Title : Trends and prospects in public health education: A commentary
Abstract:
The purpose of this commentary was to discuss the trends in public health education interventions which have mirrored the trends in the field of medicine. The first generation interventions in medicine focused on identifying signs and symptoms and clinical acumen in arriving at the diagnosis and treatment. Likewise, the first generation interventions in health education focused on knowledge building interventions. The second generation interventions in clinical medicine focused on utilization of laboratory investigations in decision making and treatment. Similarly, the second generation interventions in health education focused on building skills in the participants. The third generation interventions in medicine were evidence based interventions and focused on decision making based on data from randomized controlled trials. Correspondingly, in the field of health education third generation interventions were also evidence-based and relied on utilization of behavioral theories to aid in behavior acquisition and change. The fourth generation interventions in clinical medicine are the precision interventions that utilize advancements in genomics and technology. Respectively, the fourth generation interventions in health education are also utilizing technology and multiple theories to optimize health behavior change. One promising and emerging theory in this context is the multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change based on which it is envisaged that newer public health education interventions will be designed, implemented and evaluated.
Keywords: Medicine, Health Education, Health Promotion
