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43
Dental Health — Talks have been given at clinics and
mothers clubs which have underlined the need to follow the
simple rules for a healthy mouth, and also to impress mothers
of the need to take pre-school age children to the dental
clinics for regular 'check-ups'.
Environmental Health — Health education has been
continued by the public health inspectors in their day-to-day
work, for example, dealing with food handlers and the importance
of personal or food hygiene. This information will be
found in the report from the Chief Public Health Inspector.
The importance of health education within the environment
and for the community cannot be over emphasised.
Health Education can be accomplished through personal
contact with the individual, through group discussion and
through the mass media.
Personal Health Education — This is carried out by all
members of staff in their day-to-day work and this is a most
valuable contribution.
Group Education — This is probably the most effective
method though at present most of the work is done on an
empirical basis — this needs to be evaluated to test its
efficacy.
Use of the Mass Media — This is done through the distribution
of posters and leaflets which have been analysed
beforehand. In the past, use was made of poster sites rented
from London Transport at underground stations and British
Railways at Ilford Station. This practice of displaying posters
each month on a different topic has continued with a considerable
increase in the number of sites on all the stations
within the Borough, so that the same health education message
should appear on all poster sites whether they be on public
notice boards or at the clinics at any given time. A circular
letter was sent to all the general medical practitioners in the
new Borough and more than 50% of them agreed to display
publicity material in their surgeries and posters and leaflets
are despatched to them at regular intervals on topical subjects.
This service could well be extended to dental practitioners
and to chemists. Liason with the press is essential —
a few words in the local paper can do a great deal to inform
and impress.