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afternoons for two members of the health visiting staff. I think the
success of this project has promoted bigger and better plans for next
year.
A Dental Health Exhibition was held at Eastbury Secondary
Modern School for one week during the Autumn Term and proved a
stimulating topic for discussion for the children and teaching staff.
The two classes of girls who had received Health Talks assembled
a Health Exhibition themselves with a little assistance from the
County Health Education Officer. This was viewed by the whole
school and has in no small measure promoted a greater interest in
health matters among the boys and girls.
Many requests have been received by clubs and organisations
for talks. The Barking Women's Co-operative Guild asked for one
talk on Home Nursing or First Aid and this extended to three afternoon
sessions. This is a typical example of the interest in health
matters which is growing in the town.
Topics range from:
1. First Aid, Nursing and Mothercraft-these are firm favourites and
a good introduction to talks on Home Safety which is now included
as a matter of course.
2. The National Health Service and freguently requests are made
for a health visitor to talk about her field of work.
.3. Nutrition-may sound a dull title but always proves to be of great
interest and in these modern days of "snack meals" a very necessaries
topic particularly for young mothers.
4. Sex education-is now being requested with more frequency by
adult groups which I think shows that parents are beginning to be
actively concerned in this aspect of their children's well-being.
5. Mental Health-is another subject which is becoming increasing
popular.
I have mentioned only a few of the titles of talks requested and
no doubt many more will be added to the list as the work progresses.
This will mean an expansion of staff with a Health Education
Organiser responsible for the overall planning and the training and
assisting of staff in methods of teaching, plus a technician to
assemble and prepare visual aids and equipment. In fact there should
be a Health Education section of the Public Health Department, and
this may materialise at a later date.
The film "To Janet a Son" was shown in the Assembly Hall in
the late Autumn. It proved to be an enormous attraction and some
latecomers had to be turned away as the hall was packed. The discussion
afterwards, when young "would be" mothers and fathers were
invited to ask questions, supplied a fitting end to the evening.
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