Principles of Health Promotion Flashcards
What is health education?
Health education is any combination of learning experiences designed to help individuals and communities improve their health, by increasing knowledge or influencing their attitudes
Name 3 ways health education is provided in schools
- Personal health, social and education lessons
- Posters
- Stories
Describe how health education may be provided at a national level
TV campaigns such as sugar swaps
Describe 4 limitations of oral health education
- Knowledge alone can be insufficient to change behaviours
- Often given as directive and general advice
- Lead to victim blaming and widen health inequalities
- Factors can be outside of individual control
How can the limitations of health education be battled?
Address the wider determinants of health
Describe a programme which address the wider determinants of health rather than simply focusing on health education
WHO Health Promoting Schools programme seeks to engage the whole school and goes beyond individual lessons to engage with staff and wider communities
What is health promotion?
Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health
What is the target audience of health promotion?
Involves whole population in everyday lives, rather than focusing on people who are sick with specific diseases
Describe 4 health promotion principles
- Action on determinants of health
- Combines different approaches
- Aims at effective public participation
- Activity in health and social fields
Name 3 different approaches which are combined in health promotion
- Organisational change
- Community development
- Local activities to identify and remove health hazards
In what 2 areas do health professionals have a special contribution to make to health promotion?
- Education
2. Advocacy
What are 3 pillars of Health Promotion?
- Good governance
- Healthy cities
- Health literacy
Describe the 4 components of good governance
- Health should be integrated across government departments
- Regulations matching private sector incentives with public health goals
- Legislation supporting healthy development of cities
- Making healthy choices accessible for all
Name an example of regulations matching private sector incentives with public health goals
Tax policies on unhealth and harmful products e.g. alcohol and sugar
Describe the importance of healthy cities in health promotion
Strong leadership and commitment at the municipal level is essential to health urban planning and to build up preventative measures in communities and primary health car facilities
Describe the 3 components of health literacy
- People need to acquire the knowledge, skills and information to make health choices
- People need to have opportunities to make choices
- People need to be assured of an environment in which people can demand further policy actions to improve health
What are 5 broad actions in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion?
- Create supportive environments
- Build healthy public policy
- Strengthen community action
- Develop personal skills
- Re-orient health services
What is the function of creating supportive environments with regards to the Ottawa Charter?
Ensure that physical and social environments in which we live maximise the possibility of us leading healthy lives
What are 2 functions of building healthy public policy with regards to the Ottawa Charter?
- Ensure all organisations take into account the potential health impacts of policies they develop
- Health considerations being embedded into central government policy in all departments
What is the function of strengthening community action with regards to the Ottawa Charter?
Public participation and action of communities in identifying priorities and planning strategies
What is the function of developing personal skills with regards to the Ottawa Charter?
Individuals and communities can undertake actions to improve their health
Name 3 places development of personal skills could occur
- Schools
- Places of work
- Community settings
What are 2 functions of re-orientating health services with regards to the Ottawa Charter?
- Traditional focus is curative rather than promotion
2. Move towards health gain rather than disease control
Name 5 main risk factors relating to oral diseases
- Dietary sugars
- Inadequate exposure to fluoride
- Poor oral hygiene
- Smoking and alcohol
- Stress and accidents
What is the common risk factor approach?
Whole population strategy which can be applied nationally and in organisations
Describe 2 examples of upstream policies and actions
- National or local policy initiatives
2. Legislation
Describe 2 examples of downstream policies
- Clinical prevention
2. Chairside dental education
Describe the relationship between upstream and downstream policies with regards to taxing tobacco
- Changes upstream needs changes downstream
- Taxing tobacco is upstream
- Downstream individuals need to buy less tobacco to see health improvements
