision if a person is self-motivated enough to care about his or her health condition in advance.
Explanation of the Importance of Behaviorally Focused, Empowerment Grounded Holistic Philosophy
There is no other way to care about people’s health as to make them conscious about possible outcomes beforehand. There is no medicine system, which can support each inhabitant with personal health advisor, who will daily provide better health decisions and remind about the date of the next doctor check. It is the individual responsibility of every person. Medicine and health education should teach people the technique of effective decision making process. This will lead to their behavioral change, which results in health empowerment. Thus, “learners in a good education system must be courage to invent their own solution to problem through creative thinking and discovery” (Ekefre et al., 2014, p.593). Such approach will help the public to receive information about health, wellness, disease prevention, and treatment as well as maintain healthy lifestyle.
Application to Health
The principles of discussed philosophy have been implemented in the educational practice. Governali et al. write that “health education is in the midst of a “paradigm shift” and mowing away from a philosophy based on knowledge development to one focusing on skills development” (Governali et al., 2005). In addition to being knowledgeable about health, it is vital to use this knowledge in practice. Dunn, who focused on mind, body and spirit health perception, insisted that to improve the quality personality’s life, motivation, environment and capacity for change are necessary (Governali et al., 2005). Behaviorally focused, empowerment grounded holistic philosophy aims at fortifying motivation and capacity for change, which should lead to weighted healthy environment choice and harmonious personality development. The value of this philosophy is in its easy implementation. Different educational programs, trainings and media information, which will teach public its technique, can provide quick results with minimal health educators’ involvement.
References
Aparecida Salci, M., Maceno, P., Rozza, S. G., Guerreiro Vieira da Silva, D. M., Eggert Boehs, A., & Heidemann, I. (2013). Health education and its theoretical perspectives; A few reflections. SciElo, 22(1).
Ekefre, E. N., Ekanem, S. A., Ekpenyong, E. B. (2014, May). A philosophical reflection on health and physical education. Mediterranean Journal of Social Science. May 2014, 5(9). Doi:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n9p592
Governali, J., Hodges, B. C., & Videto, D. M. (2005, July/August). Health education and behavior: Are school health educators in denial? America Journal of Health Education. 36(4). Retrieved from files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ792821.pdf
Hernandez, B. L. M. (2011). Philosophical reflections on health and health practices. Chapter 6. Foundation concepts of global community health promotion and education. Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
Hobbs, M. (n.d.) Philosophy of health. Online Portfolio. Retrieved from onlinehealthportfolio.weebly.com/philosophy-of-health.html
Raingruber, B. (n.d.). Health education, health promotion, and health: What do these definitions have to do with nursing? Chapter 1. Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. Retrieved from samples.jbpub.com/9781449697211/28123_CH01_Pass2.pdf
Strauss, T. (n.d.). Health education philosophy. Retrieved from homepages.gac.edu/~tstrauss/hephil.html
