The contribution of education to health promotion

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Description/Abstract

This chapter will explore the contribution of education to health promotion. Clearly in order to do this we need a clear definition of what we mean by health promotion, but there is not space to debate the various models that potentially exist, which is in any case the role of other chapters in this volume. This chapter will therefore make use of the recent definitions and key concepts and principles of the World Health Organisation (WHO, 1986, 1991, 1997). The vision of health promotion put forward by the WHO is centrally concerned with certain key principles, such as empowerment, democracy, equity and autonomy, but these are values or goals rather than techniques, and do not tell us how we may achieve them. This chapter will be suggesting that education has a key part to play in the realisation of modern health promotion principles and goals. It will put forward a very wide range of educational approaches and strategies that have their uses, as we must not be bedevilled by absolutist thinking, but use whatever works best to achieve our goals.