0.2: Definition of key concepts

03 Health Education:
Health Education is an array( set ) of procedures and strategies aiming at informing the individual/community on a health issue in order to help/support him in behaviour change process meaning in changing behaviour at risk for Health( a negative behaviour ) and in adopting a positive behaviour or in maintaining a good behaviour for Health.
Health Education aims at:

developing the sense of responsibility for his / her health (= participatory approach),
bringing the Responsible of level 1 (decision-makers) to adopt positive behaviours for Health in order to influence the public in the behaviour change process in adopting a positive behaviour for Health(=responsible approach).
Shortly, Health Education provides accurate information on a health issue. This stage = a key basis in the behavior change process. « " Whoever has information has the ability of decision ."
Information ( Awareness ) is the 1 st important step in the behavior change process.
In the Health area, information on the Health issue is mainly provided by Health professionals/health care providers.

Other behaviour change steps are under the responsibility of the one who should change.

. However, the Health care provider does not abandon him through all these steps of behaviour change: he continues supporting him to go forward in the different stages of behaviour change, but the decision-making is under the responsibility of the one who has to change ( = individual/community).

• Health Communication:
Health Education evolved into 2 complementary approaches:
• Over the years, Health Education was equivalent of IEC (Information- Education - Communication)

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• A bit later, IEC was replaced by Communication for Behaviour Change / BCC (Behavior Change Communication).
Considering both approaches, the common denominator of the IEC and BCC = Communication.

The reason why Health Education became = Health Communication.
Indeed, Health Education is passive while Health Communication is dynamic.
Considering different steps of Behavior Change ( Contemplation / Information – Motivation – Preparation – Action – Maintenance),
in Health Education, step 1 is supported by any person having detailed information on the Health issue ( mainly Health professionals ) who will provide information to the person who should change.
For the following steps, he doesn’t appear.
In Health Communication, after step 1, Health providers continue supporting the person who should change / who is in the Behavior Change process.

Health Communication replaced Health Education ( Exemple: Rwanda Health Communication Center / RBC ).