Defining Health Promotion and Health Education in Midwifery
With Sophie and Theo, Sociology & Mental Health Specialist
Key Takeaways
- Health promotion is about enabling people to increase control over and improve their health.
- It goes beyond treating illness — it's about fostering conditions where wellbeing can flourish.
- Health education is one tool within health promotion.
- It focuses on giving people knowledge and skills — like explaining the benefits of folic acid.
- Every booking appointment is an opportunity — discussing nutrition, smoking cessation, mental wellbeing.
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Full Transcript
Sophie: Welcome to this episode on health promotion. I'm Sophie, and with me is Theo, our Sociology and Mental Health Specialist. Theo, let's start simple — what do we actually mean by health promotion?
Theo: Health promotion is about enabling people to increase control over and improve their health. It goes beyond treating illness — it's about fostering conditions where wellbeing can flourish.
Sophie: And how is that different from health education?
Theo: Health education is one tool within health promotion. It focuses on giving people knowledge and skills — like explaining the benefits of folic acid. Health promotion is broader — it includes policy, environment, and community.
Sophie: So in midwifery, where does this show up in practice?
What should learners understand about defining health promotion and health education in midwifery?
Theo: Constantly. Every booking appointment is an opportunity — discussing nutrition, smoking cessation, mental wellbeing. Midwives are often the most trusted health professional a woman sees throughout pregnancy.
Sophie: That trust feels like a huge responsibility. Can it also be a barrier?
Theo: It can. There's a risk of being too directive. The Ottawa Charter reminds us that health promotion should be enabling, not prescriptive — we want to empower women, not lecture them.
Sophie: What is the Ottawa Charter and why does it matter here?
Theo: It's a 1986 WHO framework that defined five action areas: building healthy public policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, and reorienting health services.
How is defining health promotion and health education in midwifery applied in real-world midwifery?
Sophie: All five feel relevant in maternity care. Which do you think midwives most directly influence?
Theo: Developing personal skills and strengthening community action. Antenatal education classes, peer support groups, and postnatal peer feeding support are all classic examples.
Sophie: And it's not just individual women — midwives can advocate at a service level too.
Theo: Advocating for continuity of care models, for culturally sensitive services, or for better support for women experiencing domestic abuse — that is health promotion at a systems level.