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49
H E A LT H EDUCATION
Kathleen Griffiths
Health Education Officer
"Remember" they used to say "remember the five 'Ps' of
Health Education "Pushing Posters and Pamphlets to
Passive People". And then the "quote" from an annual report
"this year great progress has been made — 12,000 pamphlets
have been distributed — an increase of 2,000 on the previous
year
These older concepts of massive distribution of posters and
leaflets as being health education tre being replaced by new
techniques using general teaching principles and methods. Many
more senior school children and students carry out their own
project work, and the role of the health education section is to
guide interests along specific lines and act as a reference point.
Looking back on an eventful year, it will only be possible
to pick out some facets of the educational work carried out by
many members of staff who collec: no publicity, and therefore,
any picture that we attempt to pa.rit will be deficient.
1967 has been a year of challenge — a year which has seen
work expansion and in the introduction of new ideas and programmes.
The appointment of Miss V. Blanchard as Assistant
Health Education Officer in January resulted in a considerable
amount of health teaching carried out both in schools and at
the clinics, and whose work earned the respect of Head Teachers
and Stafl's in a number of schools in the Borough. It resulted,
too, in establishing a place for health education within the
school syllabus. Although Miss Blanchard has since resigned
her appointment, her work will be remembered and continued.
Health Visitors and public health inspectors have continued
to contribute to health programmes in schools — their subjects
ranging from general principles of hygiene and health to accident
prevention and personal relationships and education for
family life. Mothercraft courses are a valuable part of programmes
for senior secondary girls — as one girl put It — "We
think these, courses are very useful — its a pity that boys
don't have something like it".
Health education is an established part of the clinics held
by the Health Visitors. Relaxation classes, toddlers clinics
and mother's clubs have been organised to include short
teaching programmes and the small numbers attending allow
for useful, free and open discussion:—