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(i) specific action (e.g. vaccination and immunisation);
(ii) habit or attitude changing (e.g. avoidance of overeating; attitude
to mental illness);
(iii) support for community action (e.g. for clean air, fluoridation);
(iv) education which leads patients to know when to consult their doctors,
especially at the early stage of serious illness.
Reference was made in the report to the fact that much more health education is
already being carried out and considerable success has been achieved in vaccination,
immunisation and community X-ray examinations. There have also been marked improvements
in the standard of maternity and child care, in sanitary cleanliness and food
hygiene and, probably, in attitudes to mental illness. The Committee thought that
there is clearly a continuing need for health education in these fields and that
insufficient health education is at present being directed towards particular groups,
including notably schoolchildren, teenagers, fathers, middle-aged men and those of
limited intelligence in all groups
The Cohen Committee recommended the establishment of a Central Board to promote
a climate of opinion favourable to health education, develop "blanket" programmes of
education on selected priority subjects (securing support from all possible natural
sources, commercial and voluntary as well as medical) and assist local authorities and
other agencies in the conduct of programmes locally. Such a Board would foster training
of specialist health educators, promote the training in health education of
doctors, nurses, teachers, and dentists and evaluate the results achieved by health
education.
The Cohen Committee further recommended that over the next five years health
education should be more vigorously promoted by the expenditure of another £500,000
on staff for new, stronger, central organisations in England, Wales and Scotland; on
pilot habit changing campaigns on social surveys; and on the strengthening of the new
and yet small profession of health educators. Expenditure of this amount would be
less than two per cent, of what is estimated to be spent annually on advertising
sweets and cigarettes.
The Public Health Committee of the Council considered in detail the Medical
Officer of Health's review and summary of the Cohen Committee Report, and recommended
that the Borough Council support the Cohen Committee proposal to set up a Central
Board for Health Education, and to inform the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint
Committee accordingly.
The Health Department and Immigrants
There is a very considerable population of immigrants in Islington, and their
presence has given rise to certain problems which affect the work of the Health
Department. The 1961 Census Returns disclosed that there were nearly 10,000 residents
originating from Cyprus, about 8,000 from the Caribbean territories and less than
2,000 from India and Pakistan and Ghana and Nigeria respectively. Problems of friction
on housing matters have not infrequently been brought to the department with complaints
from one party or another.
Since many of the immigrants, particularly those from Cyprus, are concerned in the
food trades including restaurants and cafes, and as owners of food premises, and also
as kitchen workers, as well as other aspects in which the health department is concerned,
problems of new aspects of health education as well as enforcement arise.