Health programs are designed to help people maintain or improve their physical and mental health. They can include preventative services, such as vaccinations, counseling, education and screenings, as well as support groups for those with certain conditions. These programs can also provide information about healthy lifestyles, including diet, exercise, and the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. In addition, many health programs offer financial incentives to encourage healthy behavior.
The first step in any health program is a careful description of the problem to be addressed. This includes identifying risk behaviors and problematic environmental conditions that contribute to the problem. This analysis helps program planners better articulate what needs to change in the future.
Another important part of any health program is identifying the costs associated with the program and finding ways to reduce or eliminate those costs. This is commonly known as cost effectiveness analysis or CEA. Various types of evaluation tools can be used to assess the cost-effectiveness of a program, including descriptive or formative evaluations, budget analyses, and outcome studies. Outcome studies may be expressed in terms of cost-utility analysis (CUA) or quality adjusted life years (QALY).
A health educator can work in a variety of settings, from hospitals to community health organizations. They design, promote, lead and evaluate programs about weight control, hypertension, nutrition, physical fitness and stress management. They also help employees and the general public access health resources and services. Health educators can also create and deliver staff training in health-related topics, conduct research, consult with other health care professionals on patient concerns, write grants and develop activities that increase patient participation in clinical processes.
Providing incentives to employees is an effective way to motivate them to make positive lifestyle changes. Offering discounts on tobacco products and promoting healthy eating habits in the workplace are examples of preventative services that can have a big impact on employee health. Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States, so encouraging workers to quit is another important goal of any workplace wellness program.
Many colleges and universities offer master’s degrees in health education. Students in these programs learn how to conduct and analyze clinical research, write grant proposals and present their findings to the public. They also take courses on subjects such as epidemiology, biomedical ethics, computational and statistical sciences, biomedical statistics and principles of clinical pharmacology. Many graduate students go on to become health educators, but some choose to pursue a doctorate degree in health science or medicine. This degree typically requires at least three years of work experience in a clinical setting.