A New Community Health Model
Residents Become Activists to Deliver Allergy Prevention Education
Puppet Shows Make Medical Information Fun and Accessible for Children
Uiseong County in Gyeongbuk has introduced a new community health management model by launching a puppet show activist training program in which residents directly participate to prevent allergic diseases such as atopy and asthma. This approach goes beyond simple education, enabling residents to grow as activists who develop and distribute content tailored to children's perspectives.
Uiseong County Public Health Center in Gyeongbuk Strengthens Atopy Puppet Show Activists' Capabilities to Combat Atopy.
The training session, held on September 3 at the Integrated Childbirth Support Center's education room, was attended primarily by members of the "Let's Live Together in Angye" group and residents interested in allergy prevention puppet shows. Participants enhanced their expertise by learning stick puppet show techniques through lectures from experts at the Gyeongbuk Atopy and Asthma Education Information Center.
One activist said, "Through this training, I learned how to deliver complex medical information to children in a fun and easy way," adding, "I will continue to work so that more children can develop healthy habits through puppet shows."
Starting September 12, Uiseong County will visit nine daycare centers and one kindergarten designated as Atopy and Asthma Safe Schools to conduct puppet show education. The theme of the performance is "Managing Allergy Eating Habits with Ally," which encourages children to form healthy eating habits on their own.
County Governor Kim Jusu stated, "This project, in which residents become activists and communicate directly with children, is an attempt to change the paradigm of community health education," adding, "We will continue to expand experiential health education programs to help children naturally develop healthy habits."
This new regional health policy experiment is drawing attention as a "lifestyle prevention model" in which local residents participate together to protect children's health, moving beyond the traditional one-way education led by health professionals.
Building on this foundation, Uiseong County plans to expand the program to include teenagers and parents, aiming to establish a culture of health throughout the region.
The puppet show activist training in Uiseong County stands out as an experimental initiative where residents themselves take the lead as "educators," going beyond simple prevention. The method of presenting everyday diseases such as atopy and asthma through content tailored to children's perspectives is likely to be adopted by other local governments as well.
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