Self-Assessment Questions (SAQs) for Study Session 2
Now that you have completed this study session, you can assess how well you have achieved its Learning Outcomes by answering these questions. Write your answers in your Study Diary and discuss them with your Tutor at the next Study Support Meeting. You can check your answers with the Notes on the Self-Assessment Questions at the end of this Module.
SAQ 2.1 (tests Learning Outcome 2.2)
Suppose that you want to conduct health education sessions on exclusive breastfeeding, in order to prevent health and nutritional problems of newborn babies. Who is the target for your health education sessions?
Answer
Pregnant and recently delivered women could be mentioned as a target for your health education sessions. Of course the fathers and other family members should not be forgotten because they will be important people who will be able to reinforce the messages to the breastfeeding mothers.
SAQ 2.2 (tests Learning Outcomes 2.1 and 2.3)
Imagine that you carried out an assessment of latrine usage in your community and found it to be very low. You plan to conduct health education sessions with your community on the importance of using latrines. What would be your overall goal? In the sessions what do you think your educational objectives would be? What framework would you be working within?
Answer
Your overall goal would be to reduce morbidity and mortality due to low latrine usage.
Your educational objective should be providing appropriate knowledge, developing positive attitudes and helping your participants make an informed decision on latrine utilisation. So that means you would be working within a framework of informed decision-making.
SAQ 2.3 (tests Learning Outcomes 2.1 and 2.4)
You would like to conduct health education on antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence among people living with HIV within your community. Write down a possible health education approach you could use for your health education sessions and why you think this would be appropriate.
Answer
You would use a behaviour-change approach, bearing in mind that knowledge about anitretroviral drugs doesn’t always mean that people will adhere to a course of drug treatment. Using persuasion to help your audience adhere to the course of ART drug treatment is likely to be more successful. This is because they will not only know about the drugs but will then feel committed to adherence.
SAQ 2.4 (tests Learning Outcomes 2.1 and 2.5)
Why is awareness an important term in self-empowerment work?
Answer
Self-empowerment is about people being able to act on their own lives, on their own behalf. But to do this they need to be aware of their own strengths and what resources are available to them. For Health Extension Practitioners, helping people become aware of these health issues is one of the most important elements in beginning self-empowerment work.
Summary of Study Session 2