Health Education, Community Participation and National Health Programmes
The final domain tests whether you can get a community to act, and whether you know which national programme pays for which service.
Health education and participation
- IEC and BCC: information, education and communication gives way to behaviour change communication, which targets specific behaviours and barriers rather than general awareness.
- Channels: inter-personal counselling by ASHA and ANM, village health and nutrition days, school sessions, wall paintings, local radio, and involvement of community leaders.
- Structures for participation: Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committee, Rogi Kalyan Samiti at facilities, self-help groups, gram panchayat ownership of water and sanitation.
- Principles: know your audience, use one clear action message, use local language and idiom, combine with a service that is actually available, and monitor.
National programmes to know
- National Health Mission; Ayushman Bharat with health and wellness centres and PM-JAY.
- NVBDCP/NCVBDC for malaria, dengue, kala-azar and filariasis; NTEP for tuberculosis; NACP for HIV; NPCDCS for non-communicable diseases.
- Mission Indradhanush for immunisation; Swachh Bharat and Jal Jeevan Mission for sanitation and safe water.
Worked example
Bed net use in a village is low despite free long-lasting insecticidal nets having been distributed. Reasoning: do not repeat the distribution and expect a different result. First find out why - heat, no hanging points, nets used for fishing or fencing, or a belief that malaria comes from stale food. Then respond to that specific barrier: demonstrate hanging, involve the panchayat, use a local volunteer group, and give one action message. Finally track net use through repeat household visits rather than counting nets distributed.
Traps that cost marks
- Measuring outputs (nets distributed) instead of outcomes (nets used).
- Giving many messages at once instead of one actionable one.
- Naming the wrong programme for a service - TB is NTEP, not NVBDCP.
- Designing a campaign without a service, so people are motivated but have nowhere to go.