Health education practice and the literature.

A body of meaningful research on the effectiveness of some health education interventions is developing. The emerging health education literature changes the value of innovation for health educators. The growing availability of well-researched methods requires that health educators favor tested programs over innovation in most circumstances. But it is largely up to leaders in the field of health education to assure that, as the literature becomes more meaningful, health educators have access to that meaning. This could be accomplished in part by an ongoing program of small conferences among leading health educators designed to produce clear statements on the practice implications of new research findings. The availability and promotion of these perspectives on health education practice would help health educators deliver research-based programs despite the demand for trivia they frequently face.