health education performance in health houses: a descriptive study from iran during april-september 2011

background: one of the many tasks of rural health houses (hhs) is to provide health education for rural clients. objectives: the purpose of this study was to assess the conditions and responsibilities of hhs regarding health education. methods: through systematic random sampling, 1600 hhs were selected during april-september 2011. besides the characteristics of hhs, type of training, audience groups, time of education, number of participants, and reasons for educational classes were requested in a written format from the selected hhs. data were analyzed using excel 2007 and spss version 16. results: in total, 21.9% of hhs had no group education within the first 5 months. most education was related to the field of reproductive health, followed by intestinal diseases. the largest target group included mothers eligible for family planning. the mean duration of education was 33.6 minutes per week. based on the findings, 55% of training was conducted due to provincial health priorities. conclusions: although cardiovascular diseases, road traffic accidents, and cancers are the major causes of mortality in iran, most education concentrated on reproductive health, as well as mother and child health. therefore, modifications in educational methods and planning are necessary.