Digital Pulse - Ch 3 - Sec 2 - Healthworks Radio

Development Issues: Training, Health Promotion

Programme Summary

Health Communications Resources (HCR) is an outfit of the School of Public Health, Curtin University, Australia that provides consultation, training and programming resources for health and community development agencies, health workers and strategic communication planners. Their mission is to furnish practitioners and planners with the resources that enable and equip them to train others to appropriately integrate radio programmes in holistic health communication strategies. Central to their strategies in the following definition of “health promotion” from the HCR website:

"Health promotion can be regarded as a combination of educational, organisational, economic and political actions designed with consumer participation, to enable individuals, groups and whole communities to increase control over, and to improve their health through attitudinal, behavioural, social and environmental changes."

Healthworks is a radio program series for health professionals who want to improve living conditions in their communities. It was produced by HCR and consists of thirteen programs that address a variety of issues of interest to health and social development workers. The Healthworks episodes plus theme music and promo are available to radio stations for download from OneWorld Radio. The majority of the Healthworks information available on the web is directed at the radio station manger, and HCR is focused on circulating the material amongst broadcasters rather than end-users.

Summary of ICT Initiatives

The Healthworks radio series is for health and social development workers. The series consists of 13 programs full of useful information and is based on a post-graduate course at Curtin University. The shows are widely disseminated through collaboration with OneWorld Radio, a large international website and organization that provides ready access to broadcast quality development related radio programmes for audiences around the world. The audio is in special English, narrated at a slow pace for the convenience of listeners who use English as a second language. Each episode is 15 minutes in length and cover various topics such as:

• Principles of health promotion
• Differing levels of prevention and their influences on health
• Rationale development for prevention and intervention strategies
• Community needs assessments and participatory strategies
• Differing evaluation and research models
• Project maintenance and methods to keep on track
• Strategies for directly involving communities in health promotion.

The radio series is accompanied by a workbook with spaces for taking notes and responding to learning activities in the Healthworks radio series. Listeners acquire the workbook from the participating radio station. The workbook also contains an evaluation sheet and a glossary of words discussed in the series. Healthworks uses Interactive Instruction Techniques with guided workbook activities and learning sequences, interviews with health professionals and case studies. The English language narration is at a slow pace, with technical words spelled out. When listeners complete the workbook they will take the workbook to the radio station broadcasting the Healthworks radio series and receive a Certificate of Participation.

Observations

An interesting feature of this project is the efforts of HCR to directly involve radio station managers in the project by appealing to both their desire to assist the community as well as to benefit the radio station. The Healthworks Info Pack [PDF] notes the following benefits that will accrue to stations that participate in the programme:

1. A different audience will be attracted to listen to your station.
2. Local newspapers will give your radio station publicity when they report on this "training course for health workers on the radio".
3. Your local health and social development departments will tell their staff to listen.
4. Your station will become known for its commitment to improving local health and social development.
5. You will make new contacts.
6. You could invite those who complete their workbook and get a certificate, to attend a health-promoting radio course, or some other training course that you organize.
7. You will locate skilled health and social development workers to become involved in your health and social development programs.
8. If you want to, you can charge a nominal fee for the workbook and certificate to cover your expenses.

A CD pack is also available at a small cost containing all elements of the Healthworks series for radio stations that want to translate the series or record it with their own narrator. Many of the instructions on the in the Info Pack are also in regards to how the broadcaster should go about acquiring the shows and setting up times to broadcast them in their local communities.




Partners: HCR, OneWorld Radio, Curtin University




Source:HCR Website




For More Information Contact:

Health Communication Resources and Adjunct

Research Fellow,

School of Public Health,

Curtin University

Mobile phone: 0402 1256 02 (International: +61 402 1256 02)

healthworks@h-c-r.org