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APPENDIX 1.
Health Education.
We are proud, and I think very rightly proud,
of the work which is being carried out in Friern
Barnet in the field of Health Education. The cost
of Health Education in Friern Barnet has been infinitesimal,
when compared with that of most other public services.
Although the effect which health education had had on
the occurrence of disease and what is more important
still, on the promotion of health is difficult to gauge,
I have not the slightest doubt that our programme of
health education has contributed in no small measure
to the health and well-being of Friern Barnet.
As ^'vill be known, of course, we share the
duties of health education with the Middlesex County
Council, part being carried out by the Public Health
Department and part by the staff of the Area Health
Office. This is a particularly good example of the
benefit which accrues through the Medical ufficer of
Health being Area Medical Officer for the same Area.
I am able to correlate the work to ensure an even
distribution, to make use of those officers best qualified
and best able to carry out any particular function of
health education.
The April issue of the journal "The Medical
Officer" contained a most interesting article by a
Medical Officer of Health in which the order of
preference of various sections of the community in
regard to health education was set out. The survey
carried out showed that the most popular means of
propaganda were television programmes, closely followed
by films. At the bottom of the list - and I. was not
at all surprised at this - came the distribution of
pamphlets, a means of health education about which I
have had increasing doubts. I was also interested
to see that, of the eleven means of health education
listed, exhibitions came ninth in the list.
Here again, this is what one might expect, since
exhibitions, unless they deal with an urgent, topical
problem, have singularly little effect upon the public.
In concluding this brief report on health
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