michigan informatics
Develop Your Program
Providing audience-appropriate health related information can be challenging unless you have clearly defined the need for information. The three major topics to consider when developing your health program are:
- Researching the health topic
- Defining the target audience
- Developing the educational material
After completing this section of the tutorial, you should be able to form a question that clearly identifies what health educational material you would like to deliver to a specific audience.
Health Topic Research
Investigating the health topic for which the educational material will be developed is essential in order to provide accurate and timely information. You can make this easier for yourself by categorizing the information you are seeking. Consider asking questions to help clarify what type of information you are looking. For example:
- Do I need statistical data?
- Do I need articles (newspaper, magazines, journals) regarding the topic?
- Do I need factual information based on subject areas such as prevention, diagnosis, treatment?
How you answer the questions above will help you to develop an appropriate search strategy to find the necessary information.
Target Audience
Defining the target audience for whom the health information is intended ensures that the information is relevant and accessible to the community. Some factors to consider when identifying the target audience include:
- Age
- Socioeconomics
- Literacy levels
- Ethnicity
- Language fluency
Although the above list is not comprehensive, it establishes a foundation from which you can begin to focus your search.
Format
The final component in developing your health education program is determining how the information will be delivered to the audience.
- Medium: print, audio, video…
- Delivery method: one-on-one, formal presentations, via the Internet…
- Format: multiple languages, foreign languages, large print…
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