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53
HEALTH EDUCATION
Kathleen M. E. Griffiths - Health Education Officer
"The Definition of Life", said one National newspaper "is a permament
state of emergency". This statement with its implications could set
for us a whole range of health education activities — priorities — to
combat the vast amount of ill health that exists in advanced societies
— very often the result a life of "keeping up", "dashing around", the
competition that is all too prevalent in day-to-day working life. Coronary
and Vascular disease, stomach ulcers, depression and neuroses — all on
the increase, are aptly named "diseases of civilisation*.
Recently, the National Press and learned medical journals have
devoted space to inform us of the need for prevention of ill health, and
indeed of the duty of those engaged in the health and social services to
pay more attention to the education of the public in ways in which they
may achieve more positive health. To this end, the Government has now
set up the Health Education Council, some of whose aims are to coordinate,
diversify the activities previously carried out by the Ministry
of Health and Central Council for Health Education. In addition, its role
will be to advise and assist Local Authority Health and Welfare Departments
in their health education projects.
It is somewhat of an anomoly that although local authorities are
encouraged and pressed to carry out health education to all groups of
the population, nevertheless there is no statutory duty to do so. On the
other hand, to be effective, the process of education should be a permissive
one — there is no success in permanent persuasion. Human
motives, attitudes and changes of behaviour are too elaborate, too concealed
for us to effect a speedy solution.
Progressive local health authorities such as Redbridge have seen
the urgent need for action and have set up a health education service.
The importance of communication with colleagues to exchange information,
to crystallise ideas, needs to be developed. No doubt "teething
troubles" will be solved as the service progresses and administrative
difficulties will be resolved in the not too distant future.
In Redbridge, during 1968, Health Education has continued along
the lines set out in last year's report — it has been a year of consolidation.
The Health and Welfare Department with the Education Department