Abstract
An historical overview of public health education: its sources, development and operational philosophy. The contributions of many disciplines, particularly social science, and key individuals such as Lewin are traced through the past half century. The emergence of health education as a “helping profession” and the expansion of its focus to broader “marketplaces” of change are highlighted. The state of the art today is reviewed and the functions of health educators described with emphasis on “obtaining people's participation” in programs to bring about change. Problems still existing, particularly professional training, are addressed.

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