Creating Effective Health Education Materials: A Personal Approach

Developing health education materials—such as flyers, social media posts, and handouts—plays a vital role in engaging our community. These tools provide valuable information on health issues, food distributions, disease prevention, and tips for promoting healthier lifestyles, all in ways that are easy for the community to understand.

When designing these materials, I often draw inspiration from my own life—whether it's from my mother, close family members, or even my children. I ask myself: What would capture their attention? What topics would resonate with them? What’s currently popular or trending? This approach helps ensure the materials will connect with the audience in a meaningful way.

For example, this past summer, I created a mental health flyer inspired by the newly released movie Inside Out 2. I used the movie’s characters and their emotions to frame the experience of going back to school. This concept was a huge success at our back-to-school events in Safford, Nogales, and Tucson, especially with kids who had recently watched the movie or were excited to see it.

When designing health education materials, it's essential to consider the audience, the event type, and the event’s purpose. The content should be easy to read, visually appealing, and clear in its message. By distributing these flyers, we foster meaningful interactions within the community, opening the door for conversations about their health and daily challenges. These interactions allow us to better understand what the community needs, helping us tailor future materials to meet their evolving concerns.