As a Health Extension Practitioner, your work mostly focuses on the prevention of diseases and the promotion of health as well as providing some basic curative services. Your care is always directed towards the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and your entire community. When you deal with health problems you need to explore the social, economic, psychological, cultural and behavioural factors that can affect the health and wellbeing of the people under your care, and you have an obligation to inform and involve individuals, families and your entire community to help them make decisions on their own health problems (Figure 9.4).

Figure 9.4 Talking through health matters in detail will help the members of your community decide for themselves about the things that affect their own health. (Photo: I-Tech/Julia Sherburne)

Why do you think you have an obligation to consider a large number of factors when trying to improve the health of your population?

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The health of your population will depend on many different factors including social, cultural and economic factors. Although you may not have direct control over these factors you should take them into account when working with your community.

Last modified: Wednesday, 25 June 2014, 7:09 PM