Spiritual_Wellness_Holistic_Health_and_the_Practic

254 Philosophical Foundations of Health Education
advocate of health as a human right. The primary purpose of social change philosophy
is to legislate certain changes in order to benefit society as a whole. A macro - level
approach to health education does not damn individuals for poor health choices but
instead looks to change the context in which their choices are made. Changing the
context and environment would allow individuals to make better lifestyle choices.
Advantages to the adoption of this philosophy for the health education profession
include the recognition of social variables that influence individual health. Social policies
are advocated according to the criterion of bringing the greatest amount of good
to the greatest number of people. Health topics addressed through social - change -
based health education programs include community health advocacy, empowerment,
quality of school health education programs, federal government support for health
education, health care cost containment, universal health care coverage, and economic
and social improvement.
ARTICLES
Using health education as a tool to bring about social change is not a new concept.
Grounded in the social movements in the 1960s and 1970s, health education has taken
a fresh look at what social change means in the contemporary world. Robertson and
Minkler (1994) provide a critical examination of what they refer to as the “ new health
promotion movement. ” This exploration features an “ introduction to new ideas, new
language, and new concepts about what constitutes health and how health promotion
efforts should be configured to achieve health. ” Leviton (2002) discusses health education
as a means to bring global peace, the ultimate in restructuring social change.
Coulter, Allbrecht, Guliotz, Figg, and Mahan (1999) put forth the argument that health
education professionals have an obligation to embrace social change as a way to assure
that the health of the public is protected and improved. O ’ Rourke (2002) explores
moving beyond defining health as medical care, addresses the task of making health
care affordable, and offers alternative funding scenarios for a viable health care system.
Auld and Dixon - Terry (1999) review historical social movements that legislated
successful interventions for health promotion and education. They encourage the
health education to use these principles to advocate for advancement of the profession.
Allegrante, Morisky, and Sharif (1999) encouraged the discipline to use advocacy to
remove disparities in health care. Applying social change principles to “ stimulate
community political action and economic and environmental changes ” can afford
individuals opportunities to make good health decisions. As one searches for the underlying
causes of illness, one finds that many social inequities are contributing factors.