Planning Tools
Health-promoting Radio Horizons
More often than not, radio and health practitioners educate and inform listeners
about a health topic that is decided by health or community development
workers, or that emerges from the experience of listeners or radio producers
and presenters. Health is typically slotted into or limited to radio programs
for women, youth or rural audiences to address general health problems,
diseases and injuries. But this is not communication—it is merely
infomatics, a mechanical and uninspired gathering and dissemination of
information. It is a mistake to restrict health communication to personal
and individual skills.
Health-promoting radio programming goes beyond such limited boundaries. It stretches out
to horizons that embrace the health promotion goals and the core assumptions
of social justice and equity, enabling, equipping, community participation
and social responsibility. Imagine the richness of health messages possible
in the areas of policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening
community action and re-orienting health services—as well as developing
personal and individual skills.
Take a moment to explore them:
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Health
Promotion Goals
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Radio
Program Horizons
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1.
Build public health policy
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- Stimulate
awareness and discussion to put health on the agenda of policymakers
in all sectors and at all levels
- Promote
acceptance of policy-makers responsibility for health
- Promote
health equity for marginalised groups
- Raise
awareness of health consequences of decisions
- Advocate
to persuade decision makers
- Support
emerging climate for action
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2.
Create supportive environments
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- Adopt
and promote a socio-ecological approach to health; show inter-relatedness
between health and other social goals
- Analyse
and interpret the health impacts of rapid changes in society and
promote positive health outcomes
- Promote
living and working conditions that are safe, stimulating, satisfying
and enjoyable
- Encourage
reciprocal maintenance—take care of each other, community
and natural environment
- Consolidate
and expand partnerships for health
- Redefine
norms and attitudes, and convince of the relevance, desirability
and value of change with regard to this issue
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3.
Strengthen community action
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- Give
communities (especially marginalised sectors) access to communication
resources and thus, a voice, through participatory programming
strategies
- Mobilise
public participation and community action
- Promote
events or activities
- Promote
social capital (social support, community cohesion and unity)
- Facilitate
access to information and learning opportunities for health
- Provide
leadership training
- Promote
access to resources
- Promote
social, cultural and spiritual resources
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4.
Develop personal and individual skills
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- Provide
accurate, relevant and consistent information and education for
health
- Primary
education (preventing and avoiding illness, disease or injury)
- Secondary
education (recognising symptoms)
- Tertiary
education and training (for appropriate self-management and self-treatment,
information about available services and facilities)
- Motivate
to attend health services or adopt behaviours
- Provide
counselling (talkback radio)
- Enhance
self efficacy, life skills and personal choices conducive to health
- Enable
life-long learning and preparation for all stages of life
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5.
Reorient services for health
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- Emphasise
prevention not just clinical and curative services
- Facilitate
collaboration and networking between industry, local government,
corporations, small business, service utilities, government agencies
and NGOs, the health sector and social, political, economic and
physical environment components
- Report
experiences and disseminate information to improve health service
accountability, organisation, planning, delivery, evaluation and
health research
- Provide
professional training and education
- Assist
health professionals to be sensitive to cultural needs
- Increase
credibility of health professionals
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