Health Education: Can the Reformers Be Reformed?

The article shows how historical roots, ideological perspectives, and structural constraints have combined to create an ambiguous, generally conservative role for the health education profession and suggests an “ecological” model of health education that takes account of the multiple causes of disease and is committed to progressive social change.

Abstract

Health educators have created a new professional role that emphasizes the changing of individuals rather than their social conditions. The article shows how historical roots, ideological perspectives, and structural constraints have combined to create an ambiguous, generally conservative role for the health education profession. Epidemiological evidence is presented that contradicts many implicit notions of disease etiology that underlie health education approaches. Finally, the authors suggest an "ecological" model of health education that takes account of the multiple causes of disease and is committed to progressive social change.