Health education communication point model
(Baonghean)With the aim of raising awareness and changing people's behavior, in 2011, the Nghe An Provincial Center for Health Education and Communication established a pilot model for health education and communication in Dien Dong commune, Dien Chau district.
As the first commune in the province selected to build a model commune for health education and communication, since the beginning of 2011, the Dien Dong Commune Health Station has advised the Party Committee and the People's Committee of the commune to develop a plan to implement comprehensive public health care; established a primary health care committee of the commune to manage the pilot model, and clearly defined the role of health care, especially focusing on improving the capacity of village and hamlet health workers... The health station has implemented the model according to plan, ensuring progress and objectives with the participation and supervision of the Provincial Center for Health Education and Communication and the Dien Chau District Health Center.
To provide people with knowledge about disease prevention and control, the Provincial Center for Health Education and Communication has provided propaganda materials, directed health stations to regularly write news articles on the prevention and control of dangerous diseases, guided people on proper handwashing with soap, broadcast information on the commune's radio station; and distributed leaflets, brochures, and posters to households. The Dien Dong Commune Health Station has developed a plan to organize thematic communication campaigns: prevention and control of dangerous diseases such as avian influenza A/H5N1, acute diarrhea, food safety and hygiene; prevention and control of malnutrition, population and family planning, expanded immunization, environmental hygiene, HIV/AIDS…
Since its implementation, the village health team has provided health consultations to 1,738 people; and written 60 disease prevention communication articles broadcast on the commune's loudspeaker system (an average of 10 articles per month) - these are truly impressive figures achieved by the village and commune health services.
After nearly two years of implementing the model, the health sector in Dien Dong commune has undergone a significant transformation. Before the model was implemented, the percentage of families using sanitary toilets was only over 30%, but by 2012, the number of households with sanitary toilets had increased to over 50%; the rate of malnourished children decreased from 19.5% in 2010 to 17.1% in 2012; and people's knowledge of self-care, health protection, and disease prevention has improved significantly. Mr. Nguyen Van Nam, a resident of Hamlet 3, Dien Dong commune, said: “Previously, my family only had a rudimentary toilet, but after health officials came to our house to educate us about the benefits of disease prevention, my family decided to build a sturdy and clean toilet…”
Dr. Le Thi Tam, Head of Dien Dong Health Station, said: “To make communication more effective, we have incorporated information technology into direct health education communication, which is much more effective than other forms of communication. This is because when communicating, people not only participate in exchanging knowledge and sharing experiences, but the vivid images create interest, making it easier for them to absorb and pay attention to changing their perceptions and behaviors…”
With the initiative to use information technology in direct communication in the absence of computers and projectors, the health station proactively contacted schools in the area to request computers and projectors for its outreach activities. Thanks to the establishment of this pilot model, Dien Dong has boldly taken the lead in applying information technology in direct communication in the community, yielding high effectiveness. This pilot model for health education communication will be replicated in the future.
Xuan Tien
