Health education research-a UK venture

In recent years health education has striven towards the goal of becoming a research based discipline, and in doing so has borrowed techniques and theoretical frameworks from other, more established sciences. However, a combination of practical constraints and the limitations of borrowed theories have left those involved in health education with much fundamental work on research to be done. The "Better Health" campaign has attempted to deal with many health factors in an integrated way (still a somewhat unusual approach) but to date has adopted a fairly traditional evaluation design. The campaign will be modified in subsequent phases; for example, evening classes for adults are now being piloted and may well form a support network operating in conjunction with mass media work in the future. It is to be hoped that this challenge to evaluation strategies will be taken up and that not only detailed data but fresh thoughts on evaluation will be offered in following papers.