Internship : health awareness materials developer for health awareness sessions at Amel association PHCCS and MMUS

Abstract

Health promotion is an essential technique for improving health and managing symptoms. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019, health promotion refers to activities that encourage individuals to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles while creating supportive living conditions and healthy environments. It encompasses activities that enhance individual well-being and maximize health potential. In light of this, it is imperative to continually modify and develop health education materials to meet the needs of the community and target population they serve. This internship focuses on creating health education materials for health awareness campaigns at the AMEL Association, after assessing the community's needs. Health awareness campaigns conducted at AMEL Association health centers, cover a wide range of topics and issues related to promoting public health and well-being. Chronic diseases prevention campaigns, sexual health and STDs prevention awareness campaigns, and cancer awareness campaigns are examples of health awareness campaigns. The internship is a full-time, three-month program from December 2022 until February 2023. Health educators such as outreach volunteers, peer educators, social workers, and community health volunteers require structured guiding material during health promotion sessions in health centers and fields. Staff identified as "health educators," work tirelessly. However, several challenges exist, including access to appropriate, up-to-date tools for effective health education practice and confusion about how health education can meaningfully contribute to health promotion goals. The outcome of this internship aims to ensure a more coherent and complementary approach towards reinforcing the integrated health education and promotion approach, both theoretically and practically. The developed structured and unified guiding materials can be used during health promotion sessions in all AMEL Association centers, enabling effective delivery of health promotion services.