Concepts of health education : a study of four professional groups

Collins, Lesley Florence (1983) Concepts of health education : a study of four professional groups. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

Health education is interdisciplinary and lacks a common body of theory; its practitioners are drawn from several professions. The study is an investigation into the conceptual ground of this poorly defined field of endeavour, as perceived by some professionals engaged in it. The research was carried out in an interpretive mode. Ten members of each of four professions - doctor (general practitioner), health education officer, health visitor and secondary school teacher - were interviewed, using an in-depth technique. The interviews were analysed using a schema developed for the purpose, based initially on conceptual categories identified by the researcher as parameters of the concept of health education, and further developed by feedback from the subjects. The results of the analysis were expressed quantitatively, graphically (as individual and group conceptual profiles) and qualitatively. The principal findings are that the same parameters of the concept were used by the subjects across the groups, but with quantitative inter-group and intra-group variation. Qualitative analysis revealed some conceptual confusion and conflict, often centred on a clash between educational and behavioural models of health education. The conceptual variation revealed was interpreted in terms of ideologies and values, of profound significance to the self. It could well lead to failure of communication and mutual misunderstanding. The main implications of the findings are that health education could be enhanced in practice by better interprofessional communication at conceptual level, and that conceptual clarification and a common body of theory are now essential for fundamental progress in the field.

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