THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH DEVELOPMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT

ACHALU DORATHY IFEYINWA; OBUMNEKE–OKEKE IFEOMA MABEL; BOSAH IFEOMA PATIENCE

Volume : IV, Issue : VII, July - 2015

THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH DEVELOPMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Achalu Dorathy Ifeyinwa, Obumneke Ndash Okeke Ifeoma Mabel, Bosah Ifeoma Patience

Abstract :

This paper is an attempt to look into the role of communication in health education and health development/challenges of health communication. Communication is a part of normal human relationship with others. The ability to influence others depends on one�s communication skills, which include: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and reasoning. These skills are much needed in health education. Health communication is often used synonymously with health education; health education is the translation of what is known about health into desirable individual and community behaviour patterns by means of communication process. Communication plays a powerful role in national health development programmes through educative, motivation, persuading and counseling people to change, modify health behaviour and make wise choices of health educators they can use, but there is no single communication method that is the bests. Health educators should develop their own communication method that can suit their target audience and be able to convey the message in the language they will understand. The message must consider the variant levels of health literacy and education of the audience, as well as demographic values, socioenomic issues and other factors that may influence effective communication