One of the pivotal goals of consumer health literacy efforts is to design educational materials that attract as well as educate users. In this Assignment, you design a health information document on a topic that is of interest to you.
To prepare:
�Select a health issue of interest to you.
�Identify the audience or population that you seek to educate about this issue.
�Search the Internet to find credible sites containing information about your selected topic.
�Review the two health literacy websites listed in this week’s Learning Resources. Focus on strategies for presenting information.
To complete:
�Design an educational handout on the health issue you selected.
Include a cover page.
Include an introduction that provides:
An explanation of your issue and why you selected it
A description of the audience you are addressing
In the handout itself:
Develop your handout in such a way that it attracts the attention of the intended audience.
Include a description of the health issue and additional content that will enhance your message (i.e., key terms and definitions, graphics, illustrations, etc.).
Recommend four or five sites that provide clear, valuable, and reliable information on the topic.
Note: Remember to keep the information in your health handout and its design at the appropriate level for the audience you are seeking to inform. Submit your Assignment as a Word document.
Health Information Patient Handout
Health information needs proper package to attract customers as well as to educate them. HIV/AIDS (Human immunodeficiency virus/ Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is one of the health problems that affect millions of people across the world especially in Asian and African countries. The reason for selecting this health problem is due to the increasing number of deaths caused by the disease because of lack of information on its prevention. The target audience for this handout is youths aged between the age of 15 -24 years. This is because the disease mostly affects these youths.
Handout
HIV/AIDS is one of the widely spread diseases transmitted through sexual intercourse or through blood transfusion, sharing of sharp objects and through surgical procedures with unsterilized objects. Of all these causes, the most common cause of the disease is through sexual intercourse. Most of the youths are sexually active and they are at risk of acquiring these viruses. According to Sarma & Oliveras (2013), around half of the infected people across the world are people aged 15-24 years. Southeast Asia and pacific region rates second in terms of prevalence of HIV having an estimate of 1.27 million young people suffering from the same. This is therefore worrying statistics and requires urgent measures.
Do you want to leave? This is the only thing that you need to do. Run away from HIV/AIDS. It is not a complicated thing for you. You need to take good care of yourself by abstaining from sexual intercourse or if a must go for testing and always use protection every time, you have intercourse. Stick to one partner and ensure that you build trust. The best option to be safe is to wait until you marry and before engaging in sexual intercourse go for testing and counseling on how you can stay without HIV/AIDS. Do not share sharp objects with your friends and ensure that all surgical equipments are sterilized before use. Take control because the mantle is in your hands. I wish you all the best as you endeavor to live HIV/AIDS free lives. For more information on HIV/AIDS visit the websites for the following organizations; UNAIDS, Johns Hopkins AIDS Service, Family Health International, CATIE (Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange) and AIDS. Gov.
References
Sarma, H., & Oliveras, E. (2013). Implementing HIV/AIDS Education: Impact of Teachers’ Training on HIV/AIDS Education in Bangladesh. Journal of Health, Population & Nutrition, 31(1): 20-27.