[Health education: multidisciplinary key skills]

Health education concerns all professionals with an impact on the health of populations, especially social welfare, health care and education professionals. The skills of health educators are central to the development of training in this field, but no common guidelines have been defined concerning the qualifications of these professionals which is why the National Institute of Prevention and Health Education, under the aegis of the National Advisory Committee for the Elaboration of Health Education Training Programmes (CCNEPF) conducted the present study

This study was conducted according to a robust methodology comprising analysis of professional practices by means of interviews with a repeated construction and successive consultation phases with the professionals concerned by these questions (national and regional authorities, national associations, professional bodies, health education bodies).

A total of 126 health care, social welfare and education professionals were interviewed. Analysis of the interviews, National Advisory Committee expert opinions and stakeholder consultations helped to formalize a mission statement, 4 functions/situations, 66 activities and 11 key skills common to all health education professionals.

This study provides a common basis for health education training, especially in terms of common skills and to consider new training modalities. It also opens up various research perspectives.