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APPENDIX I
Health Education
We are proud, and I think very rightly proud, of the work
which is being carried out in Wood Green in the field of health
education. The cost of health education in Wood Green has been
infinitesimal, when compared with that of most other public services.
Although the effect which health education has 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 Wood Green.
As will 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 Officer 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. For this purpose
it is hoped to purchase our own projector during 1960,
In conclusion this brief report on health education, I would
make special mention of the great assistance afforded by the
Borough Council in promoting the display of propaganda material
relating to vaccination against poliomyelitis. Without the help
of the Borough Council it is extremely doubtful whether we could
have obtained sufficient sites to make known the fact that vaccination
against poliomyelitis was being carried out throughout the
district, and that this was a matter in which everyone must of
necessity be interested. It would indeed be true to say that cooperation
in projects such as this is absolutely essential.
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