Health Education for Behaviour Change

This manual on behaviour change allows a group of health workers to go through a series of discussions and exercises, including role playing, in order to:

• Identify and acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to make behaviour changes in themselves and others.
• Identify what else is necessary to achieve behaviour change – services, resources, etc. – with suggestions for obtaining them.
• Learn about behaviour in individuals and in groups.

Contents include the following:

Introduction:
i) How to use this manual
ii) The language of health education:
iii) Introducing a model of behavioural change
iv) Getting Started
Section One: Why People Act as They Do – The Roots of Behaviour Change

1.1 Looking at yourself

1.2 Looking at others

1.3 Looking at families and groups

Section Two: Factors that Influence People to Consider Change

2.1 Why change?

2.2 Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills

2.3 Support

2.4 Creating a health-promoting environment

2.5 Facilitating factors

Section Three: Helping Clients to Change

3.1 Working with individual clients

3.1.1 Working with Individuals – some exercises:

3.1.2 Small strategies to help individuals change behaviour

3.1.2.1 Finding Rewards

3.1.2.2 Using the senses

3.1.2.3 Doing it for someone else

3.1.2.4 Finding a mentor

3.1.2.5 Changing how you spend spare time
3.1.2.6 Look for other pleasures

3.1.2.7 Consider behaviour charts

3.1.2.8 Do you need what you want –and need it now? Do you find it difficult to wait? Then try to avoid temptation

3.1.2.9 Finding distractions

3.1.3 Helping a child change behaviour

3.2 Working with families

3.3 Working with groups

3.3.1 Basic Health Education groups

3.3.2 More specialised groups

3.3.3 Facilitated groups

3.3.4 Conclusion