Health education through the films of the School of Public Health from 1928 to 1941 in Velika Kopanica

Abstract

This paper analyses the course and development of health education through film in interwar Yugoslavia, focusing on the example of Velika Kopanica. The introductory section outlines the importance of establishing the Ministry of National Health of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, as well as the impact of Andrija Štampar's social medicine on forming an institutional framework for the systematic health education of the rural population. Within this institutional framework on Croatian territory, the most significant role was played by the School of Public Health in Zagreb, which produced and distributed health education films supported by funding from the Rockefeller Foundation. The central part of the paper presents the cooperation between the School of Public Health and the Elementary Public School in Velika Kopanica, illustrating one of the ways these films reached and were screened to rural populations. Through an analysis of the School Chronicle and the Parish Chronicle of Velika Kopanica, the activities of the school’s Red Cross Youth were chronologically reconstructed from the acquisition of a film projector in 1928 until 1940. During this period, 105 film screenings were held, and the featured films were divided into six thematic categories: developing hygiene habits, combating infectious diseases (malaria, rabies), the fight against tuberculosis, social issues, alcoholism, and films with incomplete data. Furthermore, the paper analyses the impact of economic and political circumstances on the organization and attendance of film screenings. Their impact was most pronounced in the early 1930s with the onset of the economic crisis, accompanied by the forced retirement of Andrija Štampar, which led to a complete cessation of health education campaigns in the elementary school. The revival of film screenings at the elementary school took place in the late 1930s, owing to personnel changes and the replacement of the film projector. Alongside economic and political circumstances, the intensity of health education was also influenced by the local population's mentality. A portion of the locals maintained resistance to changing centuries-old hygiene habits, and the political conflict between the pro-Yugoslav school principal and the conservative local parish priest further divided local public opinion regarding health messages. The paper concludes that, despite economic crises and internal resistance, the high intensity of screenings and audience turnout testify to the success of health education, as they gradually and permanently transformed the hygiene habits of the residents of Velika Kopanica over the long term.