Health Promotion Methods and Techniques

Methods and techniques of health promotion are combination of ways or methods and aids or media used in any health promotion implementation.

Based on the targets, methods and techniques of health promotion are divided into three:

a. Individual health promotion method

This method is used when health promoter and the target can communicate directly, either face to face or through other means of communication, such as telephone. In explaining his client's health problems, health workers can use visual or relevant aids. This is commonly called counseling.

b. Group health promotion method

This is used to groups as the targets. Group target is divided into two; small group (6-15 people) and large group (15-50 people).

The examples of methods and techniques of health promotion for small group are group discussions, brainstorming, snowball method, role play, game simulation, and so on.

The examples of methods and techniques of health promotion for large group are lecture followed by question and answer, seminars and so on.

c. Mass health promotion method

Methods and techniques for mass health promotion that are often used:

1. Public Speaking in public places

2. The use of electronic mass media (radio, television), for example, talk show

3. The use of print media, such as newspapers, magazines, posters

4. The use of outdoor media, such as billboards and banners

Scope of Health Promotion

Based on health care aspect, broadly there are 2 types of health services in health promotion scope:

a. Preventive and promotive services

They are services for a group of healthy society, so that the group remains healthy and even improves health status. Basically, these services are implemented by public health professional groups.

b. Curative and rehabilitative services

They are services of the community who are sick, so this group is recovered from the illness and be healthy. In principle, these types of services are performed by medical professional groups.

Based on the type of health care aspect, the health promotion includes four services:

a. Health Promotion at Promotive Level 

The target of health promotion at promotive level is healthy group with the aim to enable them to improve their health.

b. Health Promotion at Preventive Level

Target at this level is high risk groups such as pregnant and lactating mother groups, smokers, obese group and so on. The main goal of health promotion at this level is to prevent these groups from getting sick.

c. Health Promotion at Curative Level 

The target is the patient. The purpose of health promotion at this level is to make this group able to prevent the disease from getting worse.

d. Health Promotion at rehabilitative Level 

Health promotion at this level has a target group of patients who are just recovering from an illness. The main goal of health promotion at this level is that they are soon recovered or reduce the disability as minimum as possible. 

Healthy Lifestyle

Healthy lifestyle greatly determines the quality of life. It is closely related to discipline, level of education, lifestyle and so on. Someone who wants to enjoy life should implement this healthy lifestyle.

According to Becker cited by Notoatmodjo (2003), healthy lifestyle is behavior related to one's efforts or activities to maintain and improve their health.

Healthy lifestyle includes:

1. Having a balanced diet (appropriate diet). Balanced diet is in the sense of quality containing nutrients that the body�s needs and quantity stating sufficient amount to meet the body's needs.

2. Regular exercise that includes quality and quantity in terms of frequency and time spent on sports.

3. No smoking. Smoking is a bad habit that leads to various diseases. Smoking is a habit with no positive purpose to human health.

4. No drinking and drugs. Drinking alcohol and taking drugs recently tend to increase.

5. Getting enough rest, with the increasing life needs as a result of modern environment adaptation requires people to work hard and excessively so they have less rest time.

6. Controlling stress. Stress will happen to anyone, especially due to the harsh demands of life. The tendency of stress will increase on everyone. Stress is unavoidable, it is important to make stress not interfere our health by controlling and managing stress with positive activities.

Hospital Sanitation

Definition of hospital sanitation is an effort to become healthy hospital environment. Sanitation is a way to prevent an outbreak of infectious disease by breaking the chain of the sources. Sanitation is a public health effort that focuses on mastery of various environmental factors that affect health status.

Environmental health is protection, management, and environmental modification efforts that are directed to ecological balance at the level of human welfare increasing.

Health of hospital environment is defined as restructure and surveillance efforts of hospital environment that may be risky causing disease and health problems for the community, so that the community health status is created as high as possible.

Efforts of hospital environmental health include complex activities that require handling of cross-program and cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary dimension, it is necessary for sufficient energy and infrastructure in health surveillance of hospital environment.