Children's Health and Health Promotion Flashcards
Health is affected by what, and which areas are affected by Health promotion?
Health is affected by
- Genetics,
- Access,
- Environment
- Lifestyle
The last 3 areas are affected by health promotion
What is health promotion?
Health promotion-an overarching principle/activity which enhances health and includes disease prevention, health education and health protection. It may be planned or opportunistic.
It promotes health through a combination of legislation, the provision of preventative services such as immunisation and the development of activities to promote and maintain change to a healthier lifestyle.
Theories of health promotion action?
1) Educational
2) Socioeconomic
3) Psychological
Theories of health promotion action - Educational?
Educational:
Provides knowledge and education to enable necessary skills to rate informed choices re health – may be one –to-one or group workshop
e.g. smoking, diet, diabetes
Theories of health promotion action - Socioeconomic?
Socioeconomic (Radical)
‘Makes healthy choice the easy choice’
National policies e.g. re unemployment, redistribute income, taxation of commodities to move people to make the healthier choice
Theories of health promotion action - Psychological?
Psychological
Complex relationship between behaviour, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs.
Activities start from an individual attitude to health and readiness to change.
Emphasis on whether individual is ready to change. (e.g. smoking, alcohol).
What is health education?
Health education - an activity involving communication with individuals or groups aimed at changing knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour in a direction which is conducive to improvements in health.
What is health protection?
Health protection - involves collective activities directed at factors which are beyond the control of the individual. Health protection activities tend to be regulations or policies, or voluntary codes of practice aimed at the prevention of ill health or the positive enhancement of well-being.
What advantages do we have in the UK to enable effective health promotion?
Consider the organised primary care system, health visitors, chronic disease clinics, network of pharmacies – all able to deliver health promotion.
Also use of media and ability to organize and advertise national programmes
Why is Health Promotion an essential tool for modern healthcare provision?
Consider poor lifestyles, exercise, diet etc and the cause / burden of Chronic disease and the effect of the aging population on the NHS.
Growing healthcare costs managing disease and its complications. Benefits of prevention of disease rather than treating established disease.
Are there any disadvantages to a Health Promotion program?
Disadvantages – may include medicalising healthy individuals, possible increased worry, may not effectively target the most at risk groups e.g. those in more deprived areas less likely to respond unless health promotion meaningful / accessible for them – this can widen the care gap.
It may not deliver the required benefits leading to further increased cost.
Difficult to assess impact.
Challenges to successful health promotion?
Many doctors are cynical about planned health promotion and question if the resources allocated to it are money well spent.
It is worth noting that the majority of health activities in secondary and primary care have never been adequately evaluated.
In response the UK government has set up the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to review evidence and develop appropriate guidelines to practice.
What is empowerment?
Empowerment refers to the generation of power in those individuals and groups which previously considered themselves to be unable to control situations nor act on the basis of their choices.
Benefits of empowerment?
An ability to resist social pressure.
An ability to utilise effective coping strategies when faced by an unhealthy environment.
A heightened consciousness of action.
Cycle of change?
1) Pre-contemplation e.g. smokes regularly
2) Contemplation e.g. considering giving up smoking
3) Ready for action e.g. making definite plan
4) Action e.g. actively not smoking
This is followed by either:
1) Regression e.g. starts smoking again
or
2) Maintenance e.g. non-smoker. It should be noted someone in the maintenance stage can regress
Can you think of any specific lifestyle and risk factor interventions where the cycle of change might be useful?
Smoking, alcohol, drug misuse.
Wishing to start exercising, change diet.
Engage in monitoring of health care at the practice, start medication…
How might the cycle of change be applied in clinical practice?
Talk to the patient to try and identify if they have moved to a different part of the cycle from when you last saw them.
If moved to contemplation then advice re what steps they might be able to take.
If at pre contemplation then raising issue as something for them to consider.
Examples of health promotion - Primary care, planned?
> Posters
> Chronic disease clinics
> Vaccinations
> QOF (much of the QOF work is ongoing despite this no longer being necessary as seen as good clinical care).
> Also would include things like travel clinic
> Disease prevention measures such as smears, bowel screening.
