Health Education Online: Empowering Wellness Worldwide
By Clarice Wong
Health influences all aspects of our lives – it impacts our daily activities, work, studies, relationships and our happiness. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 intends to promote good health and wellbeing for everyone. The main health issues worldwide are preventable communicable diseases such as malaria in low-income countries (Rowe, 2017). However, I believe it is also important to address common non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular disease which is more prevalent in middle- and high income countries.
Access to healthcare services and education are two main factors influencing rates of prevalent diseases. For example, educating individuals who live in tropical countries about wearing mosquito repellent or long-sleeved clothing can significantly reduce rates of malaria. These simple preventative measures can reduce healthcare expenses in treating malaria. Similarly, access to healthcare services including regular check-ups for people with chronic health conditions can help them in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Research demonstrates that reducing sugar intake and regular exercise can prevent a wide range of common conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and obesity (La Sala & Pontiroli, 2020).
Digital health-promoting content can improve global health and wellbeing (Asi & Williams, 2018). My proposed solution is online educational health campaigns. A range of people in the healthcare and education sector will be involved. Firstly, healthcare professionals including doctors and medical staff will be part of the primary care team to treat individuals with health conditions. For example, doctors can schedule online consultations with patients who live in rural areas to increase accessibility to healthcare services. Secondly, medical educators and teachers can provide free online educational seminars to prevent common health conditions. For instance, presenting seminars in schools about healthy foods that improve cardiovascular health can prevent a range of heart-related diseases. These campaigns will also have websites where individuals can access digital health checklists as an online resource to take steps in maintaining their wellbeing. Steps include vaccinations, exercising daily and eating a balanced diet. Additionally, resources can include region-specific health advice and resources to prevent common diseases. For example, actionable steps to prevent malaria will be included in health checklists for countries with warmer climates.
Online educational health campaigns can assist with maintaining good health so everyone can be in good health and wellbeing, which meets the target of SDG 3. Free digital resources created by a global community of health experts can significantly prevent rates of diseases ranging from infectious to non-infectious illnesses. Educational resources can be especially helpful in low-income countries as many common conditions are preventable (Rizvi, 2022).
Overall, being in good health is an important aspect to live a good life. Together, let’s team up and contribute to a healthy global community.
References
Asi, Y. M., & Williams, C. (2018). The role of digital health in making progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 in conflict-affected
populations. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 114, 114–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2017.11.003
La Sala, L., & Pontiroli, A. E. (2020). Prevention of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in Obesity. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(21), 8178. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21218178
Rizvi, D. (2022). Health education and global health: Practices, applications, and future research. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 11(1), 262.
https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_218_22
Rowe, A. K. (2017). Assessing the Health Impact of Malaria Control Interventions in the MDG/Sustainable Development Goal Era: A New Generation of Impact Evaluations. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 97(3), 6–8. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.17-0509
