Reducing health disparity, “health education 21” and health promotion

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  • KONDO Katsunori
    Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology

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  • 健康格差縮小と21世紀型健康教育・ヘルスプロモーション
  • ケンコウ カクサ シュクショウ ト 21セイキガタ ケンコウ キョウイク ・ ヘルスプロモーション

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Abstract

<p>"Reducing health disparities" become the policy goal in "Health Japan 21 (2nd)". However, if health education is promoted without thinking deeply, it may rather widen health disparity. It is because those, who are less educated, have non-regular employment, and low income and are in poverty, don't tend to participate in health checkups or health education classes, have opportunities to obtain health information, but tend to have insufficient processing ability even if they have knowledge.</p><p>What should we do? The clues are interventions in environments such as "Build healthy public policies", "Create supportive environments", and "Strengthen community action" as shown in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. To advance those, it is necessary to convey the importance to people and departments who are responsible not just for the health sector but all public policy, environment and community development.</p><p>Three reconsiderations are necessary to change from conventional health education to "health education 21" in the 21st-century that contributes to reducing health disparity.</p><p>1) Expansion of content from approaching lifestyle or behavioral modification to "primordial prevention" which creates environment making people healthy just by living in; 2) Expansion of targets from the health sector and the general public to non-health sector or business entity; 3) Concerning research, development, and dissemination of educational methods, it is needed to transform from knowledge transfer-type education to emphasizing recognition and processing ability based on findings of behavioral economics, etc.</p><p>In order to realize health promotion, it is necessary to shift to a 21st-century type "health education 21".</p>

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