Health promotion has new challenges during COVID-19 pandemic. As we know, the COVID-19 pandemic is still not over yet all around the world.
Since the beginning of its entry into Indonesia, health care workers have a big task to do. Various health promotion efforts are carried out to educate the public so they can protect themselves and their families from this corona virus.
In the era of new normal adaptation, the important message to prevent COVID-19 are washing hands, maintaining distance and wearing masks.
However, the restrictions on public activities challenges health promotion workers to remain able to educate even without meeting face to face.
From Curative Change to Preventive
Currently the community are more active to take precautions. The pattern that was previously curative has shifted to preventive since the COVID-19 pandemic occurred.
These impulses occur because people are aware that prevention could protect them from the virus. At the beginning of the pandemic occurs, people flocked to buy masks and hand sanitizers as a preventive act.
This transformation is certainly a positive thing. But the thing to watch is the public health literacy. Too much information that is spreading cannot be filtered properly so it is prone to misunderstandings.
For example, spraying disinfectant to eradicate the corona virus. These chemicals should be used for inanimate objects, but due to the incomplete information, people spray it on their bodies which are certainly dangerous.
Digital Utilization in Health Promotion
Health promotion is very strong in terms of education or socialization. However, this is difficult to do in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic with social restrictions.
That’s why, health promotion workers are challenged to be active even without face-to-face. The use of technology is important for digital education.
Obviously there are many advantages. One of them is the use of online media so that information can spread in a short time and reach more widely.
But in another side, some hoax information also become our challenge. Health promotion officer should be able to take advantage of social media to promote public health literacy in order to sort out the correct information.
Notes from DeveHealth:
Health promotion during a pandemic should take advantage of developed technology. Social media accessible to the wider community to be a forum for the dissemination of information to improve health literacy and against news hoaks.
