Sample records for health promotion discourse

  1. The extent to which the public health 'war on obesity' reflects the ethical values and principles of critical health promotion: a multimedia critical discourse analysis.

    PubMed

    O'Hara, Lily; Taylor, Jane; Barnes, Margaret

    2015-12-01

    The discipline of health promotion is responsible for implementing strategies within weight-related public health initiatives (WR-PHI). It is imperative that such initiatives be subjected to critical analysis through a health promotion ethics lens to help ensure ethical health promotion practice. Multimedia critical discourse analysis was used to examine the claims, values, assumptions, power relationships and ideologies within Australian WR-PHI. The Health Promotion Values and Principles Continuum was used as a heuristic to evaluate the extent to which the WR-PHI reflected the ethical values of critical health promotion: active participation of people in the initiative; respect for personal autonomy; beneficence; non-maleficence; and strong evidential and theoretical basis for practice. Ten initiatives were analysed. There was some discourse about the need for participation of people in the WR-PHI, but people were routinely labelled as 'target groups' requiring 'intervention'. Strong evidence of a coercive and paternalistic discourse about choice was identified, with minimal attention to respect for personal autonomy. There was significant emphasis on the beneficiaries of the WR-PHI but minimal attention to the health benefits, and nothing about the potential for harm. Discourse about the evidence of need was objectivist, and there was no discussion about the theoretical foundations of the WR-PHI. The WR-PHI were not reflective of the ethical values and principles of critical health promotion. So what? Health promotion researchers and practitioners engaged in WR-PHI should critically reflect on the extent to which they are consistent with the ethical aspects of critical health promotion practice.

  2. A discourse and Foucauldian analysis of nurses health beliefs: implications for nurse education.

    PubMed

    Chambers, Derek; Narayanasamy, Aru

    2008-02-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate nurses' constructions of health in order to determine what influence these have on their health education practices and their implications for nurse education. Burgeoning literature on health promotion claim that health promotion is central to nursing practice. This is a role that has grown in the context of a rapidly ageing population, emergence of new diseases and variants of old diseases, ecological and environmental concerns and apparent social fragmentation. Within the United Kingdom this has led to nurses being identified by agencies, such as the UK government, as having a leading role to play in what has become the 'holy grail' of patient lifestyle change. But this role has been based on the seemingly uncritical assumption that the UK nurse education system engenders the necessary knowledge, attitude and skills required by nurses for them to effectively promote lifestyle choices. This study draws upon discourse and Foucauldian social analysis to uncover, through nurses' narratives, how they construct health and enact their health education practices. Twelve newly registered UK nurses were interviewed using hierarchical focused interviews. Data were analysed using discourse analysis. The process of discourse analysis unearthed two opposing value positions held without any feeling of contradiction by respondents: a holistic view--the role-based/public account, and a victim blaming view--personal agency/private account. This dual set of values raises important concerns over the teaching of health promotion. Nurse education may need to revise its approach to health promotion by taking into account the power of private accounts of health promotion that prevail among some nurses.

  3. The invisibilization of health promotion in Australian public health initiatives.

    PubMed

    O'Hara, Lily; Taylor, Jane; Barnes, Margaret

    2018-02-01

    The field of health promotion has arguably shifted over the past thirty years from being socially proactive to biomedically defensive. In many countries this has been accompanied by a gradual decline, or in some cases the almost complete removal of health promotion designated positions within Government health departments. The language or discourse used to describe the practice and discipline of health promotion is reflective of such changes. In this study, critical discourse analysis was used to determine the representation of health promotion as a practice and a discipline within 10 Australian Government weight-related public health initiatives. The analysis revealed the invisibilization of critical health promotion in favour of an agenda described as 'preventive health'. This was achieved primarily through the textual practices of overlexicalization and lexical suppression. Excluding document titles, there were 437 uses of the terms health promotion, illness prevention, disease prevention, preventive health, preventative health in the documents analysed. The term 'health promotion' was used sparingly (16% of total terms), and in many instances was coupled with the term 'illness prevention'. Conversely, the terms 'preventive health' and 'preventative health' were used extensively, and primarily used alone. The progressive invisibilization of critical health promotion has implications for the perceptions and practice of those identifying as health promotion professionals and for people with whom we work to address the social and structural determinants of health and wellbeing. Language matters, and the language and intent of critical health promotion will struggle to survive if its speakers are professionally unidentifiable or invisible. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  4. Making the Blue Zones: Neoliberalism and nudges in public health promotion.

    PubMed

    Carter, Eric D

    2015-05-01

    This paper evaluates the ideological and political origins of a place-based and commercial health promotion effort, the Blue Zones Project (BZP), launched in Iowa in 2011. Through critical discourse analysis, I argue that the BZP does reflect a neoliberalization of public health, but as an "actually existing neoliberalism" it emerges from a specific policy context, including dramatic health sector policy changes due to the national Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare; a media discourse of health crisis for an aging Midwestern population; and an effort to refashion Iowa cities as sites of healthy and active living, to retain and attract a creative class of young entrepreneurs. The BZP employs many well-known mechanisms of neoliberal governance: the public-private partnership; competition among communities for "public" funds; promotion of an apolitical discourse on individual responsibility and ownership of health; decentralizing governance to the "community" level; and marketing, branding, and corporate sponsorship of public projects. The BZP exemplifies the process of "neoliberal governmentality," by which individuals learn to govern themselves and their "life projects" in line with a market-based rationality. However, with its emphasis on "nudging" individuals towards healthy behaviors through small changes in the local environment, the BZP reflects the rise of "libertarian paternalism," a variant of neoliberalism, as a dominant ideology underlying contemporary health promotion efforts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. The Dominant Obesity Discourse Versus Children's Conceptualizations of Health: A Comparison Through Dialogue and Drawings.

    PubMed

    Bhagat, Krishna; Howard, Donna E

    2018-06-01

    The emphasis on childhood obesity reduction has been attributed to the dominant obesity discourse. However, some researchers argue that this discourse may be ineffective and even harmful for children. From a post-structuralist perspective, the dominant obesity discourse has the power to shape children's subjectivities, though subjectivities may also be influenced by personal experiences and other knowledge about bodies and health. There is limited research which explores how children's conceptualizations of health are informed by the dominant obesity discourse. To address this knowledge gap, qualitative data were collected from 8- to 11-year-old children ( n = 29) regarding their conceptualizations of health, healthy bodies, and health practices. Results suggest that children's conceptualizations reflected arguments embedded within the dominant obesity discourse, but at times, also contradicted or deviated from it. Study findings can be applied toward children's health promotion programming to offer a more holistic and inclusive perspective on health and well-being.

  6. "Screw health": representations of sex as a health-promoting activity in medical and popular literature.

    PubMed

    Gupta, Kristina

    2011-06-01

    Recently, scientific and popular press articles have begun to represent sex as a health-promoting activity. A number of scientific studies have identified possible health benefits of sexual activity, including increased lifespan and decreased risk of certain types of cancers. These scientific findings have been widely reported on in the popular press. This "sex for health" discourse claims that sexual activity leads to quantifiable physical and mental health benefits in areas not directly related to sexuality. Analyzing this discourse provides an opportunity to better understand both broader health promotion discourses and current norms and anxieties about sexuality. In this article, I place this "sex for health" discourse within the context of broader health promotion discourses and within the context of a number of historical and contemporary discourses connecting health and sexuality. I argue that although the "sex for health" discourse may serve to de-stigmatize sexual activity for some, it may also increase pressure on others to be sexually active and may further pathologize sexual "dysfunction." In addition, these representations often serve to further privilege a normative form of sexual behavior - coitus in the context of a monogamous heterosexual partnership - at the expense of non-normative sexual desires, identities, and practices.

  7. Understanding the health of lorry drivers in context: A critical discourse analysis.

    PubMed

    Caddick, Nick; Varela-Mato, Veronica; Nimmo, Myra A; Clemes, Stacey; Yates, Tom; King, James A

    2017-01-01

    This article moves beyond previous attempts to understand health problems in the lives of professional lorry drivers by placing the study of drivers' health in a wider social and cultural context. A combination of methods including focus groups, interviews and observations were used to collect data from a group of 24 lorry drivers working at a large transport company in the United Kingdom. Employing a critical discourse analysis, we identified the dominant discourses and subject positions shaping the formation of drivers' health and lifestyle choices. This analysis was systematically combined with an exploration of the gendered ways in which an almost exclusively male workforce talked about health. Findings revealed that drivers were constituted within a neoliberal economic discourse, which is reflective of the broader social structure, and which partly restricted drivers' opportunities for healthy living. Concurrently, drivers adopted the subject position of 'average man' as a way of defending their personal and masculine status in regards to health and to justify jettisoning approaches to healthy living that were deemed too extreme or irrational in the face of the constraints of their working lives. Suggestions for driver health promotion include refocusing on the social and cultural - rather than individual - underpinnings of driver health issues and a move away from moralistic approaches to health promotion.

  8. Health promotion in Brazil.

    PubMed

    Buss, Paulo Marchiori; de Carvalho, Antonio Ivo

    2007-01-01

    The evolution of health promotion within the Brazilian health system is examined, including an assessment of the intersectoral and development policies that have influenced the process. Particular attention is paid to the legal characteristics of the Unified Health System. Human resources formation and research initiatives in health promotion are outlined, with a summary of the obstacles that need to be overcome in order to ensure the effective implementation of health promotion in the future. Up to the end of the 20th Century health promotion was not used as a term in the Brazilian public heath context. Health promoting activities were concentrated in the area of health education, although targeting the social determinants of health and the principle of intersectoral action were part of the rhetoric. The situation has changed during the last decade, with the publication of a national policy of health promotion, issued by the Ministry of Health and jointly implemented with the States and Municipals Health Secretaries. More recently there has been a re-emergence of the discourse on the social determinants of health and the formation of intersectoral public policies as the basis of a comprehensive health promotion. Health promotion infrastructure, particularly around human resources and financing, requires strengthening in order to ensure capacity and sustainability in health promotion practice.

  9. Resources for health promotion: rhetoric, research and reality.

    PubMed

    Minke, Sharlene Wolbeck; Raine, Kim D; Plotnikoff, Ronald C; Anderson, Donna; Khalema, Ernest; Smith, Cynthia

    2007-01-01

    Canadian political discourse supports the importance of health promotion and advocates the allocation of health resources to health promotion. Furthermore, the current literature frequently identifies financial and human resources as important elements of organizational capacity for health promotion. In the Alberta Heart Health Project (AHHP), we sought to learn if the allocation of health resources in a regionalized health system was congruent with the espoused support for health promotion in Alberta, Canada. The AHHP used a mixed method approach in a time series design. Participants were drawn from multiple organizational levels (i.e., service providers, managers, board members) across all Regional Health Authorities (RHAs). Data were triangulated through multiple collection methods, primarily an organizational capacity survey, analysis of organizational documents, focus groups, and personal interviews. Analysis techniques were drawn from quantitative (i.e., frequency distributions, ANOVAs) and qualitative (i.e., content and thematic analysis) approaches. In most cases, small amounts (<5%) of financial resources were allocated to health promotion in RHAs' core budgets. Respondents reported seeking multiple sources of public health financing to support their health promotion initiatives. Human resources for health promotion were characterized by fragmented responsibilities and short-term work. Furthermore, valuable human resources were consumed in ongoing searches for funding that typically covered short time periods. Resource allocations to health promotion in Alberta RHAs are inconsistent with the current emphasis on health promotion as an organizational priority. Inadequate and unstable funding erodes the RHAs' capacity for health promotion. Sustainable health promotion calls for the assured allocation of adequate, sustainable financial resources.

  10. Health promotion in supplementary health care: outsourcing, microregulation and implications for care.

    PubMed

    Silva, Kênia Lara; Sena, Roseni Rosângela; Rodrigues, Andreza Trevenzoli; Araújo, Fernanda Lopes; Belga, Stephanie Marques Moura Franco; Duarte, Elysângela Dittz

    2015-01-01

    to analyze health promotion programs in the supplementary health care. This was a multiple case study with a qualitative approach whose data were obtained from interviews with coordinators of providers contracted by the corporations of health insurance plans in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The data were submitted to Critical Discourse Analysis. Home care has been described as the main action in the field of health promotion transferred to the providers, followed by management of patients and cases, and the health education.groups. The existence of health promotion principles is questionable in all programs. Outsourcing is marked by a process with a division between cost and care management. Implications of this process occur within admission and interventions on the needs of the beneficiaries. Statements revealed rationalization of cost, restructuring of work, and reproduction of the dominant logic of capital accumulation by the health insurance companies.

  11. Six essential roles of health promotion research centres: the Atlantic Canada experience

    PubMed Central

    Langille, Lynn L.; Crowell, Sandra J.; Lyons, Renée F.

    2009-01-01

    SUMMARY Over the past 20 years, the federal government and universities across Canada have directed resources towards the development of university-based health promotion research centres. Researchers at health promotion research centres in Canada have produced peer-reviewed papers and policy documents based on their work, but no publications have emerged that focus on the specific roles of the health promotion research centres themselves. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework, based on an in-depth examination of one centre, to help identify the unique roles of health promotion research centres and to clarify the value they add to promoting health and advancing university goals. Considering the shifting federal discourse on health promotion over time and the vulnerability of social and health sciences to changes in research funding priorities, health promotion research centres in Canada and elsewhere may need to articulate their unique roles and contributions in order to maintain a critical focus on health promotion research. The authors briefly describe the Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre (AHPRC), propose a framework that illustrates six essential roles of health promotion research centres and describe the policy contexts and challenges of health promotion research centres. The analysis of research and knowledge translation activities over 15 years at AHPRC sheds light on the roles that health promotion research centres play in applied research. The conclusion raises questions regarding the value of university-based research centres and challenges to their sustainability. PMID:19171668

  12. Try to be healthy, but don't forgo your masculinity: deconstructing men's health discourse in the media.

    PubMed

    Gough, Brendan

    2006-11-01

    The emergence of discourse around men's health has been evident now for at least 10 years across academic, policy and media texts. However, recent research has begun to question some of the assumptions presented concerning masculinity and men's health, particularly within popular media representations. The present paper builds on previous research by interrogating the construction of men's health presented in a recent special feature of a UK national newspaper (The Observer, November 27, 2005). The dataset was subjected to intensive scrutiny using techniques from discourse analysis. Several inter-related discursive patterns were identified which drew upon essentialist notions of masculinity, unquestioned differences between men and women, and constructions of men as naïve, passive and in need of dedicated help. The implications of such representations for health promotion are discussed.

  13. Managerial strategies to reorient hospitals towards health promotion: lessons from organisational theory.

    PubMed

    Röthlin, Florian

    2013-01-01

    Reorienting health services towards health promotion is one of the major health promotion strategies stipulated by the Ottawa Charter). Important contradictions, tensions and barriers to health promotion implementation associated with organisational structures have, thus far, been underexposed in the hospital health promotion discourse. This paper aims at identifying risks and the chances for hospital management to strategically and sustainably reorient their hospitals towards health promotion. The paper combines theories and findings from organisational science and management studies as well as from capacity development in the form of a narrative literature review. The aim is to focus on the conditions hospitals, as organisational systems with a highly professionalised workforce, provide for a strategically managed reorientation towards health promotion. Models and principles helping managers to navigate the difficulties and complexities of health promotion reorientation will be suggested. Hospital managers have to deal with genuine obstacles in the complexity and structural formation of hospital organisations. Against this background, continuous management support, a transformative leadership style, participative strategic management and expert governance can be considered important organisational capacities for the reorientation towards a new concept such as health promotion. This paper discusses managerial strategies, effective structural transformations and important organisational capacities that can contribute to a sustainable reorientation of hospitals towards health promotion. It supports hospital managers in exploring their chances of facilitating and effectively supporting a sustainable health promotion reorientation of their hospitals. The paper provides an innovative approach where the focus is on enhanced possibilities for hospital managers to strategically manage the reorientation towards health promotion.

  14. Resisting "Reason": A Comparative Anthropological Study of Social Differences and Resistance toward Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Denmark.

    PubMed

    Merrild, Camilla Hoffmann; Andersen, Rikke Sand; Risør, Mette Bech; Vedsted, Peter

    2017-06-01

    Social differences in health and illness are well documented in Denmark. However, little is known about how health practices are manifested in the everyday lives of different social classes. We propose acts of resistance and formation of health subjectivities as helpful concepts to develop our understanding of how dominant health discourses are appropriated by different social classes and transformed into different practices promoting health and preventing illness. Based on fieldwork in two different social classes, we discuss how these practices both overtly and subtly challenge the normative power of the health promotion discourse. These diverse and ambiguous forms of everyday resistance illustrate how and when situated concerns move social actors to subjectively appropriate health promotion messages. Overall, the different forms of resistance elucidate how the standardized awareness and education campaigns may perpetuate the very inequalities they try to diminish. © 2016 by the American Anthropological Association.

  15. Oral health education for schoolchildren: a qualitative study of dental care professionals' view of knowledge and learning.

    PubMed

    Hedman, E; Ringberg, K; Gabre, P

    2009-08-01

    The aim of the study was to describe and interpret dental professionals' view of knowledge, learning, health promotion and their expectations of and attitudes to the response from schoolchildren. A qualitative study design was used with discourse method. Nine dental hygienists and dental nurses, who have practised oral health education among schoolchildren, described their work in tape-recorded, semi-structured interviews. The discourse method stresses the variation and distinctions in the statements, and to understand the content of the text, its contextual dependence must be taken into account. The preventive discourse could be found in all interviews, but it was concentrated on disease prevention and less on maintaining health. The biomedical view of knowledge dominated. Children's and parent's own responsibility for healthy habits was stressed, but no reflection of ethical considerations associated with influencing people's life-style was found. The text revealed discrepancy between the informants, and even within the same individual, showing ambivalence towards oral health education. Some individuals suggested lessons guided by communication with the children, while others wanted to maintain methods based on information about oral diseases to a greater extent. Different perspectives were found. The expression 'oral health promotion' was frequently used and supported by all the interviewed informants, but the statements did not reveal the informant's definition of the concept. Several educators focused on signs of diseases and less on the individual's view of their own health. In the future, oral health education programme needs to focus on quality of life, behavioural variables and indicators of empowerment rather than just disease outcomes.

  16. Discourse Strategies of Italian and English Sales Promotion Letters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vergaro, Carla

    2004-01-01

    This article describes a contrastive study on rhetorical differences between Italian and English sales promotion letters. It is assumed that cultural differences affect discourse genres traditionally considered as standardized, ritual or even formulaic, written business communication being a case in point. It was our goal to investigate how…

  17. GetHealthyHarlem.org: Developing a Web Platform for Health Promotion and Wellness Driven by and for the Harlem Community

    PubMed Central

    Khan, Sharib A.; Ancker, Jessica S.; Li, Jianhua; Kaufman, David; Hutchinson, Carly; Cohall, Alwyn; Kukafka, Rita

    2009-01-01

    GetHealthyHarlem.org is a community website developed on an open-source platform to facilitate collaborative development of health content through participatory action research (PAR) principles. The website was developed to enable the Harlem community to create a shared health and wellness knowledgebase, to enable discourse about local and culturally relevant health information, and to foster social connections between community members and health promotion organizations. The site is gaining active use with more than 9,500 unique site visits in the six months since going live in November, 2008. In ongoing research studies, we are using the website to explore how the PAR model can be applied to the development of a community health website. PMID:20351872

  18. Exposing Ideology within University Policies: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Faculty Hiring, Promotion and Remuneration Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Uzuner-Smith, Sedef; Englander, Karen

    2015-01-01

    Using critical discourse analysis (CDA), this paper exposes the neoliberal ideology of the knowledge-based economy embedded within university policies, specifically those that regulate faculty hiring, promotion, and remuneration in two national contexts: Turkey and Mexico. The paper follows four stages of CDA: (1) focus upon a social wrong in its…

  19. Some bitter-sweet reflections on the Ottawa Charter commemoration cake: a personal discourse from an Ottawa rocker.

    PubMed

    Pettersson, Bosse

    2011-12-01

    The Ottawa Charter both gave health promotion a solid framework and health promoters an identity. Yet, health promotion has far from reached its potential in being internalized in public health politics. Advocacy for health is one of the core missions for health promotion and the 25-year celebration of the Ottawa Charter offers a free ride, instead of being a missed opportunity. WHO has not met the expectations in taking advantage of the momentum and outcomes from the long series of global health promotion conferences. The series represents a lifeline for health promotion. Concepts like healthy public policy, supportive environments, social determinants, health and human rights, whole of government, globalization and others have been elaborated and framed in a health promoting context. The downside is that the footprints have not been bold, in particular not internationally. An upside is the development of research and science, underscored by a rapid development of scientific journals, textbooks, academic institutions and posts. A question arising is whether practise and policy making are left behind, since implementation on a grand scale still is lacking? Further and future efforts must be devoted to explore the processes and art of policy making. There is a need for more narratives and more health promoters involving themselves in policy making and politics. Health promotion is as relevant for the twenty-first century as ever. The challenges and opportunities are evident; the increasing global burden of non-communicable diseases, ageing populations, harmful use of alcohol, social determinants and fair societies improved governance and more. Health promotion can add value and WHO can step up its engagement.

  20. Promotional (Meta)Discourse in Research Articles in Language and Literary Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Afros, Elena; Schryer, Catherine F.

    2009-01-01

    It is now widely recognized that self-promotion in academic discourse varies across disciplines. Whereas most analysts focus on publicization techniques in natural and social sciences, the humanities have received much less attention. This article investigates the strategies associated with promotional (meta)discourse in the humanities. In…

  1. Ethical considerations of worksite health promotion: an exploration of stakeholders' views.

    PubMed

    van Berkel, Jantien; Meershoek, Agnes; Janssens, Rien M J P A; Boot, Cécile R L; Proper, Karin I; van der Beek, Allard J

    2014-05-16

    Developing, implementing and evaluating worksite health promotion requires dealing with all stakeholders involved, such as employers, employees, occupational physicians, insurance companies, providers, labour unions and research and knowledge institutes. Although worksite health promotion is becoming more common, empirical research on ethical considerations of worksite health promotion is scarce. We explored the views of stakeholders involved in worksite health promotion in focus group discussions and we described the ethical considerations that result from differences between these views. The focus group discussions were organised per stakeholder group. Data were analysed according to the constant comparison method. Our analyses show that although the definition of occupational health is the same for all stakeholders, namely 'being able to perform your job', there seem to be important differences in the views on what constitutes a risk factor to occupational health. According to the employees, risk factors to occupational health are prevailingly job-related. Labour unions agree with them, but other stakeholders, including the employer, particularly see employee-related issues such as lifestyle behaviour as risk factors to occupational health. The difference in definition of occupational health risk factors translates into the same categorisation of worksite health promotion; employee-related activities and work-related activities. The difference in conceptualisation of occupational health risk factors and worksite health promotion resonates in the way stakeholders understand 'responsibility' for lifestyle behaviour. Even though all stakeholders agree on whose responsibility lifestyle behaviour is, namely that of the employee, the meaning of 'responsibility' differs between employees, and employers. For employees, responsibility means autonomy, while for employers and other stakeholders, responsibility equals duty. This difference may in turn contribute to ambivalent relationships between stakeholders. All stakeholders, including employees, should be given a voice in developing, implementing and evaluating worksite health promotion. Moreover, since stakeholders agree on lifestyle being the responsibility of the employee, but disagree on what this responsibility means (duty versus autonomy), it is of utmost importance to examine the discourse of stakeholders. This way, ambivalence in relationships between stakeholders could be prevented.

  2. Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy: A Critical Discourse Analysis.

    PubMed

    Benbow, Sarah; Gorlick, Carolyne; Forchuk, Cheryl; Ward-Griffin, Catherine; Berman, Helene

    2016-01-01

    This article overviews the second phase of a two-phase study which examined experiences of health and social exclusion among mothers experiencing homelessness in Ontario, Canada. A critical discourse analysis was employed to analyze the policy document, Realizing Our Potential: Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy, 2014-2019. In nursing, analysis of policy is an emerging form of scholarship, one that draws attention to the macro levels influencing health and health promotion, such as the social determinants of health, and the policies that impact them. The clear neo-liberal underpinnings, within the strategy, with a focus on productivity and labor market participation leave little room for an understanding of poverty reduction from a human rights perspective. Further, gender-neutrality rendered the poverty experienced by women, and mothers, invisible. Notably, there were a lack of deadlines, target dates, and thorough action and evaluation plans. Such absence troubles whether poverty reduction is truly a priority for the government, and society as a whole.

  3. Finding Common Ground: Environmental Ethics, Social Justice, and a Sustainable Path for Nature-Based Health Promotion.

    PubMed

    Jennings, Viniece; Yun, Jessica; Larson, Lincoln

    2016-08-25

    Decades of research have documented continuous tension between anthropocentric needs and the environment's capacity to accommodate those needs and support basic human welfare. The way in which society perceives, manages, and ultimately utilizes natural resources can be influenced by underlying environmental ethics, or the moral relationship that humans share with the natural world. This discourse often centers on the complex interplay between the tangible and intangible benefits associated with nonhuman nature (e.g., green space), both of which are relevant to public health. When ecosystem degradation is coupled with socio-demographic transitions, additional concerns related to distributional equity and justice can arise. In this commentary, we explore how environmental ethics can inform the connection between the ecosystem services from green space and socially just strategies of health promotion.

  4. What you do every day matters: A new direction for health promotion.

    PubMed

    Gewurtz, Rebecca E; Moll, Sandra E; Letts, Lori J; Larivière, Nadine; Levasseur, Mélanie; Krupa, Terry M

    2016-08-15

    Canadian health promotion campaigns directed towards healthy living have traditionally emphasized discrete behaviours that influence health and wellbeing, such as diet, physical activity and smoking. Although this traditional approach is important and supported by evidence, it does not account for broader determinants of health. The purpose of this commentary is to propose an innovative health promotion approach that expands the healthy living discourse through a focus on patterns of daily activity. We highlight four key public health messages derived from a synthesis of existing research evidence. The messages are based on the premise that what you do every day has an important impact on health and well-being. Rather than being prescriptive or outlining minimum requirements, this approach invites reflection on various experiences and activity patterns that shape the health and well-being of individuals and communities. This broader and more inclusive approach to healthy living reflects diverse needs and experiences, making it relevant and attainable for people of all ages and abilities. Future efforts directed at operationalizing the key messages for individuals and communities hold much promise for populations that may be at risk of activity patterns believed to contribute to poor health and well-being.

  5. Stakeholders' perceptions of transferability criteria for health promotion interventions: a case study.

    PubMed

    Trompette, Justine; Kivits, Joëlle; Minary, Laetitia; Cambon, Linda; Alla, François

    2014-11-04

    The effects of health promotion interventions are the result not only of the interventions themselves, but also of the contexts in which they unfold. The objective of this study was to analyze, through stakeholders' discourse, the characteristics of an intervention that can influence its outcomes. This case study was based on semi-structured interviews with health promotion stakeholders involved in a regional program (PRALIMAP). General hypotheses on transferability and on how the intervention is presumed to produce its effects were used to construct an interview guide. Interviews were analyzed using thematic coding. Twenty-three stakeholders were interviewed. Results showed stakeholders made few references to population and environment characteristics. Three themes emerged as significant for the stakeholders: implementation modalities and methodology, modalities used to mobilize actors; and transferability-promoting factors and barriers. Our work contributes to a better understanding not only of transferability factors, but also of stakeholders' perceptions of them, which are just as important, because those perceptions themselves are a factor in mobilization of actors, implementation, and transferability.

  6. Which empowerment, which Health Promotion? Conceptual convergences and divergences in preventive health practices.

    PubMed

    Ferreira, Marcos Santos; Castiel, Luis David

    2009-01-01

    Based on the multiple meanings, 'empowerment' can be identified with either conservative or critical Health Promotion approaches. From a conservative approach, the concept is viewed as an essentially individual phenomenon, centered on the provision of information and the external transfer of power in the name of the collective good. From this approach, the relationship between 'psychological' and 'community' empowerment is not considered. From a critical approach, the concept is viewed as a relational phenomenon that manifests itself in the dialectic conflict of interests between individuals, groups, and social classes. From this approach, 'psychological' and 'community' empowerment are seen as micro and macro levels of analysis, and social transformations are the result of simultaneous changes at these levels. The use of the notion of empowerment without critical reflection or political analysis of power relations in society disseminates vague, romantic, and homogeneous views of 'community'. Therefore, to assume the relational nature of empowerment means to accept its interdependence with the notion of participation, without which there can be no social transformation. Thus, one should be vigilant about multiple meanings that empowerment can given in Health Promotion discourse.

  7. Policy-as-Discourse and Schools in the Role of Health Promotion: The Application of Bernstein's Transmission Context in Policy Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leow, Anthony Chee Siong

    2011-01-01

    As one of the most important sites in and through which state agendas are articulated and disseminated, schools and teachers play critical roles in the implementation of state-driven policies and initiatives targeted at children and young people. This is especially pertinent in the current educational landscape where schools and teachers are…

  8. Another Wrinkle in the Debate about Successful Aging: The Undervalued Concept of Resilience and the Lived Experience of Dementia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Phyllis Braudy

    2008-01-01

    The concept of "successful aging" is a contested discourse in gerontology. Two conflicting paradigms dominate the discussion: a health promotion activity model, and a model critical of the concept of successful aging. However, this study takes a different perspective and proposes that perhaps we have been striving for the wrong goal. The true…

  9. Finding Common Ground: Environmental Ethics, Social Justice, and a Sustainable Path for Nature-Based Health Promotion

    PubMed Central

    Jennings, Viniece; Yun, Jessica; Larson, Lincoln

    2016-01-01

    Decades of research have documented continuous tension between anthropocentric needs and the environment’s capacity to accommodate those needs and support basic human welfare. The way in which society perceives, manages, and ultimately utilizes natural resources can be influenced by underlying environmental ethics, or the moral relationship that humans share with the natural world. This discourse often centers on the complex interplay between the tangible and intangible benefits associated with nonhuman nature (e.g., green space), both of which are relevant to public health. When ecosystem degradation is coupled with socio-demographic transitions, additional concerns related to distributional equity and justice can arise. In this commentary, we explore how environmental ethics can inform the connection between the ecosystem services from green space and socially just strategies of health promotion. PMID:27571114

  10. Reinventing public health: A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians and its international impact

    PubMed Central

    MacDougall, Heather

    2007-01-01

    Study objective To examine the Canadian origins of the Lalonde Report and its impact on British and American health promotion activities. Design: A brief history of the development of key Canadian documents and their use by politicians and public health activists in the United Kingdom and United States. Setting: This paper focuses on the impact of the Canadian model on Canada, the United Kingdom and United States. Main results: This paper argues that internal political and economic forces are as important as international trends in determining healthcare policy initiatives. Conclusions: In the 1970s all the English‐speaking developed nations were facing deficits as curative costs rose. Adopting health promotion policies permitted them to shift responsibility back to local governments and individuals while limiting their expenditures. Health and community activists, however, used this concept to broaden their focus to include the social, economic and political determinants of health and thus reinvented public health discourse and practice for the 21st century. PMID:17933952

  11. Ethical considerations of worksite health promotion: an exploration of stakeholders’ views

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Developing, implementing and evaluating worksite health promotion requires dealing with all stakeholders involved, such as employers, employees, occupational physicians, insurance companies, providers, labour unions and research and knowledge institutes. Although worksite health promotion is becoming more common, empirical research on ethical considerations of worksite health promotion is scarce. Methods We explored the views of stakeholders involved in worksite health promotion in focus group discussions and we described the ethical considerations that result from differences between these views. The focus group discussions were organised per stakeholder group. Data were analysed according to the constant comparison method. Results Our analyses show that although the definition of occupational health is the same for all stakeholders, namely ‘being able to perform your job’, there seem to be important differences in the views on what constitutes a risk factor to occupational health. According to the employees, risk factors to occupational health are prevailingly job-related. Labour unions agree with them, but other stakeholders, including the employer, particularly see employee-related issues such as lifestyle behaviour as risk factors to occupational health. The difference in definition of occupational health risk factors translates into the same categorisation of worksite health promotion; employee-related activities and work-related activities. The difference in conceptualisation of occupational health risk factors and worksite health promotion resonates in the way stakeholders understand ‘responsibility’ for lifestyle behaviour. Even though all stakeholders agree on whose responsibility lifestyle behaviour is, namely that of the employee, the meaning of ‘responsibility’ differs between employees, and employers. For employees, responsibility means autonomy, while for employers and other stakeholders, responsibility equals duty. This difference may in turn contribute to ambivalent relationships between stakeholders. Conclusion All stakeholders, including employees, should be given a voice in developing, implementing and evaluating worksite health promotion. Moreover, since stakeholders agree on lifestyle being the responsibility of the employee, but disagree on what this responsibility means (duty versus autonomy), it is of utmost importance to examine the discourse of stakeholders. This way, ambivalence in relationships between stakeholders could be prevented. PMID:24886339

  12. Community capacity building in practice: constructing its meaning and relevance to health promoters.

    PubMed

    Lovell, Sarah A; Kearns, Robin A; Rosenberg, Mark W

    2011-09-01

    Community capacity building (CCB) is held up as a benchmark for sustainable health promotion, reflecting the empowering discourse of the Ottawa Charter (WHO 1986). In light of concerns that this language may be that of the presiding bureaucratic elite rather than the realities of those working directly with communities (Laverack & Labonte 2000), we question whether CCB reflects the work of New Zealand health promoters. The aim of this study is to assess what CCB means to health promoters and how relevant it is to their work in New Zealand. Focus groups and interviews were carried out with 64 health promoters between January 2008 and March 2009. The results of this qualitative study indicated that, while the terminology of CCB is poorly established in New Zealand, the overwhelming majority of participants felt that, to be an effective health promoter, they needed the buy-in and support of the communities in which they work. As a result, community-driven approaches have emerged as a core component of good health promotion practice in New Zealand. Yet, the concept of CCB was applied loosely with health promoters adopting language and practices corresponding more with the nuances of community development. The limited use of systematic approaches to building community capacity was accompanied by few successes achieving sustainable health promotion programmes. In prioritising community relationships many health promoters were placed in an ideological bind whereby achieving community ownership over health promotion meant compromising the evidence base of their programmes. Academic discussions of CCB appear to have gained little traction into the realm of health promotion practice in New Zealand highlighting the need for relevant research with a strong grounding in practice. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  13. Challenges in doing multi-disciplinary health promotion research in Germany.

    PubMed

    Igel, Ulrike; Gausche, Ruth; Lück, Martina; Lipek, Tobias; Spielau, Ulrike; Garz, Maria; Kiess, Wieland; Grande, Gesine

    2017-08-23

    Health problems such as obesity are increasingly addressed by complex intervention programmes which operate at multiple levels of influence (e.g. families, schools, neighbourhoods) involving partners from various academic, professional and cultural backgrounds. Following a complex participatory health promotion approach is challenging, because conflicting interests as well as contextual constraints may occur which are rarely discussed empirically. Process evaluations of some programmes investigate factors influencing the implementation process. However, researchers' perspectives on inter- and transdisciplinary work are mostly neglected. This paper aims at illustrating and critically analysing challenges that arose in the planning and implementation of a health promotion project in a socially deprived neighbourhood in Germany. Drawing on minutes, email conversations, and research diary entries we reflect on discrepancies and difficult interactions within the research team, with collaborating (academic) institutions (interdisciplinary work) and with the community partners (transdisciplinary work) respectively. Differences in language, interests, success criteria, professional preferences and habits as well as contextual factors are worked out and coping strategies or solutions are proposed. According to our experiences, bringing to light researchers' positions, preferences and interactions with the community is necessary to find a balance between research and practice, to develop adequate solutions for challenging situations and to evaluate the process, effectiveness and transferability of a programme. Health promotion research should report not only on the effectiveness of interventions but also on struggles, unsuccessful attempts and useful (or useless) strategies to fuel discourse on opportunities in and the efficacy and transferability of health promotion projects. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Everyday life and health concepts among blue-collar female workers in Denmark: implications for health promotion aiming at reducing health inequalities.

    PubMed

    Jensen, Jeanette Magne

    2013-06-01

    This article introduces a perspective on the health of women with low levels of education in terms of organisation of their everyday life. The aim is to demonstrate the ways in which the women's concept of health is contingent on the conditions encountered in everyday life. A qualitative study based on interviews with the women forms the basis for the discussion. The analysis shows that the women find it difficult to adopt the official discourse on health and its foundation in a biomedical tradition. The article argues that it is necessary to move away from the educational approach focusing on risk and lifestyle with the goal of regulating individual behaviour. Instead, an approach is suggested which can provide the women with the opportunity to gain control of the everyday health determinants which are normally beyond their immediate reach. This is based on the argument that it is necessary to work with a health promotion and education strategy capable of operating within the various interactive patterns between 'environment' and 'individual' which form the foundation for health.

  15. Self-care support in paediatric patients with type 1 diabetes: bridging the gap between patient education and health promotion? A review.

    PubMed

    Pelicand, Julie; Fournier, Cécile; Le Rhun, Anne; Aujoulat, Isabelle

    2015-06-01

    This study examines how the term 'self-care' imported from health promotion has been used in the context of patient education interventions for paediatric patients with type 1 diabetes. Thirty articles over the last decade were analysed, using a qualitative method of thematic coding and categorizing. The term 'self-care' has been mainly used as a synonym for self-management of one's condition and treatment. Indeed, the activities performed by paediatric patients independently or with the help of their parents under the term 'self-care' fail to explicitly take into account the general health and life dimensions of self-care, as defined in health promotion. Although such dimensions are implicitly present when it comes to define the parents' and health-care providers' roles in supporting the children's emerging self-care capacity, their importance is acknowledged as a way of strengthening the children's and their families' capacity to respond to illness demands, rather than in relation to their general well-being. The discourse on self-care in the field of paediatric diabetes therefore appears to be oriented more towards disease and prevention, rather than health promotion. The psychosocial dimension of self-care should be particularly investigated, as young patients need to be supported in their efforts to gain autonomy not only in relation to the management of their condition, but in their lives in general. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  16. A Critical Discourse Analysis of "No Promo Homo" Policies in US Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barrett, Brian; Bound, Arron M.

    2015-01-01

    This article presents a critical discourse analysis of "no promo homo" policies and their effects in US schools. "No promo homo"--short for "no promotion of homosexuality" (Eskridge, 2000, p. 1329)--polices have been adopted across nine states and several local school districts in the United States. They direct…

  17. Active living in the trucking sector: environmental barriers and health promotion strategies.

    PubMed

    Apostolopoulos, Yorghos; Shattell, Mona M; Sönmez, Sevil; Strack, Robert; Haldeman, Lauren; Jones, Victoria

    2012-02-01

    As one of the most underserved segments of the U.S. labor force, truck drivers have been associated with a series of morbid conditions intimately linked to their occupational milieux, their mostly unhealthful nutritional intake and sedentary lifestyles, and their resulting excess weight-gain. This paper reports data from a baseline assessment of 25 trucking work settings located around interstate highways I-40 and I-85 in North Carolina. It examines how the environmental attributes of these work settings influence the physical and recreational activity behaviors of truckers, compares findings with those from other occupational environments, and brings to the fore a new health promotion paradigm for trucking worksites. Findings support growing empirical and anecdotal evidence that trucking work settings remain not only active-living deserts, but overall unhealthful places. A scan of physical, social, and information environments within trucking worksites as well as physical environments of surrounding communities reveal only meager opportunities for physical and recreational activity for truckers. This paper places the highly underserved population of truckers firmly within the discourse of worksite health promotion, and calls for comprehensive multistakeholder wellness strategies that address a multitude of risk factors linked to the occupational context.

  18. Ambiguity as Deliberate Strategy: The "De-Politicized" Discourse of National Identity in the Taiwanese Citizenship Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hung, Cheng-Yu

    2016-01-01

    This article aims to investigate how the discourse on national identity is approached in the new Taiwanese citizenship curriculum. The differing opinions on Taiwan's relationship with China and the constant threat from this rising superpower have deterred the explicit promotion of either a Taiwanese or Chinese identity. The new curriculum follows…

  19. Unintended Consequences of Gender Equality Promotion in Swedish Multicultural Contraceptive Counseling: A Discourse Analysis.

    PubMed

    Arousell, Jonna; Carlbom, Aje; Johnsdotter, Sara; Larsson, Elin C; Essén, Birgitta

    2017-08-01

    In this article, we explore how reproductive health care providers in Sweden, a country often described as one of the most gender-equal countries in the world, incorporate gender equality ideals in multicultural contraceptive counseling. In the tension between gender equality promotion on one hand and respect for cultural diversity and individualized care on the other, we will demonstrate that values of gender equality were often given priority. This is not necessarily undesirable. Nevertheless, our proposal is that the gender equality ideology may inhibit providers' ability to think differently about issues at stake in contraceptive counseling, which may negatively influence women's possibilities to obtain adequate support. At the end of the article, we suggest how health care providers' reflexivity might be used as a working tool for increased awareness about the taken-for-granted cultural norms that exist in their clinical milieu.

  20. [The constitution of competences in mental health nursing education and practice].

    PubMed

    Lucchese, Roselma; Barros, Sônia

    2009-03-01

    This qualitative study had the purpose to increase the discussions about the constitution of competences in the education of nurses so that they can work in the mental healthcare area. to analyze the representations of the research subjects about mental healthcare competences. qualitative research. The nursing department in a public university in the state of São Paulo. Professors and healthcare nurses working in the same area. The mobilization of testimonies happened in focus groups, followed by discourse analysis. The building of competences and promotion of complex situations in the students' learning process were discussed, and the discourse analysis yielded the following empirical categories: The concept of competence, What is a complex situation, Which knowledge is necessary to manage complex situations in psychiatric nursing and mental healthcare, Competence: knowing how to manage a complex situation.

  1. Sexual health: a useful public health paradigm or a moral imperative?

    PubMed

    Sandfort, Theo G M; Ehrhardt, Anke A

    2004-06-01

    The past decade has shown an increasing use of the concept of sexual health. This upsurge is especially noticeable not only in the field of health education and promotion but also in academic sources. The concept is typically used self-evidently and with widely diverse connotations. The definition and understanding of sexual health are still evolving and pose various critical questions. For instance, the term sexual health may imply various risks, including a one-sided health perspective on sexuality and a new excuse to control sexual behavior. The recent discourse on sexual health is paralleled by an upsurge in the debate on sexual rights. Both concepts serve different functions but are intricately interwoven. In this introductory paper, we introduce this Special Section and hope to further the debate and scientific exploration of sexual health.

  2. 'Ecological embeddedness' and Its Public Health Implications: Findings From an Exploratory Study.

    PubMed

    Lewis, Marina; Townsend, Mardie

    2015-06-01

    Western culture over the last two centuries has become significantly ecologically 'dis-embedded', with nature increasingly reduced to resources for human use. The consequence is global environmental degradation, including accelerating climate change. Much recent research supports associations between nature contact and human health and well-being, and between feelings of nature-connectedness and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. The oft-cited Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (WHO, Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, 1986) emphasises human-environment inextricability; however public health discourse and response has not fully engaged with this recognition. This qualitative study explored the attitudes, motivations, and experiences-including formative influences-of six individuals whose behaviour was congruent with recognition of human-nature interconnectedness; such individuals may be understood as ecologically embedded. Key aspects of participants' experience, identified through grounded theory thematic analysis, were (i) connecting with nature (especially in childhood); (ii) seeing the threat and taking it personally; (iii) the nature of reality; (iv) dedicated beyond the ego-oriented self; and (v) sustaining the eco-centric self. The findings highlight the necessity for cross-sectoral advocacy at all levels of government policy development focused on recognition of human-environment connectedness, especially bridging health, planning and education policies affecting children. Only thus will both population health and ecological health on which population health depends be possible.

  3. I want to hold your hand: abstinence curricula, bioethics, and the silencing of desire.

    PubMed

    Wilkerson, Abby

    2013-06-01

    The abstinence approach to sex education remains influential despite its demonstrated ineffectiveness. One bill forbids the "promotion" of "gateway sexual activity," while requiring outright condemnation of "non-abstinence," defined so loosely as to plausibly include handholding. Bioethics seldom (if ever) contributes to sex-ed debates, yet exploring the pivotal role of medical discourse reveals the need for bioethical intervention. Sex-ed debates revolve around a theory of human flourishing based on heteronormative temporality, a developmental teleology ensuring the transmission of various supposed social goods through heterosexual marriage (Halberstam, 2005). Heteronormative temporality also constitutes a moralized discourse in which the values of health and presumed certainties of medicine serve to justify conservative religious dictates that otherwise would appear controversial as the basis for public policy. Overall, this analysis explores how moralized medical discourses compound existing injustices, while suggesting bioethics' potential contributions to moral and political analysis of sex-ed policies.

  4. The implementation of health promotion in primary and community care: a qualitative analysis of the 'Prescribe Vida Saludable' strategy.

    PubMed

    Martinez, Catalina; Bacigalupe, Gonzalo; Cortada, Josep M; Grandes, Gonzalo; Sanchez, Alvaro; Pombo, Haizea; Bully, Paola

    2017-02-17

    The impact of lifestyle on health is undeniable and effective healthy lifestyle promotion interventions do exist. However, this is not a fundamental part of routine primary care clinical practice. We describe factors that determine changes in performance of primary health care centers involved in piloting the health promotion innovation 'Prescribe Vida Saludable' (PVS) phase II. We engaged four primary health care centers of the Basque Healthcare Service in an action research project aimed at changing preventive health practices. Prescribe Healthy Life (PVS from the Spanish "Prescribe Vida Saludable) is focused on designing, planning, implementing and evaluating innovative programs to promote multiple healthy habits, feasible to be performed in routine primary health care conditions. After 2 years of piloting, centers were categorized as having high, medium, or low implementation effectiveness. We completed qualitative inductive and deductive analysis of five focus groups with the staff of the centers. Themes generated through consensual grounded qualitative analysis were compared between centers to identify the dimensions that explain the variation in actual implementation of PVS, and retrospectively organized and assessed against the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Of the 36 CFIR constructs, 11 were directly related to the level of implementation performance: intervention source, evidence strength and quality, adaptability, design quality and packaging, tension for change, learning climate, self-efficacy, planning, champions, executing, and reflecting and evaluating, with -organizational tracking added as a new sub-construct. Additionally, another seven constructs emerged in the participants' discourse but were not related to center performance: relative advantage, complexity, patients' needs and resources, external policy and incentives, structural characteristics, available resources, and formally appointed internal implementation leaders. Our findings indicate that the success of the implementation seems to be associated with the following components: the context, the implementation process, and the collaborative modelling. Identifying barriers and enablers is useful for designing implementation strategies for health promotion in primary health care centers that are essential for innovation success. An implementation model is proposed to highlight the relationships between the CFIR constructs in the context of health promotion in primary care.

  5. Children as agents of their own health: exploratory analysis of child discourse in Spain.

    PubMed

    Davó-Blanes, María Carmen; La Parra, Daniel

    2013-09-01

    The promotion of children's decision-making is one of the principles of health-promoting schools, and the empowerment of children means that they are enabled to influence their lifestyles and living conditions. The aim of this study was to find out the suggestions of Spanish school pupils in Year 3 and Year 6 of primary education to promote their own health and the health of the people closer to them, through their ideas about health. We analyse the discourse on health in the school environment from focus groups of primary school pupils aged around 8 and 12 of five schools in the town of Alicante (Spain). The groups were organized according to the type of school (public, private), the socioeconomic status of the neighbourhood (residential, working-class) and gender (single-sex, mixed groups) to ensure both the highest intergroup diversity and intra-group homogeneity. The findings show that primary school pupils have a wide and diverse notion of health. The application of the focus group technique has proved useful in eliciting information from groups of primary school pupils, and involving students in health-promoting programmes because it allows them to identify the social and interpersonal determinants of health. There is a firm basis to consider school pupils as health agents, particularly regarding interventions within the school environment itself. With the support of teachers, it is possible to train school pupils as community health agents, and increase their control over their own health.

  6. Culture clash: alcohol marketing and public health aspirations.

    PubMed

    Munro, Geoffrey; de Wever, Johanna

    2008-03-01

    It is of no coincidence that a number of recent Harm Reduction Digests have addressed the issue of the reduction of alcohol-related harm. Despite the dominant focus on illicit drug use in the popular discourse, alcohol remains Australia's number one drug problem, as it is in many other developed countries. In this Digest Munro and de Wever use the 'four Ps' of marketing: product, price, place and promotion, to critique the two decades industry self-regulation of alcohol marketing. They conclude that if we are going to develop policies which effectively change Australian drinking culture to reduce alcohol-related harm, we need first to accept that the alcohol industry and the health field have separate and conflicting interests.

  7. Women experiencing the intergenerationality of conjugal violence.

    PubMed

    Paixão, Gilvânia Patrícia do Nascimento; Gomes, Nadirlene Pereira; Diniz, Normélia Maria Freire; Carvalho e Lira, Margaret Ollinda de Souza; Carvalho, Milca Ramaiane da Silva; da Silva, Rudval Souza

    2015-01-01

    to analyze the family relationship, in childhood and adolescence, of women who experience conjugal violence. qualitative study. Interviews were held with 19 women, who were experiencing conjugal violence, and who were resident in a community in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (N. 42/2011). the data was organized using the Discourse of the Collective Subject, identifying the summary central ideas: they witnessed violence between their parents; they suffered repercussions from the violence between their parents: they were angry about the mother's submission to her partner; and they reproduced the conjugal violence. The discourse showed that the women witnessed, in childhood and adolescence, violence between their parents, and were injured both physically and psychologically. As a result of the mother's submission, feelings of anger arose in the children. However, in the adult phase of their own lives, they noticed that their conjugal life resembled that of their parents, reproducing the violence. investment is necessary in strategies designed to break inter-generational violence, and the health professionals are important in this process, as it is a phenomenon with repercussions in health. Because they work in the Family Health Strategy, which focuses on the prevention of harm and illness, health promotion and interdepartmentality, the nurses are essential in the process of preventing and confronting this phenomenon.

  8. Health promotion, preventive and curative aspects of diseases in astrology.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Bhuvnesh Kumar; Subhakta, P K J P; Narayana, A

    2007-01-01

    The whole universe is intermingling into a unit in the period of globalization. Different cultures, life-styles and sciences are co-operating with each other in this situation. World Health Organization is working towards collaborating all prevalent medical sciences for attainment of good health and family welfare for each and every individual by 2020. Astrology is a part of Indian heritage. Astrology means the art of predicting or determining the influence of the planets and stars on human affairs. The origin of this word is from Greek word astron, star + logos (discourse). The account of deeds of good and bad during the present life and previous lives, their consequences of health or ill health during this life i.e. what, when and how the things takes place will be clearly known through Astrology. Highly advanced knowledge related to Astrology on medicine is preserved in Indian scriptures and the knowledge was transmitted from generation to generation. It is also a good source for health promotion, preventive, curative and other medical aspects. Brief direction related to astrological medical aspects is also available in Ayurvedic literature (Carakasamhită, Suśrutasamhhită, Aşţăngasangraha, Aşţăngahŗdaya, Sărngadharasamhită , Băvaprakăśa etc.) Some Ayurvedic practitioners, scholars and scientists realize the need of astrological knowledge related to medicine in the present time. In ancient times physician, astrologer and purŏhita (Hindu priest) simultaneously looked after the health and family welfare of individual, families and country. Astrologer guides medication and suitable time for the better cure of ailments. Even the medicinal herbs were collected and treated at appropriate time for their efficacy. Astrology and Ayurvĕda are inseparable sciences of life. Hence, in this article, a concise astrological evaluation related to health promotion, preventive and curative aspects of Astrology is being presented.

  9. [Rethinking how health is promoted in the Colombian general health-related social security system (Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud)].

    PubMed

    Eslava-Castañeda, Juan C

    2006-12-01

    This article takes stock of how promoting health (PH) (promoción de la salud - PS) has been understood within an international setting and gives three meanings for promotion: as general policy orientation, as a set of actions and as a special dimension of sanitary work. Interest expressed in giving it a specific basis distinguishing it from prevention, transcending educational work, has emerged from the subtle differences established from such different ways of coming to terms with PH. After recognising the challenge posed by PH in the field of health, the text succinctly describes how discourse regarding PH has been introduced in Colombia and discusses how an attempt has been made to be more precise regarding its place in the general health-related social security system. Efforts currently being made in Colombia regarding making PH become a reality within the Colombian health system are then mentioned.

  10. [The experience of the Permanent Workshop on Health and Nutrition Education - OPEAS: training of professionals for the promotion of healthy nutrition in schools].

    PubMed

    Juzwiak, Claudia Ridel; de Castro, Paula Morcelli; Batista, Sylvia Helena Souza da Silva

    2013-04-01

    This article analyzes the experience of the Permanent Workshop on Nutrition and Health Education, which provides ongoing education on health and nutrition for school nutritionists and educators. In 2009, nutritionists, principals/management assistants, pedagogical coordinators, teachers and nutrition undergraduates attended 10 workshops, which were based on Freire and Pichon-Rivière´s framework theories. Data analysis was performed using the Discourse of the Collective Subject method. At the beginning of their participation in the OPEAS, the relationship between educators and nutritionists was distant and few interdisciplinary activities were conducted. Communication among the school team, collaborative work with involvement of the whole school community, inclusion of food and nutrition education in the curricula, and provision of food as the central pedagogical tool were considered central to the promotion of healthy nutrition. In the final evaluation four central ideas were highlighted defining OPEAS as being important for knowledge acquisition, a setting for reflection, an opportunity for integration and a platform for putting ideas into practice. Ongoing education should be implemented with school professionals aiming to foster actions to promote healthy nutrition at school.

  11. I Sought It, I Reddit: Examining Health Information Engagement Behaviors among Reddit Users.

    PubMed

    Record, Rachael A; Silberman, Will R; Santiago, Joshua E; Ham, Taewook

    2018-01-01

    Given the wide use of social media, these platforms have become important channels for understanding health-related information engagement processes. Reddit is a social media platform dedicated to user-generated content and discourse around the world. However, little research exists regarding use of the platform. Guided by the diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this study was to analyze Reddit users' behaviors on the platform related to perceptions of information credibility, health information seeking, and behavioral enactment of information found. Data were collected via survey from Reddit users around the world (n = 389). Data suggest that although Reddit use and perceived information credibility are unrelated to acting on the information found on Reddit, users who are specifically seeking health-related information are more likely to enact the information in their lives. Implications from the findings suggest important considerations for communication scholars, media advocates, and health promotion practitioners.

  12. 'Basically, it's sorcery for your vagina': unpacking Western representations of vaginal steaming.

    PubMed

    Vandenburg, Tycho; Braun, Virginia

    2017-04-01

    Vaginal steaming made global headlines in 2015 after its promotion by celebrity Gwyneth Paltrow. One of many female genital modification practices currently on offer in Anglo-Western nations - practices both heavily promoted and critiqued - vaginal steaming is claimed to offer benefits for fertility and overall reproductive, sexual or even general health and wellbeing. We analysed a selection of online accounts of vaginal steaming to determine the sociocultural assumptions and logics within such discourse, including ideas about women, women's bodies and women's engagement with such 'modificatory' practices. Ninety items were carefully selected from the main types of website discussing vaginal steaming: news/magazines; health/lifestyle; spa/service providers; and personal blogs. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, within a constructionist framework that saw us focus on the constructions and rationalities that underpin the explicit content of the texts. Within an overarching theme of 'the self-improving woman' we identified four themes: (1) the naturally deteriorating, dirty female body; (2) contemporary life as harmful; (3) physical optimisation and the enhancement of health; and (4) vaginal steaming for life optimisation. Online accounts of vaginal steaming appear both to fit within historico-contemporary constructions of women's bodies as deficient and disgusting, and contemporary neoliberal and healthist discourse around the constantly improving subject.

  13. Women experiencing the intergenerationality of conjugal violence1

    PubMed Central

    Paixão, Gilvânia Patrícia do Nascimento; Gomes, Nadirlene Pereira; Diniz, Normélia Maria Freire; Lira, Margaret Ollinda de Souza Carvalho e; Carvalho, Milca Ramaiane da Silva; da Silva, Rudval Souza

    2015-01-01

    Objective: to analyze the family relationship, in childhood and adolescence, of women who experience conjugal violence. Method: qualitative study. Interviews were held with 19 women, who were experiencing conjugal violence, and who were resident in a community in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (N. 42/2011). Results: the data was organized using the Discourse of the Collective Subject, identifying the summary central ideas: they witnessed violence between their parents; they suffered repercussions from the violence between their parents: they were angry about the mother's submission to her partner; and they reproduced the conjugal violence. The discourse showed that the women witnessed, in childhood and adolescence, violence between their parents, and were injured both physically and psychologically. As a result of the mother's submission, feelings of anger arose in the children. However, in the adult phase of their own lives, they noticed that their conjugal life resembled that of their parents, reproducing the violence. Conclusion: investment is necessary in strategies designed to break inter-generational violence, and the health professionals are important in this process, as it is a phenomenon with repercussions in health. Because they work in the Family Health Strategy, which focuses on the prevention of harm and illness, health promotion and interdepartmentality, the nurses are essential in the process of preventing and confronting this phenomenon. PMID:26487137

  14. Reducing health inequities: the contribution of core public health services in BC

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Within Canada, many public health leaders have long identified the importance of improving the health of all Canadians especially those who face social and economic disadvantages. Future improvements in population health will be achieved by promoting health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Many Canadian documents, endorsed by government and public health leaders, describe commitments to improving overall health and promoting health equity. Public health has an important role to play in strengthening action on the social determinants and promoting health equity. Currently, public health services in British Columbia are being reorganized and there is a unique opportunity to study the application of an equity lens in public health and the contribution of public health to reducing health inequities. Where applicable, we have chosen mental health promotion, prevention of mental disorders and harms of substance use as exemplars within which to examine specific application of an equity lens. Methods/design This research protocol is informed by three theoretical perspectives: complex adaptive systems, critical social justice, and intersectionality. In this program of research, there are four inter-related research projects with an emphasis on both integrated and end of grant knowledge translation. Within an overarching collaborative and participatory approach to research, we use a multiple comparative case study research design and are incorporating multiple methods such as discourse analysis, situational analysis, social network analysis, concept mapping and grounded theory. Discussion An important aim of this work is to help ensure a strong public health system that supports public health providers to have the knowledge, skills, tools and resources to undertake the promotion of health equity. This research will contribute to increasing the effectiveness and contributions of public health in reducing unfair and inequitable differences in health among population groups. As a collaborative effort between public health practitioners/decision makers and university researchers, this research will provide important understanding and insights about the implementation of the changes in public health with a specific focus on health equity, the promotion of mental health and the prevention of harms of substance use. PMID:23738840

  15. In search of a psychology of safer-sex promotion; beyond beliefs and texts.

    PubMed

    Abraham, C; Sheeran, P

    1993-06-01

    Belief and attitudinal change are important to the promotion of safer sexual behaviour. However, the individual decision-making psychology implicit in belief-change models provides only a partial picture of the determinants of sexual behaviour. A broader psychological understanding emphasizing the complex social skills involved in regulating sexual interaction is advocated. A discourse analysis critique of the viability of characterizing individuals' psychology on the basis of verbal responses is discussed and it is noted that psychological models linking such responses to underlying beliefs and cognitions must be based on measures which accurately predict health behaviour. It is concluded that an interactive model incorporating personal, interpersonal and situational constraints on sexual behaviour could be used to design effective programmes addressing barriers to HIV protection. Such interventions would promote communication and sexual negotiating skills and could be included in school curricula. This would have radical implications for sex education, shifting its theoretical basis from biology to social psychology and its methods from information-giving to participation and practice.

  16. The interface of mental health and human rights in Indigenous peoples: triple jeopardy and triple opportunity.

    PubMed

    Tarantola, Daniel

    2007-01-01

    Insufficient understanding of the reciprocal interactions between health and human rights, mental health and human rights and the realization of all human rights by Indigenous peoples constitute a triple jeopardy in how these topics are currently being addressed and/or openly antagonized. This paper will attempt to show how a combined health and human rights approach to mental health in Indigenous peoples can transform a triple jeopardy into a triple opportunity. The vast and growing body of literature on mental health, health as a whole, and human rights as these relate to health and to Indigenous peoples will be used to frame the discussion. Attention to the complex interactions of health and human rights can guide policy formulation and action by offering a method of analysis, a process of participatory decision and a framework for accountability. In addition, mental health can find its rightful place in the health and human rights discourse through efforts to help policymakers and practitioners broaden their vision of mental illness to holistically encompass aspects of physical, social, emotional and cultural wellbeing. Finally, connecting the role that rights realization plays in determining health and wellbeing will add power to the rightful claims by Indigenous peoples to the promotion and protection of all their human rights--civil, political, economic, social and cultural. Broadening the research agenda by applying systematically a health and human rights analytical framework to the understanding of social determinants of health would minimize the risk of assigning health outcome merely to behaviours, practices and lifestyles, uncovering structural determinants of holistic health entrenched in policies and governmental conduct. Building the evidence of the negative impact of human rights violation on health and the negative impact of ill-health on the fulfilment of other human rights can help in designing comprehensive interventions, building on the synergy between the promotion of health and the promotion of rights. A way forward is proposed for which it is essential that work be carried out across ethnic lines and professional boundaries to further advance the claim of Indigenous peoples for better health and greater enjoyment of human rights.

  17. The role of corporate credibility in legitimizing disease promotion.

    PubMed

    McDaniel, Patricia A; Malone, Ruth E

    2009-03-01

    We explored what corporate "credibility" means to tobacco companies to determine why it matters to companies and what a lack of credibility means to them. We collected documents from an online tobacco industry document archive and analyzed them with an interpretive approach. Tobacco companies conceptualized credibility not as being worthy of belief or confidence but as inspiring it. Thus, credibility was understood primarily as altering public perception of the industry. "Truth" was largely absent from tobacco industry conceptualizations of credibility, which were linked with "responsibility" and "reasonableness." However, industry research found that the public regarded credibility and responsibility differently, expecting these to entail truth telling, advertising reductions, less harmful products, apologies for deception, making amends, or exiting the tobacco business altogether. Overall, industry credibility-building projects failed repeatedly. Public health discourse increasingly attends to the roles of corporations in promoting disease. Industries such as tobacco and alcohol have been identified as profiting from harmful products. Yet corporations' ability to continue business as usual requires sustaining an implicit societal assent to their activities that depends on corporate credibility. For public health to address corporate disease promotion effectively, undermining corporate credibility may be strategically important.

  18. The Role of Corporate Credibility in Legitimizing Disease Promotion

    PubMed Central

    Malone, Ruth E.

    2009-01-01

    Objectives. We explored what corporate “credibility” means to tobacco companies to determine why it matters to companies and what a lack of credibility means to them. Methods. We collected documents from an online tobacco industry document archive and analyzed them with an interpretive approach. Results. Tobacco companies conceptualized credibility not as being worthy of belief or confidence but as inspiring it. Thus, credibility was understood primarily as altering public perception of the industry. “Truth” was largely absent from tobacco industry conceptualizations of credibility, which were linked with “responsibility” and “reasonableness.” However, industry research found that the public regarded credibility and responsibility differently, expecting these to entail truth telling, advertising reductions, less harmful products, apologies for deception, making amends, or exiting the tobacco business altogether. Overall, industry credibility-building projects failed repeatedly. Conclusions. Public health discourse increasingly attends to the roles of corporations in promoting disease. Industries such as tobacco and alcohol have been identified as profiting from harmful products. Yet corporations' ability to continue business as usual requires sustaining an implicit societal assent to their activities that depends on corporate credibility. For public health to address corporate disease promotion effectively, undermining corporate credibility may be strategically important. PMID:19106419

  19. Patients' self-efficacy within online health communities: facilitating chronic disease self-management behaviors through peer education.

    PubMed

    Willis, Erin

    2016-01-01

    In order to combat the growing burden of chronic disease, evidence-based self-management programs have been designed to teach patients about the disease and its affect on their lives. Self-efficacy is a key component in chronic disease self-management. This research used online ethnography and discourse analysis (N = 8,231) to examine self-efficacy within the computer-mediated communication (CMC) of four online health communities used by people with arthritis. Specifically, online opinion leaders were identified for examination. Across the four communities, there was a cyclical process that involved "disease veterans" sharing their experiences and gaining credibility within the community, new(er) members suffering from disease symptoms and sharing their experiences online, and finally, asking others for help with arthritis self-management behaviors. Three themes follow: (1) sharing disease experience, (2) suffering from disease symptoms, and (3) asking for help. Practical implications for health promotion and education are discussed.

  20. Spirituality and humanization according to nursing undergraduates: an action research.

    PubMed

    Coscrato, Gisele; Villela Bueno, Sonia Maria

    2015-01-01

    To know the conceptions of undergraduates from the Teaching Diploma Program with Bachelor degree in Nursing at a public state-owned higher education institution in an interior city in the State of São Paulo about spirituality and humanization, as well as to propose educative action in that sense. Methodoly. A qualitative study was undertaken, using the action research method. The data were collected in the second semester of 2012 through participant observation, registered in a field diary, and interviews with the help of questionnaires. For the interpretative data analysis, categorization was used. The implicit predominance of the technical-procedure care discourse was observed, to the detriment of the educational care discourse, as complementary constructs, according to the participant' statements. Nevertheless, the educational action permitted constructivism and the problematization of knowledge. Although the results may not reflect the reality at the investigated institution, it is concluded that the academic education of nurse educators is a moment of possibilities to include spirituality and humanization, regarding the development of competences that grant individual support to patients and families, in health promotion and coping with disease situations.

  1. Rethinking Institutional Secularization as an (Im)possible "Policy"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gomez Caride, Ezequiel

    2015-01-01

    The paper analyzes through a genealogical discourse analysis how religion as a cultural practice escapes into the borders of state institutions. While most studies about secularization focus on institutional aspects, such approaches tend to link state secularist policies with cultural secularization. This essay argues that state promotion of…

  2. ELT and "the Spirit of the Times"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waters, Alan

    2007-01-01

    In recent years, ELT professional discourse has been increasingly characterized by the active promotion of a number of ideas which lack popular appeal. It is argued that one reason for this trend is the influence of the prevailing intellectual ideology in the professionally-dominant Anglophone West--one of "political correctness" (PC). The nature…

  3. Online Religious Advertising: The Case of Australian Christian Youth Festivals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teusner, Paul Emerson

    2014-01-01

    This chapter explores the changing nature of Christian denominational discourse in an Australian context as informed by Internet technologies. It will take as its case study three Internet sites developed and published for the promotion of three separate Christian youth festivals held in Australia between July 2008 and January 2009, undertaking a…

  4. Representing Chineseness in New York City's Chinatown.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wei, Jennifer M.

    This paper explores the range of arguments and sentiments regarding the promotion and/or abolition of types of Chinese scripts. The written representations of Cantonese in Hong Kong, Mandarin in Taiwan as well as Mandarin in China are examined via issues of identity and of discourse both at national and international levels. Chinese scripts are…

  5. Quality of life as a mode of governance: NGO talk of HIV 'positive' health in India.

    PubMed

    Finn, Mark; Sarangi, Srikant

    2008-04-01

    Quality of life (QOL) is being increasingly emphasized in healthcare research and practice around the world as a desirable and measurable outcome of health policy, health-seeking behaviour and overall life satisfaction. Drawing on F notions of governmentality and biopower, we take the position that the promotion of a universal and apolitical concept of QOL, as it pertains to individual health and well-being, can be seen as being tied to a neoliberal rationality of global socio-economic and health governance. In understanding non-government organizations (NGOs) as a prime catalyst for socio-economic change under neoliberalism, we highlight ways in which HIV-related NGOs in India can be seen to deploy aspects of the prescriptive and regulatory QOL discourse in their promotions of an empowered HIV 'positive' health and subjectivity. Implications are discussed in terms of the inevitable tensions involved for many under-resourced HIV-positive people in India who, in the name of QOL, are called upon to identify and act as entrepreneurial and (self)empowered individuals in particular normalizing terms.

  6. Human rights in patient care and public health-a common ground.

    PubMed

    Peled-Raz, Maya

    2017-01-01

    Medical law and public health law have both served extensively as instruments of health protection and promotion-yet both are limited in their effect and scope and do not sufficiently cover nor supply a remedy to systematic, rather than anecdotal, mistreatments in the health care system. A possible solution to this deficiency may be found in the human rights in patient care legal approach. The concept of human rights in patient care is a reframing of international human rights law, as well as constitutional thought and tools, into a coherent approach aimed at the protection and furthering of both personal and communal health. It applies human rights discourse and human rights law onto the patient care setting while moving away from the narrow consumeristic view of health care delivery. By applying human rights in patient care approach, both national and international courts may and should serve as policy influencing instruments, protecting the rights of the most vulnerable and prejudiced against groups, which are want of a remedy through traditional patients' rights legal schemes.

  7. Identity Management and Mental Health Discourse in Social Media

    PubMed Central

    Pavalanathan, Umashanthi; De Choudhury, Munmun

    2015-01-01

    Social media is increasingly being adopted in health discourse. We examine the role played by identity in supporting discourse on socially stigmatized conditions. Specifically, we focus on mental health communities on reddit. We investigate the characteristics of mental health discourse manifested through reddit's characteristic ‘throwaway’ accounts, which are used as proxies of anonymity. For the purpose, we propose affective, cognitive, social, and linguistic style measures, drawing from literature in psychology. We observe that mental health discourse from throwaways is considerably disinhibiting and exhibits increased negativity, cognitive bias and self-attentional focus, and lowered self-esteem. Throwaways also seem to be six times more prevalent as an identity choice on mental health forums, compared to other reddit communities. We discuss the implications of our work in guiding mental health interventions, and in the design of online communities that can better cater to the needs of vulnerable populations. We conclude with thoughts on the role of identity manifestation on social media in behavioral therapy. PMID:27376158

  8. Identity Management and Mental Health Discourse in Social Media.

    PubMed

    Pavalanathan, Umashanthi; De Choudhury, Munmun

    2015-05-01

    Social media is increasingly being adopted in health discourse. We examine the role played by identity in supporting discourse on socially stigmatized conditions. Specifically, we focus on mental health communities on reddit. We investigate the characteristics of mental health discourse manifested through reddit's characteristic 'throwaway' accounts, which are used as proxies of anonymity. For the purpose, we propose affective, cognitive, social, and linguistic style measures, drawing from literature in psychology. We observe that mental health discourse from throwaways is considerably disinhibiting and exhibits increased negativity, cognitive bias and self-attentional focus, and lowered self-esteem. Throwaways also seem to be six times more prevalent as an identity choice on mental health forums, compared to other reddit communities. We discuss the implications of our work in guiding mental health interventions, and in the design of online communities that can better cater to the needs of vulnerable populations. We conclude with thoughts on the role of identity manifestation on social media in behavioral therapy.

  9. [Perceptions and experiences of access to health services and their utilization among the immigrant population].

    PubMed

    Bas-Sarmiento, Pilar; Fernández-Gutiérrez, Martina; Albar-Marín, M A Jesús; García-Ramírez, Manuel

    2015-01-01

    To identify and describe the needs and problems of the immigrant population related to access and utilization of health services. A descriptive, qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted using focus groups. The study area was the county of Campo de Gibraltar (Spain), which represents the gateway to Europe for immigration from Africa. The final sample size (51 immigrants from 11 countries) was determined by theoretical saturation. A narrative analysis was conducted with QSR NVivo9 software. Immigrants' discourse showed four categories of analysis: response to a health problem, system access, knowledge of social and health resources, and health literacy needs. Responses to health problems and the route of access to the health care system differed according to some sociodemographic characteristics (nationality/culture of origin, length of residence, and economic status). In general, immigrants primarily used emergency services, hampering health promotion and prevention. The health literacy needs identified concerned language proficiency and the functioning of the health system. There is a need to promote interventions to enhance health literacy among immigrants. These interventions should take into account diversity and length of residence, and should be based on an action-participation methodology. Copyright © 2014 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  10. Lifelong learning in active ageing discourse: its conserving effect on wellbeing, health and vulnerability.

    PubMed

    Narushima, Miya; Liu, Jian; Diestelkamp, Naomi

    2018-04-01

    The Active Ageing Framework has been adapted as a global strategy in ageing policies, practices and research over the last decade. Lifelong learning, however, has not been fully integrated into this discourse. Using survey data provided by 416 adults (aged 60 years and above) enrolled in non-formal general-interest courses in a public continuing education programme in Canada, this study examined the association between older adults' duration of participation in the courses and their level of psychological wellbeing, while taking their age, gender, self-rated health and vulnerability level into consideration. An analytical framework was developed based on the literature of old-age vulnerabilities and the benefits of lifelong learning. Two logistic regression and trend analyses were conducted. The results indicate that older adults' participation is independently and positively associated with their psychological wellbeing, even among those typically classified as 'vulnerable'. This result provides additional evidence that suggests the continuous participation in non-formal lifelong learning may help sustain older adults' psychological wellbeing. It provides older learners, even those who are most vulnerable, with a compensatory strategy to strengthen their reserve capacities, allowing them to be autonomous and fulfilled in their everyday life. The result of this study highlights the value of the strategic and unequivocal promotion of community-based non-formal lifelong learning opportunities for developing inclusive, equitable and caring active ageing societies.

  11. Perceptions of Healthy Eating in Four Alberta Communities: A Photovoice Project

    PubMed Central

    Hammer, Brent A.; Vallianatos, Helen; Nieuwendyk, Laura M.

    2016-01-01

    Peoples’ perceptions of healthy eating are influenced by the cultural context in which they occur. Despite this general acceptance by health practitioners and social scientists, studies suggest that there remains a relative homogeneity around peoples’ perceptions that informs a hegemonic discourse around healthy eating. People often describe healthy eating in terms of learned information from sources that reflect societies’ norms and values, such as the Canada Food Guide and the ubiquitous phrase “fruits and vegetables”. Past research has examined how built environments shape people’s access to healthy living options, such as distribution of grocers versus convenience stores and fast food restaurants. Often overlooked is an in-depth understanding of how social contexts interact with built environments, molding peoples’ perceptions of healthy eating. This paper reports on perceptions of healthy eating in four communities across Alberta, Canada. A photovoice methodology was employed to elicit perceptions of healthy eating with 35 participants. This study illustrates how participants’ photographs and their stories convey multiple meanings about healthy eating within their own lives and communities. Findings suggest that a ‘local’ context is an important part of the discourse centered around the promotion of healthy eating practices in these and potential other communities. PMID:27390390

  12. Should We Go ''Home'' to Eat?: Toward a Reflexive Politics of Localism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DuPuis, E. Melanie; Goodman, David

    2005-01-01

    ''Coming home to eat'' [Nabhan, 2002. Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods. Norton, New York] has become a clarion call among alternative food movement activists. Most food activist discourse makes a strong connection between the localization of food systems and the promotion of environmental sustainability and social…

  13. Social Software as a Tool of Promoting Indigenous African Languages in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ndebele, Hloniphani

    2018-01-01

    Within the discourse of language planning and policy, there is an increasing realisation of the strategic role of information and communication technologies in the promotion of indigenous African languages. The article discusses the strategic role that social software, in particular blogs and wiki, can and should play in the development of African…

  14. Perceptions of Healthy Eating in Four Alberta Communities: A Photovoice Project.

    PubMed

    Hammer, Brent A; Vallianatos, Helen; Nykiforuk, Candace; Nieuwendyk, Laura M

    2015-01-23

    Peoples' perceptions of healthy eating are influenced by the cultural context in which they occur. Despite this general acceptance by health practitioners and social scientists, studies suggest that there remains a relative homogeneity around peoples' perceptions that informs a hegemonic discourse around healthy eating. People often describe healthy eating in terms of learned information from sources that reflect societies' norms and values, such as the Canada Food Guide and the ubiquitous phrase "fruits and vegetables". Past research has examined how built environments shape people's access to healthy living options, such as distribution of grocers versus convenience stores and fast food restaurants. Often overlooked is an in-depth understanding of how social contexts interact with built environments, molding peoples' perceptions of healthy eating. This paper reports on perceptions of healthy eating in four communities across Alberta, Canada. A photovoice methodology was employed to elicit perceptions of healthy eating with 35 participants. This study illustrates how participants' photographs and their stories convey multiple meanings about healthy eating within their own lives and communities. Findings suggest that a 'local' context is an important part of the discourse centered around the promotion of healthy eating practices in these and potential other communities.

  15. Health discourse in Swedish television food advertising during children's peak viewing times.

    PubMed

    Prell, Hillevi; Palmblad, Eva; Lissner, Lauren; Berg, Christina M

    2011-06-01

    Food marketing influences children's food preferences and consumption and is important to consider in the prevention of child obesity. In this paper, health messages in commercials during children's peak viewing times were analysed by examining how food is articulated in the health discourse. In total, 82 food commercials from 66h of television recordings of the most popular commercial channels with children in Sweden (TV3, TV4 and Channel 5) were analysed with discourse theoretical tools according to Laclau and Mouffe and with a focus on rhetoric. Physical, mental and social health aspects were present in 71% of the commercials. Three health discourse types; a medical (food as protection and treatment), a hedonic (food as feeling good) and a social discourse type (food as caring) were discerned. In relation to these, the heart symbol, lifestyle associations and nature/the natural were elements that could be interpreted in different ways. Moreover, foods carrying unhealthy associations were promoted in the health discourse and presented as especially healthy by offensive rhetoric. The analysis raises awareness of the prevailing health messages in food marketing. Children and parents should be encouraged to develop their critical thinking about television food advertising and how it may influence social norms and dietary practices. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Perceived unfairness in working conditions: The case of public health services in Tanzania

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background The focus on the determinants of the quality of health services in low-income countries is increasing. Health workers' motivation has emerged as a topic of substantial interest in this context. The main objective of this article is to explore health workers' experience of working conditions, linked to motivation to work. Working conditions have been pointed out as a key factor in ensuring a motivated and well performing staff. The empirical focus is on rural public health services in Tanzania. The study aims to situate the results in a broader historical context in order to enhance our understanding of the health worker discourse on working conditions. Methods The study has a qualitative study design to elicit detailed information on health workers' experience of their working conditions. The data comprise focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) with administrators, clinicians and nursing staff in the public health services in a rural district in Tanzania. The study has an ethnographic backdrop based on earlier long-term fieldwork in the same part of Tanzania. Results The article provides insights into health workers' understanding and assessment of their working conditions. An experience of unsatisfactory working conditions as well as a perceived lack of fundamental fairness dominated the FGDs and IDIs. Informants reported unfairness with reference to factors such as salary, promotion, recognition of work experience, allocation of allowances and access to training as well as to human resource management. The study also revealed that many health workers lack information or knowledge about factors that influence their working conditions. Conclusions The article calls for attention to the importance of locating the discourse of unfairness related to working conditions in a broader historical/political context. Tanzanian history has been characterised by an ambiguous and shifting landscape of state regulation, economic reforms, decentralisation and emerging democratic sentiments. Such a historic contextualisation enhances our understanding of the strong sentiments of unfairness revealed in this study and assists us in considering potential ways forward. PMID:21314985

  17. Nurses and teachers: partnerships for green health promotion.

    PubMed

    Sendall, Marguerite C; Lidstone, John; Fleming, Marylou; Domocol, Michelle

    2013-07-01

    The term green health promotion is given to health promotion underpinned by the principles of ecological health and sustainability. Green health promotion is supported philosophically by global health promotion documents such as the 1986 Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and the ecological public health movement. Green health promotion in schools means the practice, the principles of ecological health, and sustainability. A literature review revealed a paucity of publications about green health promotion in schools. Literature about nurses and health promotion in schools is generally found in nursing publications. Literature about ecological sustainability in schools is mostly found in teaching publications. This article explores the nexus between nursing and health promotion, and teachers and ecological sustainability. Collaborative partnerships between health and education do not capitalize on programs such as Health Promoting Schools and the School Based Youth Health Nurse Program in Queensland, Australia. The authors consider how collaborative partnerships between health and education in schools can work toward green health promotion. Nursing's approach to health promotion and education's approach to ecological sustainability need to be aligned to enhance green health promotion in schools. © 2013, American School Health Association.

  18. Discourse analysis: A useful methodology for health-care system researches

    PubMed Central

    Yazdannik, Ahmadreza; Yousefy, Alireza; Mohammadi, Sepideh

    2017-01-01

    Discourse analysis (DA) is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry and becoming an increasingly popular research strategy for researchers in various disciplines which has been little employed by health-care researchers. The methodology involves a focus on the sociocultural and political context in which text and talk occur. DA adds a linguistic approach to an understanding of the relationship between language and ideology, exploring the way in which theories of reality and relations of power are encoded in such aspects as the syntax, style, and rhetorical devices used in texts. DA is a useful and productive qualitative methodology but has been underutilized within health-care system research. Without a clear understanding of discourse theory and DA it is difficult to comprehend important research findings and impossible to use DA as a research strategy. To redress this deficiency, in this article, represents an introduction to concepts of discourse and DA, DA history, Philosophical background, DA types and analysis strategy. Finally, we discuss how affect to the ideological dimension of such phenomena discourse in health-care system, health beliefs and intra-disciplinary relationship in health-care system. PMID:29296612

  19. Discourse analysis: A useful methodology for health-care system researches.

    PubMed

    Yazdannik, Ahmadreza; Yousefy, Alireza; Mohammadi, Sepideh

    2017-01-01

    Discourse analysis (DA) is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry and becoming an increasingly popular research strategy for researchers in various disciplines which has been little employed by health-care researchers. The methodology involves a focus on the sociocultural and political context in which text and talk occur. DA adds a linguistic approach to an understanding of the relationship between language and ideology, exploring the way in which theories of reality and relations of power are encoded in such aspects as the syntax, style, and rhetorical devices used in texts. DA is a useful and productive qualitative methodology but has been underutilized within health-care system research. Without a clear understanding of discourse theory and DA it is difficult to comprehend important research findings and impossible to use DA as a research strategy. To redress this deficiency, in this article, represents an introduction to concepts of discourse and DA, DA history, Philosophical background, DA types and analysis strategy. Finally, we discuss how affect to the ideological dimension of such phenomena discourse in health-care system, health beliefs and intra-disciplinary relationship in health-care system.

  20. From Education for Peace to Education in Conflict: Changes in UNESCO Discourse, 1945-2015

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lerch, Julia C.; Buckner, Elizabeth

    2018-01-01

    Since the turn of the twenty-first century, the global education community has focused significant attention on the promotion of education in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, embodied in the growth of a new sub-field called Education in Emergencies. This article points out the surprising distinction of this new sub-field from the more…

  1. Nurses and Teachers: Partnerships for Green Health Promotion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sendall, Marguerite C.; Lidstone, John; Fleming, MaryLou; Domocol, Michelle

    2013-01-01

    Background: The term "green health promotion" is given to health promotion underpinned by the principles of ecological health and sustainability. Green health promotion is supported philosophically by global health promotion documents such as the 1986 Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and the ecological public health movement. Green…

  2. Disruptive innovation, labor markets, and Big Valley STEM School: network analysis in STEM education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ellison, Scott; Allen, Ben

    2018-03-01

    A defining characteristic of contemporary trends in global education policy is the promotion of STEM learning in the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors of education as a means to generate innovation and prosperity in the economy. Intertwined with common sensical assumptions about future labor markets and the transformative potential of technology in education, STEM has become a hegemonic discourse informing policy formation and educational practice. In Gramscian terms, the struggle over STEM as a discursive practice, between proponents of instrumental learning of marketable economic skills and those of education towards humanistic goals, reveals insights about the ideological characteristics of the push for STEM learning. This article explores the power dynamics behind the push for STEM learning as an ideological discourse propagated by global networks of elite policy actors and enacted by non-elite policy actors at the school level. The findings point toward a disjuncture between the discourse of elite policy actors in the US, the realities of STEM labor markets, and the actualization of this policy discourse into classroom practice. The implications of this study indicate that analyses of vertical power relations in network governance in STEM education should attend to the semiotics, materiality, and mutability of networked spaces.

  3. Health promotion in South Africa.

    PubMed

    Onya, Hans

    2007-01-01

    Health promotion first entered the South African health system in 1990. Today, Health Promotion is a Directorate located within the Social Sector Cluster (SSC) within Primary Health Care (PHC), District and Development operations which falls under the Deputy Director General for Health Service Delivery in the National Department of Health (DoH). The first significant piece of new policy for health promotion in South Africa appeared in the African National Congress (ANC) health policy document, health care services including reproductive health care. At the moment, health promotion service delivery is the responsibility of the national, provincial and local governments with provincial and local governments mainly implementing and the National Health Promotion Directorate offering support. Funding for health promotion activities comes from the Department of Health budget allocation by the National Treasury. One major problem for Health Promotion development is infrastructure. There is significant community participation in South Africa including health promotion policy and strategy document development. Health Promotion research and evaluation is limited. The National Department of Health considers the settings approach to be crucial in driving the progress of health promotion. There are very few trained health promotion specialists either capable or in the position to inform politicians and opinion leaders about the relationship between health and social determinants, and the evidence of effectiveness of health promotion action. Mechanisms for demonstrating evidence of health promotion effectiveness in terms of health, social, economic and political impact are lacking and occupational standards for health promotion education and training are needed.

  4. Assumptions about culture in discourse on ethnic minority health.

    PubMed

    Jaeger, Kirsten

    2013-01-01

    This paper is interested in the way the concept of culture is deployed in documents aimed at investigating, informing on and promoting aspects of ethnic minority health. Within a health-political discourse focusing increasingly on individual lifestyles, ethnic minority health became subject to increased political and professional interest in the last decades of the twentieth and the first decade of the twenty-first century. Analysis of the discourse on ethnic minority health emerging in five texts addressing health professionals shows that the culture of ethnic minority citizens is primarily seen as contributing to low levels of knowledge about health and to adverse health behavior. Thus, the texts present cultural beliefs and practices as contributing to the high prevalence of lifestyle diseases among ethnic minority population groups. The analysis, however, demonstrates that a more nuanced discourse is evolving, taking the complexity of the culture concept into account. In accordance with Danish health-political priorities, the most recent text analyzed in this study promotes an individualistic approach to both ethnic minority and Danish ethnic majority citizens.

  5. Evidence-based health promotion: applying it in practice.

    PubMed

    Wong, M L

    2002-09-01

    In health promotion, we should use interventions established by evidence to be effective in improving the health of the community. This paper reviews the concepts, evaluation and use of evidence in health promotion. A literature search of evidence-based health promotion and evaluation of health promotion was conducted using Medline, Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), PsycLIT and evidence-based web sites on health promotion, health education and community preventive services. Recent issues of key journals on health promotion, health education and public health were also hand-searched. The concept of evidence in health promotion interventions is complex due to its multidimensional nature. Evidence of effectiveness in health promotion is assessed by combining quantitative data on effect change in outcome measures and qualitative data on process evaluation of health promotion activities. Limitations to the use of randomised trials in community-based health promotion interventions include ethical and logistic problems in maintaining randomisation of subjects over long periods, absence of experimental conditions in the real-world setting, contamination of control subjects and the multidimensional nature of health promotion interventions. Randomised controlled trials should be used to evaluate the effectiveness of most health education and behavioural interventions in clinical settings. When such trials are not feasible as in community-based health promotion interventions, quasi-experimental designs provide strong evidence. Multiple methods are needed to assess evidence of effectiveness of health promotion programmes. Appropriate practice of evidence-based health promotion requires consideration of quality of available evidence, local values and prevailing resources.

  6. Cultural dilemmas of choice: Deconstructing consumer choice in health communication between maternity-care providers and ethnic Chinese mothers in New Zealand.

    PubMed

    Guo, Shujie Phoebe; Munshi, Debashish; Cockburn-Wootten, Cheryl; Simpson, Mary

    2014-01-01

    This article critically analyses the discourse of consumer choice embedded in health communication interactions between maternity-care providers and migrant ethnic Chinese mothers in New Zealand. Findings indicate that Chinese mothers, as the customers of the New Zealand maternity and health care services, are encouraged to "fit in" with the Western discourse of choice. However, the mothers' cultural predispositions for childbirth and communication have a significant impact on the ways in which they respond to and resist this discourse. Drawing on theoretical insights from postcolonialism and Third World feminism, this article contributes to the study of intercultural health communication by examining cultural dilemmas in the discourse of choice that is often taken for granted in Western health contexts. In doing so, it builds a platform for an inclusive maternity care and health environment in multicultural societies.

  7. Gender, sexuality and the discursive representation of access and equity in health services literature: implications for LGBT communities

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background This article considers how health services access and equity documents represent the problem of access to health services and what the effects of that representation might be for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. We conducted a critical discourse analysis on selected access and equity documents using a gender-based diversity framework as determined by two objectives: 1) to identify dominant and counter discourses in health services access and equity literature; and 2) to develop understanding of how particular discourses impact the inclusion, or not, of LGBT communities in health services access and equity frameworks.The analysis was conducted in response to public health and clinical research that has documented barriers to health services access for LGBT communities including institutionalized heterosexism, biphobia, and transphobia, invisibility and lack of health provider knowledge and comfort. The analysis was also conducted as the first step of exploring LGBT access issues in home care services for LGBT populations in Ontario, Canada. Methods A critical discourse analysis of selected health services access and equity documents, using a gender-based diversity framework, was conducted to offer insight into dominant and counter discourses underlying health services access and equity initiatives. Results A continuum of five discourses that characterize the health services access and equity literature were identified including two dominant discourses: 1) multicultural discourse, and 2) diversity discourse; and three counter discourses: 3) social determinants of health (SDOH) discourse; 4) anti-oppression (AOP) discourse; and 5) citizen/social rights discourse. Conclusions The analysis offers a continuum of dominant and counter discourses on health services access and equity as determined from a gender-based diversity perspective. The continuum of discourses offers a framework to identify and redress organizational assumptions about, and ideological commitments to, sexual and gender diversity and health services access and equity. Thus, the continuum of discourses may serve as an important element of a health care organization's access and equity framework for the evaluation of access to good quality care for diverse LGBT populations. More specfically, the analysis offers four important points of consideration in relation to the development of a health services access and equity framework. PMID:21957894

  8. Gender, sexuality and the discursive representation of access and equity in health services literature: implications for LGBT communities.

    PubMed

    Daley, Andrea E; Macdonnell, Judith A

    2011-09-29

    This article considers how health services access and equity documents represent the problem of access to health services and what the effects of that representation might be for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. We conducted a critical discourse analysis on selected access and equity documents using a gender-based diversity framework as determined by two objectives: 1) to identify dominant and counter discourses in health services access and equity literature; and 2) to develop understanding of how particular discourses impact the inclusion, or not, of LGBT communities in health services access and equity frameworks.The analysis was conducted in response to public health and clinical research that has documented barriers to health services access for LGBT communities including institutionalized heterosexism, biphobia, and transphobia, invisibility and lack of health provider knowledge and comfort. The analysis was also conducted as the first step of exploring LGBT access issues in home care services for LGBT populations in Ontario, Canada. A critical discourse analysis of selected health services access and equity documents, using a gender-based diversity framework, was conducted to offer insight into dominant and counter discourses underlying health services access and equity initiatives. A continuum of five discourses that characterize the health services access and equity literature were identified including two dominant discourses: 1) multicultural discourse, and 2) diversity discourse; and three counter discourses: 3) social determinants of health (SDOH) discourse; 4) anti-oppression (AOP) discourse; and 5) citizen/social rights discourse. The analysis offers a continuum of dominant and counter discourses on health services access and equity as determined from a gender-based diversity perspective. The continuum of discourses offers a framework to identify and redress organizational assumptions about, and ideological commitments to, sexual and gender diversity and health services access and equity. Thus, the continuum of discourses may serve as an important element of a health care organization's access and equity framework for the evaluation of access to good quality care for diverse LGBT populations. More specfically, the analysis offers four important points of consideration in relation to the development of a health services access and equity framework.

  9. The Red Lotus Health Promotion Model: a new model for holistic, ecological, salutogenic health promotion practice.

    PubMed

    Gregg, Jane; O'Hara, Lily

    2007-04-01

    There is a need for a system of values and principles consistent with modern health promotion that enables practitioners to use these values and principles to understand health and in their needs assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation practice. Grounded theory, document analysis and the authors' own practice experience were used to systematically collect and analyse data from key health promotion literature and to develop the Red Lotus Health Promotion Model. The Red Lotus Health Promotion Model is a new model for holistic, ecological, salutogenic health promotion practice. It is distinct from other health promotion models in that it incorporates a system of values and principles that is applied across the phases of health promotion, including determining the health paradigm, needs assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. The Red Lotus Health Promotion Model enables practitioners to proactively and purposefully put into action a connected system of values and principles across the phases of a health promotion process.

  10. Health promotion practices in primary care groups.

    PubMed

    Heidemann, Ivonete Teresinha Schulter Buss; Alonso da Costa, Maria Fernanda Baeta Neves; Hermida, Patrícia Madalena Vieira; Marçal, Cláudia Cossentino Bruck; Antonini, Fabiano Oliveira; Cypriano, Camilla Costa

    2018-04-01

    This is a descriptive-exploratory study using a qualitative approach, conducted in ten municipalities in southern Brazil. Data were obtained by talking to 21 nurses from February to November 2012, through semi-structured interviews using questions to probe their health promotion practices. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis focused on health promotion concepts. We identified four themes about health promotion practices of family health nurses in Brazil: a) training of nurses for health promotion practice was weak; b) nurses formed health promotion groups around diseases and life stages; c) nurses formed groups to meet community needs; and d) nurses used health promotion techniques in group work. These family health nurses were somewhat aware of the importance of health promotion, and how to assist the population against various ailments using some health promotion strategies. The main weaknesses were the lack of understanding about health promotion concepts, and the difficulty of understanding the relevance of its practice, probably attributable to limitations in training. We conclude that primary care groups in Brazil's unified health system could do better in applying health promotion concepts in their practice.

  11. Improving Health Promotion Using Quality Improvement Techniques in Australian Indigenous Primary Health Care.

    PubMed

    Percival, Nikki; O'Donoghue, Lynette; Lin, Vivian; Tsey, Komla; Bailie, Ross Stewart

    2016-01-01

    Although some areas of clinical health care are becoming adept at implementing continuous quality improvement (CQI) projects, there has been limited experimentation of CQI in health promotion. In this study, we examined the impact of a CQI intervention on health promotion in four Australian Indigenous primary health care centers. Our study objectives were to (a) describe the scope and quality of health promotion activities, (b) describe the status of health center system support for health promotion activities, and (c) introduce a CQI intervention and examine the impact on health promotion activities and health centers systems over 2 years. Baseline assessments showed suboptimal health center systems support for health promotion and significant evidence-practice gaps. After two annual CQI cycles, there were improvements in staff understanding of health promotion and systems for planning and documenting health promotion activities had been introduced. Actions to improve best practice health promotion, such as community engagement and intersectoral partnerships, were inhibited by the way health center systems were organized, predominately to support clinical and curative services. These findings suggest that CQI can improve the delivery of evidence-based health promotion by engaging front line health practitioners in decision-making processes about the design/redesign of health center systems to support the delivery of best practice health promotion. However, further and sustained improvements in health promotion will require broader engagement of management, senior staff, and members of the local community to address organizational and policy level barriers.

  12. Improving Health Promotion Using Quality Improvement Techniques in Australian Indigenous Primary Health Care

    PubMed Central

    Percival, Nikki; O’Donoghue, Lynette; Lin, Vivian; Tsey, Komla; Bailie, Ross Stewart

    2016-01-01

    Although some areas of clinical health care are becoming adept at implementing continuous quality improvement (CQI) projects, there has been limited experimentation of CQI in health promotion. In this study, we examined the impact of a CQI intervention on health promotion in four Australian Indigenous primary health care centers. Our study objectives were to (a) describe the scope and quality of health promotion activities, (b) describe the status of health center system support for health promotion activities, and (c) introduce a CQI intervention and examine the impact on health promotion activities and health centers systems over 2 years. Baseline assessments showed suboptimal health center systems support for health promotion and significant evidence-practice gaps. After two annual CQI cycles, there were improvements in staff understanding of health promotion and systems for planning and documenting health promotion activities had been introduced. Actions to improve best practice health promotion, such as community engagement and intersectoral partnerships, were inhibited by the way health center systems were organized, predominately to support clinical and curative services. These findings suggest that CQI can improve the delivery of evidence-based health promotion by engaging front line health practitioners in decision-making processes about the design/redesign of health center systems to support the delivery of best practice health promotion. However, further and sustained improvements in health promotion will require broader engagement of management, senior staff, and members of the local community to address organizational and policy level barriers. PMID:27066470

  13. How have health promotion frameworks considered gender?

    PubMed

    Gelb, Karen; Pederson, Ann; Greaves, Lorraine

    2012-12-01

    This paper provides an overview of five key internationally recognized health promotion frameworks and assesses their consideration of gender. This analysis was conducted as part of the Promoting Health in Women project, a Canadian initiative focused on generating a framework for effective health promotion for women. To date, no review of health promotion frameworks has specifically focused on assessing the treatment of gender. This analysis draws on a comprehensive literature review that covered available literature on gender and health promotion frameworks published internationally between 1974 and 2010. Analysis of five key health promotion frameworks revealed that although gender was at times mentioned as a determinant of health, gender was never identified and integrated as a factor critical to successful health promotion. This superficial attention to the role of gender in health promotion is problematic as it limits our capacity to understand how gender influences health, health contexts and health promotion, as well as our ability to integrate gender into future comprehensive health promotion strategies.

  14. Values and principles evident in current health promotion practice.

    PubMed

    Gregg, Jane; O'Hara, Lily

    2007-04-01

    Modern health promotion practice needs to respond to complex health issues that have multiple interrelated determinants. This requires an understanding of the values and principles of health promotion. A literature review was undertaken to explore the values and principles evident in current health promotion theory and practice. A broad range of values and principles are espoused as being integral to modern health promotion theory and practice. Although there are some commonalities across these lists, there is no recognised, authoritative set of values and principles accepted as fundamental and applicable to modern health promotion. There is a continuum of values and principles evident in health promotion practice from those associated with holistic, ecological, salutogenic health promotion to those more in keeping with conventional health promotion. There is a need for a system of values and principles consistent with modern health promotion that enables practitioners to purposefully integrate these values and principles into their understanding of health, as well as their needs assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation practice.

  15. Mothercraft: Birth work and the making of neoliberal mothers.

    PubMed

    McCabe, Katharine

    2016-08-01

    The literature on neoliberal health governance explores how macro-economic neoliberal policies as well as individual attitudes and behaviors reflect an increasingly individualized construction of health and citizens' responsibility over it. This study contributes to this literature and expands it in important ways. Drawing on qualitative interviews from 22 midwives and birth workers (doulas, childbirth educators, lactation consultants) practicing in the US, this study explores how midwives and birth workers act as "experts of conduct" who promote certain neoliberal values in their logics of care and interactions with clientele. The findings reveal that midwives and birth workers promote a form of maternal neoliberal health governance by: 1) making distinctions between their clientele that signal differences in health competence and resources, 2) encouraging autonomy and responsibility over birth experiences, and 3) promoting an empowerment discourse that hinges implicitly on an exclusionary consumer choice rhetoric. Midwives and birth workers are crucially implicated in shaping maternal subjectivities through pedagogical interactions I refer to as "mothercraft." This study illustrates how the promotion of certain health identities by experts further stratifies patient populations, exacerbating differences between women based on their socioeconomic status, racial-ethnic, and cultural positions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors and Health Promotion Attitudes in Preregistered Nurses: A Questionnaire Study.

    PubMed

    Blake, Holly; Stanulewicz, Natalia; Griffiths, Katherine

    2017-02-01

    Nurses report inadequacies in health promotion practices. This study investigated attitudes toward being role models for healthy eating, and examined predictors of health promotion attitudes in preregistered nurses. A questionnaire was completed by 493 preregistered nurses. Measures included health promotion attitudes, healthy lifestyle index, self-esteem, and body satisfaction. Preregistered nurses (89.5%) felt that nurses should be role models for health. However, 37% had a negative health promotion attitude and were more likely to be dissatisfied with their body and lead less healthy lifestyles. Most preregistered nurses (96%) felt that delivering health promotion would be a key element of their job and held positive health promotion attitudes. Healthy lifestyle was the most consistent significant predictor of health promotion attitude. Preregistered nurses with an unhealthy lifestyle and lower self-esteem held a more negative health promotion attitude. Intervention is needed to support preregistered nurses in making healthy lifestyle choices, improving their self-perception and health promotion attitude. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(2):94-103.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

  17. A review of health promotion funding for older adults in Europe: a cross-country comparison.

    PubMed

    Arsenijevic, Jelena; Groot, Wim; Tambor, Marzena; Golinowska, Stanislawa; Sowada, Christoph; Pavlova, Milena

    2016-09-05

    Health promotion interventions for older adults are important as they can decrease the onset and evolution of diseases and thus can reduce the medical costs related to those diseases. However, there is no comparative evidence on how those interventions are funded in European countries. The aim of this study is to explore the funding of health promotion interventions in general and health promotion interventions for older adults in particular in European countries. We use desk research to identify relevant sources of information such as official national documents, international databases and scientific articles. Fora descriptive overview on how health promotion is funded, we focus on three dimensions: who is funding health promotion, what are the contribution mechanisms and who are the collecting agents. In addition to general information on funding of health promotion, we explore how programs on health promotion for older population groups are funded. There is a great diversity in funding of health promotion in European countries. Although public sources (tax and social health insurance revenues) are still most often used, other mechanisms of funding such as private donations or European funds are also common. Furthermore, there is no clear pattern in the funding of health promotion for different population groups. This is of particular importance for health promotion for older adults where information is limited across European countries. This study provides an overview of funding of health promotion interventions in European countries. The main obstacles for funding health promotion interventions are lack of information and the fragmentation in the funding of health promotion interventions for older adults.

  18. Forming ideas about health: a qualitative study of Ontario adolescents.

    PubMed

    Michaelson, Valerie; McKerron, Margaret; Davison, Colleen

    2015-01-01

    Adolescence is a crucial period of child development during which one's ideas about health are formed. However, little is known about the different contexts, experiences, and potential other factors that contribute to shaping the health ideas of adolescent populations, particularly when they are not seeking out the information for a particular purpose. In this Ontario-based qualitative study, grounded theory methods were used to explore ways that health knowledge is obtained in adolescents (age 10-16). A purposeful, criterion-based sampling strategy was used, and data were collected through seven focus groups (n=40). Findings indicate that while young people get their ideas about health through both didactic and organic learning contexts, the significant impact of organic learning is often overlooked. Categories of organic learning that emerged include self-reflective experience, the experience of close contacts, casually observing others, and common discourse. This study suggests that one central way that young people get their ideas about health is from living life: from the people they watch, the conversations that they have, and the experiences they live. Findings support the development of effective health promotion messages and also contribute to considering the place of some aspects of organic learning in the development of health-related resources that target adolescent populations.

  19. Forming ideas about health: A qualitative study of Ontario adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Michaelson, Valerie; McKerron, Margaret; Davison, Colleen

    2015-01-01

    Adolescence is a crucial period of child development during which one's ideas about health are formed. However, little is known about the different contexts, experiences, and potential other factors that contribute to shaping the health ideas of adolescent populations, particularly when they are not seeking out the information for a particular purpose. In this Ontario-based qualitative study, grounded theory methods were used to explore ways that health knowledge is obtained in adolescents (age 10–16). A purposeful, criterion-based sampling strategy was used, and data were collected through seven focus groups (n=40). Findings indicate that while young people get their ideas about health through both didactic and organic learning contexts, the significant impact of organic learning is often overlooked. Categories of organic learning that emerged include self-reflective experience, the experience of close contacts, casually observing others, and common discourse. This study suggests that one central way that young people get their ideas about health is from living life: from the people they watch, the conversations that they have, and the experiences they live. Findings support the development of effective health promotion messages and also contribute to considering the place of some aspects of organic learning in the development of health-related resources that target adolescent populations. PMID:26015404

  20. Implementing health promotion tools in Australian Indigenous primary health care.

    PubMed

    Percival, Nikki A; McCalman, Janya; Armit, Christine; O'Donoghue, Lynette; Bainbridge, Roxanne; Rowley, Kevin; Doyle, Joyce; Tsey, Komla

    2018-02-01

    In Australia, significant resources have been invested in producing health promotion best practice guidelines, frameworks and tools (herein referred to as health promotion tools) as a strategy to improve Indigenous health promotion programmes. Yet, there has been very little rigorous implementation research about whether or how health promotion tools are implemented. This paper theorizes the complex processes of health promotion tool implementation in Indigenous comprehensive primary healthcare services. Data were derived from published and grey literature about the development and the implementation of four Indigenous health promotion tools. Tools were theoretically sampled to account for the key implementation types described in the literature. Data were analysed using the grounded-theory methods of coding and constant comparison with construct a theoretical implementation model. An Indigenous Health Promotion Tool Implementation Model was developed. Implementation is a social process, whereby researchers, practitioners and community members collectively interacted in creating culturally responsive health promotion to the common purpose of facilitating empowerment. The implementation of health promotion tools was influenced by the presence of change agents; a commitment to reciprocity and organizational governance and resourcing. The Indigenous Health Promotion Tool Implementation Model assists in explaining how health promotion tools are implemented and the conditions that influence these actions. Rather than simply developing more health promotion tools, our study suggests that continuous investment in developing conditions that support empowering implementation processes are required to maximize the beneficial impacts and effectiveness of health promotion tools. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  1. The Worksite Health Promotion Capacity Instrument (WHPCI): development, validation and approaches for determining companies' levels of health promotion capacity.

    PubMed

    Jung, Julia; Nitzsche, Anika; Neumann, Melanie; Wirtz, Markus; Kowalski, Christoph; Wasem, Jürgen; Stieler-Lorenz, Brigitte; Pfaff, Holger

    2010-09-13

    The Worksite Health Promotion Capacity Instrument (WHPCI) was developed to assess two key factors for effective worksite health promotion: collective willingness and the systematic implementation of health promotion activities in companies. This study evaluates the diagnostic qualities of the WHPCI based on its subscales Health Promotion Willingness and Health Promotion Management, which can be used to place companies into four different categories based on their level of health promotion capacity. Psychometric evaluation was conducted using exploratory factor and reliability analyses with data taken from a random sample of managers from n = 522 German information and communication technology (ICT) companies. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to determine further diagnostic qualities of the instrument and to establish the cut-off scores used to determine each company's level of health promotion capacity. The instrument's subscales, Health Promotion Willingness and Health Promotion Management, are based on one-dimensional constructs, each with very good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.83/0.91). ROC analyses demonstrated satisfactory diagnostic accuracy with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.76 (SE = 0.021; 95% CI 0.72-0.80) for the Health Promotion Willingness scale and 0.81 (SE = 0.021; 95% CI 0.77-0.86) for the Health Promotion Management scale. A cut-off score with good sensitivity (71%/76%) and specificity (69%/75%) was determined for each scale. Both scales were found to have good predictive power and exhibited good efficiency. Our findings indicate preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of both subscales of the WHPCI. The goodness of each cut-off score suggests that the scales are appropriate for determining companies' levels of health promotion capacity. Support in implementing (systematic) worksite health promotion can then be tailored to each company's needs based on their current capacity level.

  2. Health promotion capacity mapping: the Korean situation.

    PubMed

    Nam, Eun Woo; Engelhardt, Katrin

    2007-06-01

    Ten years ago the Republic of Korea enacted the National Health Promotion Act, setting the stage for health promotion action in the country. A National Health Promotion Fund was established, financed through tobacco taxes, which is now one of the largest in the world. However, despite abundant financial resources, the infrastructure needed to plan, implement, coordinate and evaluate health promotion efforts is still underdeveloped. Currently, health promotion capacity mapping efforts are emerging in Korea. Two international capacity mapping tools have been used to assess the Korean situation, namely HP-Source and the Health Promotion Capacity Profile, which was developed prior to the sixth Global Conference of Health Promotion, held in August 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand. The article summarizes and discusses the results of the capacity mapping exercise, highlights its challenges and suggest ways to improve the accuracy of health promotion capacity mapping.

  3. A missing ethical competency? A review of critical reflection in health promotion.

    PubMed

    Tretheway, Rebecca; Taylor, Jane; O'Hara, Lily; Percival, Nikki

    2015-12-01

    There is increasing emphasis in the health promotion literature on the ethical imperative for the profession to move towards critical practice. A key challenge for health promotion is that critical practice appears both under-developed and under-practiced. This is evident in the omission of critical reflection from Australian and international competencies for health promotion practitioners. A narrative literature review was undertaken to explore the current use of critical reflection in health promotion. Critical reflection models relevant to health promotion were identified and critiqued. There was a dearth of literature on critical reflection within health promotion, despite recognition of its potential to support critical practice. The discipline of critical social work provided literature on the use, effect and outcome of critical reflection in practice. The interdisciplinary critical reflection model was identified as the model most applicable to health promotion. Underpinned by critical theory, this model emphasises both critical and ethical practice. Critical reflection is a core competency for health promotion practitioners to address the ethical imperative to move towards critical practice. There is a need to explore the application of a critical reflection model in health promotion to determine how it may support critical and ethical practice. So what? If health promotion is to meet its ethical responsibilities, then critical reflection needs to be articulated as a core health promotion competency and a model for its application in health promotion developed.

  4. Health by Design: Interweaving Health Promotion into Environments and Settings

    PubMed Central

    Springer, Andrew E.; Evans, Alexandra E.; Ortuño, Jaquelin; Salvo, Deborah; Varela Arévalo, Maria Teresa

    2017-01-01

    The important influence of the environmental context on health and health behavior—which includes place, settings, and the multiple environments within place and settings—has directed health promotion planners from a focus solely on changing individuals, toward a focus on harnessing and changing context for individual and community health promotion. Health promotion planning frameworks such as Intervention Mapping provide helpful guidance in addressing various facets of the environmental context in health intervention design, including the environmental factors that influence a given health condition or behavior, environmental agents that can influence a population’s health, and environmental change methods. In further exploring how to harness the environmental context for health promotion, we examine in this paper the concept of interweaving of health promotion into context, defined as weaving or blending together health promotion strategies, practices, programs, and policies to fit within, complement, and build from existing settings and environments. Health promotion interweaving stems from current perspectives in health intervention planning, improvement science and complex systems thinking by guiding practitioners from a conceptualization of context as a backdrop to intervention, to one that recognizes context as integral to the intervention design and to the potential to directly influence health outcomes. In exploring the general approach of health promotion interweaving, we examine selected theoretical and practice-based interweaving concepts in relation to four key environments (the policy environment, the information environment, the social/cultural/organizational environment, and the physical environment), followed by evidence-based and practice-based examples of health promotion interweaving from the literature. Interweaving of health promotion into context is a common practice for health planners in designing health promotion interventions, yet one which merits further intentionality as a specific health promotion planning design approach. PMID:29043248

  5. Health by Design: Interweaving Health Promotion into Environments and Settings.

    PubMed

    Springer, Andrew E; Evans, Alexandra E; Ortuño, Jaquelin; Salvo, Deborah; Varela Arévalo, Maria Teresa

    2017-01-01

    The important influence of the environmental context on health and health behavior-which includes place, settings, and the multiple environments within place and settings-has directed health promotion planners from a focus solely on changing individuals, toward a focus on harnessing and changing context for individual and community health promotion. Health promotion planning frameworks such as Intervention Mapping provide helpful guidance in addressing various facets of the environmental context in health intervention design, including the environmental factors that influence a given health condition or behavior, environmental agents that can influence a population's health, and environmental change methods. In further exploring how to harness the environmental context for health promotion, we examine in this paper the concept of interweaving of health promotion into context , defined as weaving or blending together health promotion strategies, practices, programs, and policies to fit within, complement, and build from existing settings and environments. Health promotion interweaving stems from current perspectives in health intervention planning, improvement science and complex systems thinking by guiding practitioners from a conceptualization of context as a backdrop to intervention, to one that recognizes context as integral to the intervention design and to the potential to directly influence health outcomes. In exploring the general approach of health promotion interweaving, we examine selected theoretical and practice-based interweaving concepts in relation to four key environments ( the policy environment, the information environment, the social/cultural/organizational environment , and the physical environment ), followed by evidence-based and practice-based examples of health promotion interweaving from the literature. Interweaving of health promotion into context is a common practice for health planners in designing health promotion interventions, yet one which merits further intentionality as a specific health promotion planning design approach.

  6. Studying the striving and opposing forces in newspaper journalism: the actantial model of health promotion.

    PubMed

    Aarva, Pauliina; Tampere, Marja Pakarinen

    2006-06-01

    The cultural aspects of health promotion are important in policy development as well as in assessing effectiveness of health promotion activities. The discourses on promoting health and well-being in journalism reflect the health promotion culture in society. This article illustrates how health promotion is portrayed by 147 newspaper items from the two Finnish quality dailies during the period 2002-2004 and introduces a semiotic Actantial Model of Health Promotion (AMHP) for studying health promotion cultures. The most popular news themes on health promotion were physical and social environment, welfare services, nutrition and obesity, and mental well-being. The actants (actors, actions and abstract factor) of health promotion were identified and the AMHP with seven key actants (generator, health-object, public, tool, executor, threat and obstacle) was constructed. The model sheds light on two sides of health promotion discourses in journalism. The dominant culture of health promotion was represented by policy actions, information, education and scientific research, which were defined by health experts, decision-makers and researchers. Representations of the opposite culture--'the otherness' of health promotion included external harmful factors and unhealthy behaviours, mentalities opposed to being health-oriented, rationally uncontrolled living, disorder, disharmony and insecurity. The opposing factors were presented by people and institutions lacking the will, ability or motivation for a health-oriented life. To understand better the values of health promotion, it is necessary to assess the characteristics of the opposite side of health promotion culture, because the current dominant values can be described more clearly by the boundaries--by 'otherness'. The study argues that the AMHP can be used as a semiotic method to identify the value dimensions and the boundaries between the dominant and the opposite discourses of health promotion in various communications such as advertising and health education. Also, it provides a tool for the analysis of the media's role in 'victimization' or 'heroization' of various population groups.

  7. Lovestruck: women, romantic love and intimate partner violence.

    PubMed

    Power, Charmaine; Koch, Tina; Kralik, Debbie; Jackson, Debra

    2006-05-01

    Intimate Partner Violence remains a significant problem globally despite health promotion aimed at raising awareness. In particular, there is a current trend for many young women to view some abusive/violent behaviours as acceptable in their relationships. Intimate Partner Violence has serious implications for its short and long term impacts on the health of women and children. Health workers may find working with women a challenging and sometimes frustrating experience. A way forward is to develop clearer understandings of the complexities of Intimate Partner Violence and to better understand women's investments in romantic relationships. In this paper a secondary analysis of data from a narrative study of women's recovery from IPV relationships is presented in order to illustrate discourses that inform underpinnings of romantic relationships. Transcriptions of audio-taped interviews were analysed using a feminist post-structural approach in order to make visible the ways in which the women negotiated their identities in the discourses of femininity. A critical review of current literature was also undertaken to develop the construct of romantic love. Women revealed that cues for Intimate Partner Violence were present early in the relationship but were not recognised at the time. Two positions within the discourse of romantic love were identified that underpinned their desires to establish and invest in the relationship despite the presence of cues for Intimate Partner Violence. These were 'Desperate for a man' and interpreting jealousy as a sign of love. Romantic love may be desirable for the sharing of warmth, safety and protection, and yet can mask behaviours that are cues for domestic violence. Understanding the complex nature of the ways that women's desires are located in the discourse of romantic love has implications for all nurses working to prevent and reduce the incidence of Intimate Partner Violence.

  8. Assessing environmental assets for health promotion program planning: a practical framework for health promotion practitioners

    PubMed Central

    Springer, Andrew E.; Evans, Alexandra E.

    2016-01-01

    Conducting a health needs assessment is an important if not essential first step for health promotion planning. This paper explores how health needs assessments may be further strengthened for health promotion planning via an assessment of environmental assets rooted in the multiple environments (policy, information, social and physical environments) that shape health and behavior. Guided by a behavioral-ecological perspective- one that seeks to identify environmental assets that can influence health behavior, and an implementation science perspective- one that seeks to interweave health promotion strategies into existing environmental assets, we present a basic framework for assessing environmental assets and review examples from the literature to illustrate the incorporation of environmental assets into health program design. Health promotion practitioners and researchers implicitly identify and apply environmental assets in the design and implementation of health promotion interventions;this paper provides foundation for greater intentionality in assessing environmental assets for health promotion planning. PMID:27579254

  9. Assessing environmental assets for health promotion program planning: a practical framework for health promotion practitioners.

    PubMed

    Springer, Andrew E; Evans, Alexandra E

    2016-01-01

    Conducting a health needs assessment is an important if not essential first step for health promotion planning. This paper explores how health needs assessments may be further strengthened for health promotion planning via an assessment of environmental assets rooted in the multiple environments (policy, information, social and physical environments) that shape health and behavior. Guided by a behavioral-ecological perspective- one that seeks to identify environmental assets that can influence health behavior, and an implementation science perspective- one that seeks to interweave health promotion strategies into existing environmental assets, we present a basic framework for assessing environmental assets and review examples from the literature to illustrate the incorporation of environmental assets into health program design. Health promotion practitioners and researchers implicitly identify and apply environmental assets in the design and implementation of health promotion interventions;this paper provides foundation for greater intentionality in assessing environmental assets for health promotion planning.

  10. WHO Health Promotion Glossary: new terms.

    PubMed

    Smith, Ben J; Tang, Kwok Cho; Nutbeam, Don

    2006-12-01

    The WHO Health Promotion Glossary was written to facilitate understanding, communication and cooperation among those engaged in health promotion at the local, regional, national and global levels. Two editions of the Glossary have been released, the first in 1986 and the second in 1998, and continued revision of the document is necessary to promote consensus regarding meanings and to take account of developments in thinking and practice. In this update 10 new terms that are to be included in the Glossary are presented. Criteria for the inclusion of terms in the Glossary are that they differentiate health promotion from other health concepts, or have a specific application or meaning when used in relation to health promotion. The terms defined here are: burden of disease; capacity building; evidence-based health promotion; global health; health impact assessment; needs assessment; self-efficacy; social marketing; sustainable health promotion strategies, and; wellness. WHO will continue to periodically update the Health Promotion Glossary to ensure its relevance to the international health promotion community.

  11. Health promotion health center project.

    PubMed

    Lee, Tae Wha; Lee, Chung Yul; Kim, Hee Soon; Ham, Ok Kyung

    2007-01-01

    As part of a major government support for health promotion, a health promotion health center (HPHC) project was launched at the national level in Korea. The purpose of the study was to describe this 2-year HPHC project within the framework of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and to evaluate the preliminary outcomes of the community residents. A cross-sectional design was used. A total of 2,261 community residents participated in the survey, with 792 in HPHC sites and 1,469 in non-HPHC sites. The instrument included questions on participants' demographic characteristics, awareness, participation, health behavior (smoking, exercise, meat consumption, and blood pressure checkup), and satisfaction with the health promotion programs. The 5 main health promotion strategies of the Ottawa Charter were evident in the HPHCs. HPHCs were successful in enhancing awareness, participation, and satisfaction through their health promotion programs, although health behaviors were not significantly different between the 2 groups, except exercise. Ottawa Charter strategies embedded within the practice of the community health promotion activities were effective in increasing the short-term outcomes (awareness, participation, and satisfaction with health promotion programs), which is a promising finding for the development of health promotion behaviors in the future.

  12. Human Rights Discourse in the Sustainable Development Agenda Avoids Obligations and Entitlements Comment on "Rights Language in the Sustainable Development Agenda: Has Right to Health Discourse and Norms Shaped Health Goals?".

    PubMed

    Williams, Carmel; Blaiklock, Alison

    2016-03-05

    Our commentary on Forman et al paper explores their thesis that right to health language can frame global health policy responses. We examined human rights discourse in the outcome documents from three 2015 United Nations (UN) summits and found rights-related terms are used in all three. However, a deeper examination of the discourse finds the documents do not convey the obligations and entitlements of human rights and international human rights law. The documents contain little that can be used to empower the participation of those already left behind and to hold States and the private sector to account for their human rights duties. This is especially worrying in a neoliberal era. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  13. Attitudes, barriers and facilitators for health promotion in the elderly in primary care. A qualitative focus group study.

    PubMed

    Badertscher, Nina; Rossi, Pascal Olivier; Rieder, Arabelle; Herter-Clavel, Catherine; Rosemann, Thomas; Zoller, Marco

    2012-07-11

    Effective health promotion is of great importance from clinical as well as from public health perspectives and therefore should be encouraged. Especially regarding health promotion in the elderly, general practitioners (GPs) have a key role. Nevertheless, evidence suggests a lack of health promotion by GPs, especially in this age group. The aim of our study was to assess self-perceived attitudes, barriers and facilitators of GPs to provide health promotion in the elderly. We performed a qualitative focus group study with 37 general practitioners. The focus group interviews were recorded digitally, transcribed literally and analysed with ATLAS.ti, a software program for qualitative text analysis. Among the participating GPs, definitions of health promotion varied widely and the opinions regarding its effectiveness were very heterogeneous. The two most important self-perceived barriers for GPs to provide health promotion in the elderly were lack of time and insufficient reimbursement for preventive and health promotion advice. As intervention to increase health promotion in the elderly, GPs suggested, for example, integration of health promotion into under and postgraduate training. Changes at the practice level such as involving the practice nurse in health promotion and counselling were discussed very controversially. Health promotion, especially in the elderly, is crucial but in the opinion of the GPs we involved in our study, there is a gap between public health requirements and the reimbursement system. Integration of health promotion in medical education may be needed to increase knowledge as well as attitudes of GPs regarding this issue.

  14. Health Promotion Education in India: Present Landscape and Future Vistas

    PubMed Central

    Pati, Sanghamitra; Sharma, Kavya; Zodpey, Sanjay; Chauhan, Kavita; Dobe, Madhumita

    2012-01-01

    ‘Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health’. This stream of public health is emerging as a critical domain within the realm of disease prevention. Over the last two decades, the curative model of health care has begun a subtle shift towards a participatory model of health promotion emphasizing upon practice of healthy lifestyles and creating healthy communities. Health promotion encompasses five key strategies with health communication and education as its cornerstones. Present study is an attempt to explore the current situation of health promotion education in India with an aim to provide a background for capacity building in health promotion. A systematic predefined method was adopted to collect and compile information on existing academic programs pertaining to health promotion and health education/communication. Results of the study reveal that currently health promotion education in India is fragmented and not uniform across institutes. It is yet to be recognized as a critical domain of public health education. Mostly teaching of health promotion is limited to health education and communication. There is a need for designing programmes for short-term and long-term capacity building, with focus on innovative methods and approaches. Public health institutes and associations could play a proactive role in designing and imparting academic programs on health promotion. Enhancing alliances with various institutes involved in health promotion activities and networking among public health and medical institutes as well as health services delivery systems would be more productive. PMID:22980352

  15. Health promotion practices as perceived by primary healthcare professionals at the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

    PubMed

    Altamimi, Samar; Alshoshan, Feda; Al Shaman, Ghada; Tawfeeq, Nasser; Alasmary, May; Ahmed, Anwar E

    2016-01-01

    In recent years, several research studies have investigated health promotion practices in Saudi healthcare organizations, yet no published literature exists on health promotion practices of primary healthcare professionals working for the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNG-HA). A cross-sectional study was conducted in a convenience sample of 206 primary healthcare professionals at the MNG-HA. A self-reporting questionnaire was used to investigate the attitudes, awareness, satisfaction, and methods regarding health promotion practices of primary healthcare professionals. Of the 206 primary healthcare professionals surveyed, 58.1% reported awareness of health promotion programs conducted in the hospitals and 64.6% reported that the health promotion system in the hospitals needs to be improved. Language barriers and cultural beliefs were viewed as obstacles to carrying out effective health promotion by 65% and 64.6% of primary healthcare professionals, respectively. The majority (79.9%) of the primary healthcare professionals perceived themselves as having the necessary skills to promote health and 80.6% believed that printed educational materials are the most prevalent method of health promotion/education, whereas 55.8% reported that counseling was the most preferred method of health promotion. The awareness level of health promotion policies, strategies, and programs conducted in the hospitals was not found to be satisfactory. Therefore, widespread training programs are recommended to improve the health promotion system in the hospitals. These programs include facilitating behavioral change, introducing health promotion policies and strategies in hospitals, mandatory workshops, and systematic reminders.

  16. Midwives' perceptions and experiences of health promotion practice in Ghana.

    PubMed

    Owusu-Addo, Ebenezer

    2015-09-01

    This research explores midwives' perceptions and experiences of health promotion practice in Ghana. A qualitative descriptive exploratory design was used in order to gain better insight into midwives' perceptions and experiences of health promotion practice. A total of 21 midwives took part in the study. Data were collected by individual in-depth semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcript. Five dominant themes emerged from the interview transcripts, namely: health promotion as education, health promotion activities, the value of health promotion, client participation, and midwives' barriers to promoting health. Although midwives underscored the importance of health promotion to their work, their reports indicated that, in practice, midwives mostly delivered health education and behaviour change communication rather than health promotion. The midwives expressed the view that by way of their close association with women, they were in a better position to influence women's health. Health promotion activities engaged by the midwives included weight management, healthy eating, infection prevention, personal hygiene, counselling on family planning, and screening for hazardous and harmful substance use such as alcohol and smoking. All the midwives mentioned that clients participated in their health promotion activities. Factors that were identified by the midwives to enhance client participation were trust, attitude of the midwife, building rapport, creating enabling environment, listening and paying attention to clients and using simple language. The barriers to health promotion identified by the midwives included time, stress, culture, lack of training and inadequate health educational materials. Midwives in this study had limited knowledge about health promotion, yet could play a significant role in influencing health; thus there is a need for on-going in-service training for midwives to focus on health promotion. © The Author(s) 2014.

  17. The promotion of unhealthy habits in gay, lesbian, and straight intimate partnerships

    PubMed Central

    Reczek, Corinne

    2016-01-01

    Health habits are linked to nearly half of U.S. and British deaths annually. While a legacy of research suggests that marriage has important positive consequences for health habits, recent work emphasizes that intimate ties can also deter from healthy habits and promote unhealthy habits. However, few studies examine the mechanisms through which unhealthy habits are promoted in marriage. Moreover, little research explores how unhealthy habits are promoted in intimate ties other than marriage—such as in gay and lesbian cohabiting relationships. The present study analyzes the mechanisms through which gay, lesbian, and straight long-term partners (N = 120) contribute to one another’s unhealthy habits. Three distinct mechanisms emerge. First, respondents identify a process of unilateral health habit diffusion wherein one partner’s health habits directly influence the other partners’ habits. Second, respondents describe bilateral unhealthy habit diffusion, wherein both partner’s unhealthy habits are reinforced via mutual pleasure seeking or mutual failed motivation. Third, respondents describe a discourse of personal responsibility, wherein both partners purposefully fail to deter one another’s unhealthy habits. Analysis further illustrates how these mechanisms operate differently for men and women in gay, lesbian, and straight relationships. PMID:22703888

  18. The promotion of unhealthy habits in gay, lesbian, and straight intimate partnerships.

    PubMed

    Reczek, Corinne

    2012-09-01

    Health habits are linked to nearly half of U.S. and British deaths annually. While a legacy of research suggests that marriage has important positive consequences for health habits, recent work emphasizes that intimate ties can also deter from healthy habits and promote unhealthy habits. However, few studies examine the mechanisms through which unhealthy habits are promoted in marriage. Moreover, little research explores how unhealthy habits are promoted in intimate ties other than marriage-such as in gay and lesbian cohabiting relationships. The present study analyzes the mechanisms through which gay, lesbian, and straight long-term partners (N = 120) contribute to one another's unhealthy habits. Three distinct mechanisms emerge. First, respondents identify a process of unilateral health habit diffusion wherein one partner's health habits directly influence the other partners' habits. Second, respondents describe bilateral unhealthy habit diffusion, wherein both partner's unhealthy habits are reinforced via mutual pleasure seeking or mutual failed motivation. Third, respondents describe a discourse of personal responsibility, wherein both partners purposefully fail to deter one another's unhealthy habits. Analysis further illustrates how these mechanisms operate differently for men and women in gay, lesbian, and straight relationships. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. [The senses of sanitary safety in the discourse of the National Health Surveillance Agency].

    PubMed

    Barbosa, Ana de Oliveira; Costa, Ediná Alves

    2010-11-01

    The term sanitary safety (SS) appeared in the international debate mainly due to the emerging sanitary crisis, although its meaning has remained obscure. This paper aims to analyze the concept of SS brought into the Brazilian sanitary surveillance upon the creation of the National Health Surveillance Agency. An exploratory case study was undertaken with technical data analysis and semi-structured interviews with informants who had taken part in the process of formulating the body's institutional design. The following categories were analyzed: incorporation of the SS term into the institutional mission, the SS concept and SS mechanisms. The SS concept was analyzed in both institutional and technical discursive dimensions. The former elicits the sense of strategy, a reliable relationship and legitimacy whereas the latter shows the sense of an acceptable risk-benefit relationship from the perspective of individual and collective health protection and promotion. The SS concept was found to encompass health-related products, technologies and services, especially those designed for medical diagnosis and treatment, but environmental issues received little mention. The scope of the SS concept was shown to be widening to include the surveillance of hospital infection, drugs and blood.

  20. [The national public discourse on priority setting in health care in German print media].

    PubMed

    Liesching, Florian; Meyer, Thorsten; Raspe, Heiner

    2012-01-01

    Germany's Central Ethics Committee of the Federal Chamber of Physicians (FCP) and other relevant national actors called for a public discourse on priority setting in health care. Politicians, members of a Federal Joint Committee and health insurance representatives, however, refused to promote or participate in the establishment of a public discussion. A change to that attitude only became apparent after former FCP President Hoppe's opening speech at the annual FCP assembly in Mainz in 2009. The present paper applies the Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse, implemented through Qualitative Content Analysis and elements of Grounded Theory, to examine the development of the national public discourse in leading German print media. It creates a matrix that represents the discourse development between May 2009 and May 2010 and reflects central actors, their "communicative phenomena" and their interactions. Additionally, the matrix has been extended to cover the period until December 2011. Hoppe's arguments for priority setting in health care are faced with a wide opposition assuming opposing prerequisites and thus demanding alternative remedies. The lack of interaction between the different parties prevents any development of the speakers' positions. Incorrect accounts, reductions and left-outs in the media representation add to this effect. Consequently, the public discussion on priority setting is far from being an evolving rational discourse. Instead, it constitutes an exchange of preformed opposing positions. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  1. Health promotion and young prisoners: a European perspective.

    PubMed

    MacDonald, Morag; Rabiee, Fatemeh; Weilandt, Caren

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to assess the health promotion needs of vulnerable young prisoners and the existing health promotion activities in custodial settings in seven European Union (EU) Member States. The research comprised two components: the first involved identifying existing health promotion practices. The second involved mapping out young offenders' health promotion needs by carrying out a needs assessment. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted. The quantitative element comprised surveys among young prisoners and prison staff and focused on the availability and perceived importance of health promotion activities in prison. The qualitative element comprised focus groups with young offenders and individual interviews with prison staff, field experts and NGO members. The findings from the research have identified a number of similar, but also some diverse areas of unmet need for health promotion activities in prison settings across these diverse seven EU countries. There is no consistency of approach within and between countries regarding health promotion policy, guidance, resources and programmes for young prisoners. In order to improve the health of young prisoners and to establish and increase sustainability of existing health promotion programmes, there is a need for the establishment of National and EU standards. Providing health promotion activities for young prisoners while in custodial settings is key to addressing their unmet health and well-being needs and to facilitate their reintegration back into the community. Despite the barriers identified by this research, health promotion is to some extent being delivered in the partner countries and provides a foundation upon which further implementation of health promotion activities can be built especially when the benefits of health promotion activities, like dealing with the common problems of alcohol and drug addiction, mental health and communicable diseases are linked to successful reintegration.

  2. 78 FR 10618 - Re-Establishment of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-14

    ..., Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health..., Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health (hereafter referred to as ``the Advisory Group... Advisory Group provides recommendations and advice to the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public...

  3. Workforce insights on how health promotion is practised in an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service.

    PubMed

    McFarlane, Kathryn; Devine, Sue; Judd, Jenni; Nichols, Nina; Watt, Kerrianne

    2017-07-01

    Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services deliver holistic and culturally appropriate primary health care to over 150 communities in Australia. Health promotion is a core function of comprehensive primary health care; however, little has been published on what enables or challenges health promotion practice in an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service. Apunipima Cape York Health Council (Apunipima) delivers primary health care to 11 remote north Queensland communities. The workforce includes medical, allied health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and health practitioners and corporate support staff. This study aimed to identify current health promotion practices at Apunipima, and the enablers and challenges identified by the workforce, which support or hinder health promotion practice. Sixty-three staff from across this workforce completed an online survey in February 2015 (42% response rate). Key findings were: (1) health promotion is delivered across a continuum of one-on-one approaches through to population advocacy and policy change efforts; (2) the attitude towards health promotion was very positive; and (3) health promotion capacity can be enhanced at both individual and organisational levels. Workforce insights have identified areas for continued support and areas that, now identified, can be targeted to strengthen the health promotion capacity of Apunipima.

  4. The case of national health promotion policy in Australia: where to now?

    PubMed

    Smith, James A; Crawford, Gemma; Signal, Louise

    2016-04-01

    Issue addressed Over the last three decades there has been an incremental investment in health promotion and prevention across Australia; yet, the Commonwealth Government and some state/territory governments have more recently instigated funding cuts in health promotion and prevention. This paper argues that the role of health promotion is critical in contemporary Australia and discusses strategies needed to move forward within the context of recent disinvestments. Discussion Key areas of concern relating to recent health promotion and prevention disinvestment in Australia include the abolishment of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency, the cessation of the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health and significant cuts to Indigenous programs. These changes pose a significant threat to the health, economic and social well being of Australians and the region, particularly those that are most vulnerable. Conclusions Future health promotion and prevention efforts will require strategic leadership and action to enhance the promotion of health equity in Australia over the coming decades. We call on governments to (re)invest in health promotion and prevention both in and outside the health sector so that health promotion professionals can continue their advocacy efforts aimed at articulating their professional place in improving population health. So what? Recent changes to national health promotion and prevention policy are detrimental to the health and well being of the Australian population, particularly those most vulnerable. Sound planning to revitalise and refocus health promotion action in Australia is urgently required.

  5. School health promotion--international perspectives and role of health care professionals.

    PubMed

    Prasla, Munira; Prasla, Shameer Ali

    2011-01-01

    Schools have great potential in health promotion; however, this is often neglected area and fewer efforts are done in exploring status of school health promotion in Pakistan. This paper attempts to outline brief historical background of school health promotion in Pakistan; presents critical review of some international school health promotion perspectives; and finally explore opportunities and role of healthcare professionals in Pakistan's context. A critical review of peer-reviewed literature divided into two broad themes of international perspectives on school health promotion, and role of healthcare professionals. Results are presented in cross-cutting themes and in narrative style. School health promotion is very diverse phenomenon, situated in respective cultural contexts. Programmes pesent a range of characteristics from focusing on integrated approach to health education to behavioural changes; and from involving youngsters to policy advocacy. Like the programmes, role of healthcare professionals is also varied and dynamic and without clearly defining their role, development of effective health promotion programmes is difficult. School health promotion could be facilitated by appropriate trainings for healthcare professionals and evidence-based policy changes.

  6. Health promotion competencies: providing a road map for health promotion to assume a prominent role in global health.

    PubMed

    Shilton, Trevor

    2009-06-01

    Understanding of health and its determinants is rapidly expanding and changing. The emergence of chronic diseases as the leading cause of global disease burden and improved understanding of social determinants of health has brought greater focus to the role of prevention in health. The IUHPE has shown outstanding leadership through the Galway Consensus Statement. Its three recommendations appropriately focus on stimulating dialogue, developing global consensus and communicating the results to key stakeholders. The IUHPE can further enhance progress of the statement by developing participative processes to ensure engagement and ownership by its members. The Galway Consensus Statement can be used to advance professional standards in global health promotion by: (1) providing a common language by which health promotion and its meaning can be communicated to others; (2) providing a framework for building capacity in the health promotion workforce and in the health workforce in general; (3) providing international consensus for consistency in university health promotion courses; (4) providing a framework for credentialing in health promotion; (5) better informing health promotion engagement with other significant workforce sectors and advancing partnership as a key way of working. A vital further application of the Galway Consensus Statement is to inform advocacy. Advocacy is vital to ensure health promotion is better resourced and prioritized by policy makers. Advocacy and communication are vital tools to highlight the evidence, establish the policy fit and infrastructure requirements of health promotion, and present health promotion solutions based on evidence of effectiveness.

  7. Healthy Communities and civil discourse: a leadership opportunity for public health professionals.

    PubMed

    Kesler, J T

    2000-01-01

    The author argues that the Healthy Communities movement provides public health professionals with an opportunity to become not just community leaders but also agents of change in a broad political sense. Extending the work of Kohlberg and other developmental psychologists, the author describes five levels of civil discourse. Professionals who practice the inclusive, consensus-oriented level of discourse, which is consistent with the philosophy of Healthy Communities, can help reinvigorate civil society and democracy as a part of making their communities healthier.

  8. 'You have to do 60 minutes of physical activity per day … I saw it on TV': children's constructions of play in the context of Canadian public health discourse of playing for health.

    PubMed

    Alexander, Stephanie A; Fusco, Caroline; Frohlich, Katherine L

    2015-02-01

    Public health institutions in many industrialised countries have been launching calls to address childhood obesity. As part of these efforts, Canadian physical activity campaigns have recently introduced children's play as a critical component of obesity prevention strategies. We consider this approach problematic as it may reshape the meanings and affective experiences of play for children. Drawing on the analytical concept of biopedagogies, we place Canadian public health discourse on play in dialogue with children's constructions of play to examine first, how play is promoted within obesity prevention strategies and second, whether children take up this public health discourse. Our findings suggest that: (i) the public health discourse on active play is taken up and reproduced by some children. However, for other children sedentary play is important for their social and emotional wellbeing; (ii) while active play is deemed to be a solution to the risk of obesity, it also embodies contradictions over risk in play, which children have to negotiate. We argue that the active play discourse, which valorises some representations of play (that is, active) while obscuring others (that is, sedentary), is reshaping meanings of play for children, and that this may have unintended consequences for children's wellbeing. © 2015 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. "Why All of a Sudden Do We Need to Teach Fundamental British Values?" A Critical Investigation of Religious Education Student Teacher Positioning within a Policy Discourse of Discipline and Control

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farrell, Francis

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a critical investigation of a group of 11 religious education (RE) student teachers' views of the promotion of fundamental British values (FBV) undertaken in 2015. Using qualitative methods, data were collected in two semi-structured group interviews. Drawing from the perspectives of Foucauldian methodology and critical theory,…

  10. Fostering the future of health promotion as seen through the 'Message from Youth Delegates on Health Promotion and Sustainable Development'.

    PubMed

    Rodgers, Sara

    2017-03-01

    The World Health Organization 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion presented us with the Shanghai Declaration for promoting health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At the same time, the participants of the conference symposium, 'How can youth become future leaders in delivering on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?' produced the 'Message from Youth Delegates on Health Promotion and Sustainable Development' as its complement. This 'Message from Youth Delegates' outlined pledges of young leaders in health promotion and proposed the necessary steps to ensure the future of health promotion includes more meaningful participation by young people. In order to fulfil the newest promises of the Shanghai Declaration and the past promises of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, we must think to close the divides between generations of health promoters and move forward on actions designed to develop the best possible future leaders for the field of global health. (Global Health Promotion, 2017; 24(1): 62-65).

  11. Scarcity discourses and their impacts on renal care policy, practices, and everyday experiences in rural British Columbia

    PubMed Central

    Brassolotto, Julia; Daly, Tamara

    2017-01-01

    Drawing from a qualitative case study in rural British Columbia, Canada, this paper examines the discourse of kidney scarcity and its impact on renal care policies and practices. Our findings suggest that at different levels of care, there are different discourses and treatment foci. We have identified three distinct scarcity discourses at work. At the macro policy level, the scarcity of transplantable kidneys is the dominant discourse. At the meso health care institution level, we witnessed a discourse regarding the scarcity of health care and human resources. At the micro community level, there was a discourse of the scarcity of health and life-sustaining resources. For each form of scarcity, particular responses are encouraged. At the macro level, renal care and transplant organizations emphasize the benefits of kidney transplantation and procuring more donors. At the meso level, participants from the regional health care system increasingly encourage home hemodialysis and patient-led care. At the micro level, community health care professionals push for rural renal patients to attend dialysis and maintain their care plans. This work contributes to critical, interdisciplinary organ transfer discourse by contextualizing kidney scarcity. It reveals the tension between these discourses and the implications of pursuing kidney donations without addressing the conditions in which individuals experience kidney failure. PMID:26854624

  12. Nurses' roles in health promotion practice: an integrative review.

    PubMed

    Kemppainen, Virpi; Tossavainen, Kerttu; Turunen, Hannele

    2013-12-01

    Nurses play an important role in promoting public health. Traditionally, the focus of health promotion by nurses has been on disease prevention and changing the behaviour of individuals with respect to their health. However, their role as promoters of health is more complex, since they have multi-disciplinary knowledge and experience of health promotion in their nursing practice. This paper presents an integrative review aimed at examining the findings of existing research studies (1998-2011) of health promotion practice by nurses. Systematic computer searches were conducted of the Cochrane databases, Cinahl, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Scopus databases, covering the period January 1998 to December 2011. Data were analysed and the results are presented using the concept map method of Novak and Gowin. The review found information on the theoretical basis of health promotion practice by nurses, the range of their expertise, health promotion competencies and the organizational culture associated with health promotion practice. Nurses consider health promotion important but a number of obstacles associated with organizational culture prevent effective delivery.

  13. Practicing health promotion in primary care -a reflective enquiry.

    PubMed

    Pati, S; Chauhan, A S; Mahapatra, S; Sinha, R; Pati, S

    2017-12-01

    Health promotion is an integral part of routine clinical practice. The physicians' role in improving the health status of the general population, through effective understanding and delivery of health promotion practice, is evident throughout the international literature. Data from India suggest that physicians have limited skills in delivering specific health promotion services. However, the data available on this is scarce. This study was planned to document the current health promotion knowledge, perception and practices of local primary care physicians in Odisha. An exploratory study was planned between the months of January - February 2013 in Odisha among primary care physicians working in government set up. This exploratory study was conducted, using a two-step self-administered questionnaire, thirty physicians practicing under government health system were asked to map their ideal and current health promotion practice, and potential health promotion elements to be worked upon to enhance the practice. The study recorded a significant difference between the mean of current and ideal health promotion practices. The study reported that physicians want to increase their practice on health education. We concluded that inclusion of health promotion practices in routine care is imperative for a strong healthcare system. It should be incorporated as a structured health promotion module in medical curriculum as well.

  14. Health promotion and the freedom of the individual.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Gary; Hawley, Helen

    2006-03-01

    This article considers the extent to which health promotion strategies pose a threat to individual freedom. It begins by taking a look at health promotion strategies and at the historical development of health promotion in Britain. A theoretical context is then developed in which Berlin's distinction between negative and positive liberty is used alongside the ideas of John Stuart Mill, Charles Taylor and T.H. Green to discuss the politics of health promotion and to identify the implications of conflicting perspectives on freedom. The final section looks at current health promotion policy in Britain and beyond and argues that, if freedom is seen in terms of empowerment, health promotion can enhance individual freedom.

  15. Faith communities and their assets for health promotion: the views from health professionals and faith leaders in Dundee, in Scotland.

    PubMed

    Fagan, Donna M; Kiger, Alice; van Teijlingen, Edwin

    2012-06-01

    Within the European Union, as well as in Canada and the United States (US), health promoters employ a number of strategies to encourage community-based health improvements. This involves the creation of innovative health promotion partnerships to support and enable people to choose and engage in healthy living practices. Compared to the US, in other Western countries, such as the United Kingdom, faith communities have largely been ignored in health promotion partnerships. This study established existing evidence about health promotion in faith communities in Scotland by examining the perceptions and attitudes concerning health promotion among faith leaders and health promotion professionals. We conducted 33 semi-structured interviews with health promotion professionals (n = 9) and representatives of Christian and non-Christian faith communities (n = 24). The majority of participants expressed an interest in the concept of health promotion in a faith community and could readily envision its application in their area of work. Both groups identified multiple physical assets, as well as social supports within faith communities that could be directed towards healthy living activities. Faith groups and church organisations may constitute potential partners and new settings to increase community capacity for health promotion. Further research and funding for demonstration projects may be particularly helpful to provide evidence of the strengths and limitations of faith-based health promotion in Scotland, which in turn could inform health promotion practice and policy.

  16. [Workplace Health Promotion in Small, Medium-Sized and Large Enterprises of the Health-Care Sector - Frequency, Reasons for the Company Management to Take Action and Barriers to Implementation].

    PubMed

    Schaefer, E; Drexler, H; Kiesel, J

    2016-03-01

    The aim of this study was to gain insight into worksite health promotion in small and medium-sized companies compared to large concerns in Middle Franconia. Action in worksite health promotion, obstacles and demand for networks for workplace health promotion were determined. A standardised telephone interview served for collecting data for this cross-sectional study. The interviewee was always the manager or their proxy. 106 companies were contacted. The results of this study were analysed via qualitative and quantitative methods in SPSS(®) 20. It was possible to reach and interview 80 companies, a return rate of 75.5%. More than half the companies (68.8%) implemented at least one activity for worksite health promotion, especially ergonomic measures and measures to promote physical activity. Taking the size of the company into consideration when analysing the results, previous study results are confirmed. With an increasing size of the company, the relative frequency of measures for workplace health promotion rises. The motivation for worksite health promotion ranges from keeping the employees healthy (38.2%) to worksite health promotion as part of the business culture (9.1%). 81.1% of the companies consider their activity in worksite health promotion to be successful. Furthermore, 80.0% of the firms that implemented worksite health promotion were supported by a partner like a health insurance (43.2%). Those companies that did not implement any activities for worksite health promotion, state as a prime reason that they did not think about it as yet (44.0%). Besides, 44.0% of the companies without any worksite health promotion would like to implement measures. 65.5% of the companies that already took action in worksite health promotion and 56.0% of the companies that did not would like to cooperate with other firms in a network for workplace health promotion. Mutual exchange is the most important factor for them. The results of this study show that almost half of the companies that did not implement measures for worksite health promotion as yet would like to take action in this regard. For a bigger establishment of worksite health promotion, networks are predestinated and are best accompanied and supported by external professionals like health insurances, mutual indemnity associations or universities. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  17. Exploring strategies to improve the health promotion orientation of Flemish sports clubs.

    PubMed

    Meganck, Jeroen; Seghers, Jan; Scheerder, Jeroen

    2017-08-01

    Sports clubs are increasingly recognized as an innovative setting for health promotion, as exemplified by the health promoting sports club concept. This study aims to assess the health promotion orientation of both youth sports clubs (YSC) and adult sports clubs (ASC) in Flanders and to identify the motives and barriers as reported by their representatives as a basis for proposing intervention strategies to improve the health promotion orientation in sports clubs. A total of 253 Flemish sports clubs, consisting of 156 YSC and of 97 ASC, completed the online questionnaire, covering club characteristics (e.g. finances, human resources), perceived motives and barriers for health promotion and the health promoting sports club index. Even though YSC were more health promoting than ASC, the results indicated that all sports clubs could improve their health promotion orientation. The most consistent predictors of health promotion orientation are perceived motives index for YSC and perceived lack of resources for ASC. Based on these results, interventions to enhance the health promoting orientation need to tackle the lack of resources such as lack of expertise regarding health promotion. Interventions aimed specifically at YSC should emphasize the direct benefits, for example by demonstrating how health promotion helps clubs to improve the provision of high quality sports participation and by awarding a health promotion quality label. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Social constructionism, discourse analysis and mental health nursing: a natural synergy.

    PubMed

    Leishman, June L

    2003-09-01

    This paper has been developed to identify the natural synergy between social constructionism, discourse analysis and mental health research. It is based on research undertaken to explore mental health nurses' identity. The proposal is that nurses' identities are rhetorically constructed in the language they use to account for and justify their work in the practice context.

  19. Finding a balance: health promotion challenges of military women.

    PubMed

    Agazio, Janice Griffin; Buckley, Kathleen M

    2010-09-01

    In this study, we explored what may determine, or predict, United States military women's health promotion behaviors. Using a descriptive correlational design grounded in Pender's Health Promotion model, 491 military women completed instruments measuring their demographic variables, perception of health, definition of health, self-efficacy, and interpersonal influences to determine the significant factors affecting participation in health promotion activities. The outcome indicated that self-efficacy and interpersonal influences were the most influential in determining health promotion. This research illuminates some of the challenges working women face in meeting health promotion activities and how best to support their ability to participate in healthy behaviors.

  20. Stimulating innovative research in health promotion.

    PubMed

    Larouche, Annie; Potvin, Louise

    2013-06-01

    The Global Working Group on Health Promotion Research (GWG HPR) of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) presents a collection of four articles illustrating innovative avenues for health promotion research. This commentary synthesizes the contributions of these articles while attempting to define the contours of research in health promotion. We propose that innovation in research involves the adoption of a reflexive approach wherein consideration of context plays different roles. The reflexive process consists of questioning what is taken for granted in the conceptualization and operationalization of research. It involves linking research findings and its theoretical foundations to characteristics and goals of the field and observed realities, while orienting reflection on specific objects. The reflexive nature of the research activity is of paramount importance for innovation in health promotion. With the publication of this series, the GWG HPR wishes to strengthen health promotion research capacity at the global level and reaffirm health promotion as a specific research domain.

  1. Health promotion activities in annual reports of local governments: 'Health for All' targets as a tool for content analysis.

    PubMed

    Andersson, Camilla M; Bjärås, Gunilla E M; Tillgren, Per; Ostenson, Claes-Göran

    2003-09-01

    This article presents an instrument to study the annual reporting of health promotion activities in local governments within the three intervention municipalities of the Stockholm Diabetes Prevention Program (SDPP). The content of health promotion activities are described and the strengths, weaknesses and relevance of the method to health promotion discussed. A content analysis of local governmental reports from 1995-2000 in three Swedish municipalities. A matrix with WHO's 38 'Health for All' (HFA) targets from 1991 was used when coding the local health promotion activities. There are many public health initiatives within the local governmental structure even if they are not always addressed as health promotion. The main focuses in the local governmental reports were environmental issues, unemployment, social care and welfare. Local governmental reports were found to be a useful source of information that could provide knowledge about the priorities and organizational capacities for health promotion within local authorities. Additionally the HFA targets were an effective tool to identify and categorize systematically local health promotion activities in the annual reports of local governments. Identifying local health promotion initiatives by local authorities may ease the development of a health perspective and joint actions within the existing political and administrative structure. This paper provides a complementary method of attaining and structuring information about the local community for developments in health promotion.

  2. Health Promotion: A developing focus area over the years.

    PubMed

    Povlsen, Lene; Borup, Ina

    2015-08-01

    In 1953 when the Nordic School of Public Health was founded, the aim of public health programmes was disease prevention more than health promotion. This was not unusual, since at this time health usually was seen as the opposite of disease and illness. However, with the Ottawa Charter of 1986, the World Health Organization made a crucial change to view health not as a goal in itself but as the means to a full life. In this way, health promotion became a first priority and fundamental action for the modern society. This insight eventually reached NHV and in 2002 - 50 years after the foundation - an associate professorship was established with a focus on health promotion. Nevertheless, the concept of health promotion had been integrated with or mentioned in courses run prior to the new post. Subsequently, a wide spectrum of courses in health promotion was introduced, such as 'Empowerment for Child and Adolescent Health Promotion', 'Salutogenesis--from theory to practice' and 'Health, Stress and Coping'. More than half of all doctoral theses undertaken at NHV during these years had health promotion as their theme. As a derivative, the Nordic Health Promotion Research Network (NHPRN) was established in 2007 with bi-annual meetings at NHV. © 2015 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

  3. Health promotion for people with intellectual disabilities - A concept analysis.

    PubMed

    Roll, Anne E

    2018-03-01

    Whereas 'health promotion' is a well-known concept for healthcare professionals, the concept of 'health promotion for people with intellectual disabilities' and its unique associated challenges are not well understood. This article provides a systematic analysis of how health promotion is being conceptualised for people with intellectual disabilities and how health promotion can work best in the light of this group's specific needs and limitations. Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and SocINDEX were searched using the search terms 'health promotion', 'people with intellectual disabilities' and 'developmental disabilities'. This review includes studies published between 1992 and 2014. A total of 52 articles were included. Health promotion for people intellectual disabilities, as discussed in the literature, focuses on four aspects, namely supporting a healthy lifestyle, providing health education, involving supporters and being person-centred. Antecedents of the concept 'health promotion for people with intellectual disabilities' were healthcare access and sensitised healthcare providers. The outcomes were improved health, being empowered, enhanced quality of life and reduced health disparities. This analysis provides a solid foundation for healthcare stakeholders' planning, implementing and evaluating health-promotion activities for people with intellectual disabilities at the policy level and in the community. © 2017 Nordic College of Caring Science.

  4. A systematic review of the effectiveness of health promotion aimed at improving oral health.

    PubMed

    Kay, E; Locker, D

    1998-09-01

    To examine the quality of oral health promotion research evidence and to assess the effectiveness of health promotion, aimed at improving oral health using a systematic and scientifically defensible methodology. Systematic review of oral health promotion research evidence using electronic searching, iterative hand-searching, critical appraisal and data synthesis. The settings of the primary research reviewed were clinical, community, schools or other institutions. The participants were children, the elderly, adults and people with handicaps and disabilities. Only studies which reported an evaluative component were included. Theoretical and purely descriptive papers were excluded. The review examined the evidence of effectiveness of oral health promotion on caries, oral hygiene, oral health related knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. Very few definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of oral health promotion can be drawn from the currently available evidence. Caries and periodontal disease can be controlled by regular toothbrushing with a fluoride toothpaste but a cost-effective method for reliably promoting such behaviour has not yet been established. Knowledge levels can almost always be improved by oral health promotion initiatives but whether these shifts in knowledge and attitudes can be causally related to changes in behaviour or clinical indices of disease has also not been established. Oral health promotion which brings about the use of fluoride is effective for reducing caries. Chairside oral health promotion has been shown to be effective more consistently than other methods of health promotion. Mass media programmes have not been shown to be effective. The quality of oral health promotion evaluation research needs to be improved.

  5. The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion in Europe

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barry, Margaret M.; Battel-Kirk, Barbara; Dempsey, Colette

    2012-01-01

    Background: The CompHP Project on Developing Competencies and Professional Standards for Health Promotion in Europe was developed in response to the need for new and changing health promotion competencies to address health challenges. This article presents the process of developing the CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion across…

  6. The role of the "Healthy Weight" discourse in body image and eating concerns: An extension of sociocultural theory.

    PubMed

    Rodgers, Rachel F

    2016-08-01

    Sociocultural models of body image and eating concerns have highlighted the role of the social discourse in promoting the pursuit of the thin-ideal. Recently, another weight-focused social discourse has gained ground, focused on the goal of maintaining body weight within the boundaries of a weight-range defined as "Healthy." This discourse is somewhat different to the promotion of the thin-ideal; however, it might also be implicated in the development of body image and eating concerns. The present study aimed to extend sociocultural theories of the development of body image and eating concerns by (1) proposing a theoretical model accounting for pressure to maintain a "Healthy Weight", and (2) reviewing the existing evidence for the pathways included in this model. In the proposed model, pressure to maintain a Healthy Weight leads to the internalization of anti-fat attitudes and the need to control weight as well as beliefs in the controllability of weight through diet and exercise. These beliefs may then lead to body preoccupation and disordered eating. The extant literature provides initial support for these relationships; however, empirical testing of this model is necessary to determine its usefulness as an explanatory model and in providing intervention targets for future prevention and intervention efforts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Health Promotion Education Politics and Schooling: The Greek Case

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ifanti, Amalia A.; Argyriou, Andreas A.; Kalofonos, Haralabos P.

    2011-01-01

    This paper seeks to explore the politics of health promotion as a continual process of public health globally and locally. Our main objective in this study is to present the health promotion education initiatives taken by the World Health Organization (WHO) at an international level and also to examine the politics of health promotion in Greece,…

  8. Gender-transformative health promotion for women: a framework for action

    PubMed Central

    Pederson, Ann; Greaves, Lorraine; Poole, Nancy

    2015-01-01

    Gender inequity is a pervasive global challenge to health equity. Health promotion, as a field, has paid only limited attention to gender inequity to date, but could be an active agent of change if gender equity became an explicit goal of health promotion research, policy and programmes. As an aspect of gendered health systems, health promotion interventions may maintain, exacerbate or reduce gender-related health inequities, depending upon the degree and quality of gender-responsiveness within the programme or policy. This article introduces a framework for gender-transformative health promotion that builds on understanding gender as a determinant of health and outlines a continuum of actions to address gender and health. Gender-transformative health promotion interventions could play a significant role in improving the lives of millions of girls and women worldwide. Gender-related principles of action are identified that extend the core principles of health promotion but reflect the significance of attending to gender in the development and use of evidence, engagement of stakeholders and selection of interventions. We illustrate the framework with examples from a range of women's health promotion activities, including cardiovascular disease prevention, tobacco control, and alcohol use. The literature suggests that gender-responsiveness will enhance the acceptance, relevance and effectiveness of health promotion interventions. By moving beyond responsiveness to transformation, gender-transformative health promotion could enhance both health and social outcomes for large numbers of women and men, girls and boys. PMID:25231058

  9. Association of health professional leadership behaviors on health promotion practice beliefs.

    PubMed

    Stone, Jacqueline D; Belcher, Harolyn M E; Attoh, Prince; D'Abundo, Michelle; Gong, Tao

    2017-04-01

    Leadership is a process by which an individual influences a group or individual to achieve a common goal, in this case health promotion for individuals with disabilities. (1) To examine the association between the transformational leadership behaviors of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) network professionals and their practice beliefs about health promotion activities, specifically cardiovascular fitness and healthy weight, for people with disabilities. (2) To determine if discipline and/or years of practice moderate the association between transformational leadership behaviors and practice beliefs regarding health promotion. There is a positive association between transformational leadership behaviors and health professionals practice beliefs regarding health promotion activities for persons with disabilities. A quantitative cross-sectional web-based survey design was used to determine the association between leadership behaviors and practices beliefs regarding health promotion for people with disabilities. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and an adapted version of the Role of Health Promotion in Physical Therapy Survey were used to measure leadership and practice beliefs, respectively. Multiple regression analysis was applied to determine the association of leadership behaviors with health promotion practice beliefs variables. Transformational leadership behaviors of the AUCD network professionals were positively associated with health promotion practice beliefs about cardiovascular fitness for people with disabilities. Years post licensure and discipline did not moderate the association between transformational leadership and practice beliefs regarding health promotion. Transformational leadership may facilitate health professionals' health promotion practices for people with disabilities. Further research and training in leadership is needed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Following the trend for a comprehensive healthy workplace in Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Chen, Ruey-Yu; Yu, Li-Hui

    2016-03-01

    To promote workers' health and boost corporate productivity and national competitiveness, workplace health promotion is an international trend and a vital part of national policies. Prior to 2000, Taiwan's workplace issues focused on industrial hygiene and safety improvements. Since 2003, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) at the Ministry of Health and Welfare has established coaching centers for workplace health promotion and dispatched trained experts for teaching health promotion skills; including promoting the tobacco control program, preventing important chronic diseases, driving comprehensive programs, advocating workplace health promotion with the Ministry of Labor, establishing certification mechanisms for workplace health promotion, recognizing outstanding health-promoting workplaces, and conducting a nationwide survey for monitoring the practices of healthy behaviors and health conditions of workers. Through 2014, 12,439 workplaces have been accredited.Since 2003, the efforts of the HPA in workplace health promotion projects has shifted society's focus on workplace health from occupational diseases and injury prevention to workplace health promotion, resulting in the revision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 2013 by the Ministry of Labor to detail employers' responsibilities in protecting and promoting employees' health and well-being. © The Author(s) 2016.

  11. Assessing Management Support for Worksite Health Promotion: Psychometric Analysis of the Leading by Example (LBE) Instrument

    PubMed Central

    Della, Lindsay J.; DeJoy, David M.; Goetzel, Ron Z.; Ozminkowski, Ronald J.; Wilson, Mark G.

    2009-01-01

    Objective This paper describes the development of the Leading by Example (LBE) instrument. Methods Exploratory factor analysis was used to obtain an initial factor structure. Factor validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis methods. Cronbach’s alpha and item-total correlations provided information on the reliability of the factor subscales. Results Four subscales were identified: business alignment with health promotion objectives; awareness of the health-productivity link; worksite support for health promotion; leadership support for health promotion. Factor by group comparisons revealed that the initial factor structure is effective in detecting differences in organizational support for health promotion across different employee groups Conclusions Management support for health promotion can be assessed using the LBE, a brief, self-report questionnaire. Researchers can use the LBE to diagnose, track, and evaluate worksite health promotion programs. PMID:18517097

  12. [Analysis on effect of health promotion project for pupils in Wushan County].

    PubMed

    Lei, Hong-xia; Zhong, Ji-rong

    2010-04-01

    To evaluate the effect of health promotion project ahout hepatitis for pupils, and provide strategies for health promotion. Health promotion program was implemented through health education classes, along with many entertainments and lively activities. 213 teachers, pupils and parents from schools in the county were surveyed. The awareness of them were 100%, and the inoculating rates of hepatitis A vaccine and hepatitis B vaccine were hoth improved to 93%. Health promotion program plays an important role to promote the healthy knowledge of pupils.

  13. Towards the development of skills-based health promotion competencies: the Canadian experience.

    PubMed

    Hyndman, Brian

    2009-06-01

    The health promotion competencies presented in the Galway Consensus Conference Statement build on an emerging international literature that includes a proposed set of Canadian competencies developed for health promotion practitioners. In Canada, the creation of draft health promotion competencies by Health Promotion Ontario (HPO) was fueled by increased concerns about the potential marginalization of health promotion as well as a national public health renewal process that placed increased emphasis on competency development as a means of strengthening the public health workforce. This commentary presents the proposed Canadian competencies and provides an overview of the process utilized to develop them. Key similarities and differences between the proposed Canadian competencies and the competencies outlined in the Consensus Statement are also explored. The Canadian experience illustrates the way in which national health promotion competencies can be shaped by cultural and political factors unique to a specific jurisdiction.

  14. Strengthening the capacity for health promotion in South Africa through international collaboration.

    PubMed

    Van den Broucke, Stephan; Jooste, Heila; Tlali, Maki; Moodley, Vimla; Van Zyl, Greer; Nyamwaya, David; Tang, Kwok-Cho

    2010-06-01

    This paper describes a project to strengthen the capacity for health promotion in two Provinces in South Africa. The project draws on the key health promotion capacity dimensions of partnership and networking, infrastructure, problem-solving capacity, and knowledge transfer. The project was carried out in a partnership between the Provinces, the Ministry of Health of South Africa, the government of Flanders, Belgium, and the World Health Organization (WHO). The project aimed to: (i) integrate health promotion into national, Provincial and district level health policy plans (ii) strengthen the health promotion capacity in the two Provinces; and (iii) support the development of tools to monitor and evaluate health promotion interventions. Starting from a situation analysis and identification of priority health issues and existing actions in each Province, capacity-building workshops were organized for senior participants from various sectors. Community-based health promotion interventions were then planned and implemented in both Provinces. A systematic evaluation of the project involving an internal audit of project activities and results based on document analysis, site visits, focus groups and interviews with key persons demonstrated that stakeholders in both Provinces saw an increase of capacity in terms of networking, knowledge transfer, problem solving, and to a lesser extent infrastructure. Health promotion had been well integrated in the Provincial health plans, and roll-out processes with local stakeholders had started after the conclusion of the project. The development of tools for monitoring and evaluation of health promotion was less well achieved. The project illustrates how capacities to deliver health promotion interventions in a developing country can be enhanced through international collaboration. The conceptual model of capacity building that served as a basis for the project provided a useful framework to plan, identify and assess the key components of health promotion capacity in an African context.

  15. Nurses' perceptions, understanding and experiences of health promotion.

    PubMed

    Casey, Dympna

    2007-06-01

    This paper presents an account of nurses' perceptions and understanding of health promotion in an acute setting. Health promotion is considered the remit of every nurse. To engage in health-promoting practice, however, nurses need to understand the term 'health promotion' clearly. A single qualitative embedded case study was used. Purposive sampling of eight nurses was employed. Initially, theses nurses were observed in practice and, following this, a semi-structured one-to-one interview was conducted with each observed nurse. Qualitative data analysis guided by work of Miles and Huberman was employed. The data revealed one main theme: health-promoting nursing practice and this consisted of six categories and five subcategories. The findings indicated that nurses struggled to describe their understanding of health promotion, their understanding was limited and the strategies described to conduct health promotion were narrow and focused on the individual. Their perceptions and descriptions of health promotion were more in keeping with the traditional health education approach. Overall health promotion was reported to occur infrequently, being added on if the nurse had time. Factors relating to education, organizational and management issues were identified as key barriers prohibiting health-promoting nursing practice. Nurses must recognize that health promotion is a broad concept that does not exclusively focus on the individual or lifestyle factors. Nurses must be educated to recognize health-promoting opportunities in the acute setting, as well as how to plan for and conduct health promotion so that it becomes integral to practice. A review of the methods of organizing and delivering nursing care is also advocated. Ward managers have an important role in supporting nurses, creating a culture for health promotion and sharing power in decision-making processes, so that nurses feel valued and empowered.

  16. Gender-transformative health promotion for women: a framework for action.

    PubMed

    Pederson, Ann; Greaves, Lorraine; Poole, Nancy

    2015-03-01

    Gender inequity is a pervasive global challenge to health equity. Health promotion, as a field, has paid only limited attention to gender inequity to date, but could be an active agent of change if gender equity became an explicit goal of health promotion research, policy and programmes. As an aspect of gendered health systems, health promotion interventions may maintain, exacerbate or reduce gender-related health inequities, depending upon the degree and quality of gender-responsiveness within the programme or policy. This article introduces a framework for gender-transformative health promotion that builds on understanding gender as a determinant of health and outlines a continuum of actions to address gender and health. Gender-transformative health promotion interventions could play a significant role in improving the lives of millions of girls and women worldwide. Gender-related principles of action are identified that extend the core principles of health promotion but reflect the significance of attending to gender in the development and use of evidence, engagement of stakeholders and selection of interventions. We illustrate the framework with examples from a range of women's health promotion activities, including cardiovascular disease prevention, tobacco control, and alcohol use. The literature suggests that gender-responsiveness will enhance the acceptance, relevance and effectiveness of health promotion interventions. By moving beyond responsiveness to transformation, gender-transformative health promotion could enhance both health and social outcomes for large numbers of women and men, girls and boys. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Deadly Choices empowering Indigenous Australians through social networking sites.

    PubMed

    McPhail-Bell, Karen; Appo, Nathan; Haymes, Alana; Bond, Chelsea; Brough, Mark; Fredericks, Bronwyn

    2017-04-05

    The potential for health promotion through social networking sites (SNSs) is widely recognized. However, while health promotion prides itself in focusing on the social determinants of health, its partiality for persuading individuals to comply with health behaviours dominates the way health promotion utilizes SNSs. This paper contributes to an understanding of collaborative ways SNSs can work for health promotion agendas of self-determination and empowerment in an Indigenous Australia context. An ethnographic study was undertaken with Deadly Choices, an Indigenous-led health promotion initiative. The study involved participant observation of interactions on Deadly Choices SNSs between Deadly Choices and its online community members. Deadly Choices provides an example of SNSs providing a powerful tool to create a safe, inclusive and positive space for Indigenous people and communities to profile their healthy choices, according to Indigenous notions of health and identity. The study found five principles that underpin Deadly Choices' use of SNSs for health promotion. These are: create a dialogue; build community online and offline; incentivise healthy online engagement; celebrate Indigenous identity and culture; and prioritize partnerships. Deadly Choices SNSs empowers Indigenous people and communities to be health promoters themselves, which represents a power shift from health promotion practitioner to Indigenous people and communities and more broadly, an enactment of Indigenous self-determination on SNSs. Mainstream health promotion can learn from Indigenous health promotion practice regarding the use of SNSs for health promotion agendas. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Healthy Communities and civil discourse: a leadership opportunity for public health professionals.

    PubMed Central

    Kesler, J T

    2000-01-01

    The author argues that the Healthy Communities movement provides public health professionals with an opportunity to become not just community leaders but also agents of change in a broad political sense. Extending the work of Kohlberg and other developmental psychologists, the author describes five levels of civil discourse. Professionals who practice the inclusive, consensus-oriented level of discourse, which is consistent with the philosophy of Healthy Communities, can help reinvigorate civil society and democracy as a part of making their communities healthier. Images p239-a PMID:10968761

  19. Global Health in the Anthropocene: Moving Beyond Resilience and Capitalism Comment on "Health Promotion in an Age of Normative Equity and Rampant Inequality".

    PubMed

    van de Pas, Remco

    2016-12-24

    There has been much reflection on the need for a new understanding of global health and the urgency of a paradigm shift to address global health issues. A crucial question is whether this is still possible in current modes of global governance based on capitalist values. Four reflections are provided. (1) Ecological -centered values must become central in any future global health framework. (2) The objectives of 'sustainability' and 'economic growth' present a profound contradiction. (3) The resilience discourse maintains a gridlock in the functioning of the global health system. (4) The legitimacy of multi-stakeholder governance arrangements in global health requires urgent attention. A dual track approach is suggested. It must be aimed to transform capitalism into something better for global health while in parallel there is an urgent need to imagine a future and pathways to a different world order rooted in the principles of social justice, protecting the commons and a central role for the preservation of ecology. © 2017 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

  20. Early 20th century conceptualization of health promotion.

    PubMed

    Madsen, Wendy

    2017-12-01

    This historical analysis of the term 'health promotion' during the early 20th century in North American journal articles revealed concepts that strongly resonate with those of the 21st century. However, the lineage between these two time periods is not clear, and indeed, this paper supports contentions health promotion has a disrupted history. This paper traces the conceptualizations of health promotion during the 1920s, attempts to operationalize health promotion in the 1930s resulting in a narrowing of the concept to one of health education, and the disappearance of the term from the 1940s. In doing so, it argues a number of factors influenced the changing conceptualization and utilization of health promotion during the first half of the 20th century, many of which continue to present times, including issues around what health promotion is and what it means, ongoing tensions between individual and collective actions, tensions between specific and general causes of health and ill health, and between expert and societal contributions. The paper concludes the lack of clarity around these issues contributed to health promotion disappearing in the mid-20th century and thus resolution of these would be worthwhile for the continuation and development of health promotion as a discipline into the 21st century. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Promotion of oral health by community nurses.

    PubMed

    Garry, Brendan; Boran, Sue

    2017-10-02

    To explore the enablers and barriers perceived by community nurses in the promotion of oral health in an adult community trust directorate. Oral health care promotion in community care settings is being neglected. England and Wales have witnessed marked improvements in periodontal disease; however, no improvements have been seen in older people. A qualitative methodology was employed, where eight nurses from Band 5 to 7 were interviewed using a semi-structured approach. The data was analysed thematically. Data analysis was organised into four themes: professional self-concept and the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary in the promotion of oral health; the impact an organisation has on the promotion of oral health and an exploration of the enablers and barriers identified by the community nurses while delivering care; the relationships between the nurse and patient and the potential impact on oral health promotion; the concept of self-regard in relation to the promotion of oral health and its overall impact. A commitment to improving oral health and requests for additional educational input were apparent. Organisational enablers and barriers were identified, alongside the crucial role a positive self-regard for oral health care may play in the promotion of oral health. Nurses need relevant education, organisational support, adequate resources and support from a multidisciplinary team to deliver optimal oral health promotion.

  2. Health promotion in the digital era: a critical commentary.

    PubMed

    Lupton, Deborah

    2015-03-01

    A range of digitized health promotion practices have emerged in the digital era. Some of these practices are voluntarily undertaken by people who are interested in improving their health and fitness, but many others are employed in the interests of organizations and agencies. This article provides a critical commentary on digitized health promotion. I begin with an overview of the types of digital technologies that are used for health promotion, and follow this with a discussion of the socio-political implications of such use. It is contended that many digitized health promotion strategies focus on individual responsibility for health and fail to recognize the social, cultural and political dimensions of digital technology use. The increasing blurring between voluntary health promotion practices, professional health promotion, government and corporate strategies requires acknowledgement, as does the increasing power wielded by digital media corporations over digital technologies and the data they generate. These issues provoke questions for health promotion as a practice and field of research that hitherto have been little addressed. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. Applying Weick's model of organizing to health care and health promotion: highlighting the central role of health communication.

    PubMed

    Kreps, Gary L

    2009-03-01

    Communication is a crucial process in the effective delivery of health care services and the promotion of public health. However, there are often tremendous complexities in using communication effectively to provide the best health care, direct the adoption of health promoting behaviors, and implement evidence-based public health policies and practices. This article describes Weick's model of organizing as a powerful theory of social organizing that can help increase understanding of the communication demands of health care and health promotion. The article identifies relevant applications from the model for health communication research and practice. Weick's model of organizing is a relevant and heuristic theoretical perspective for guiding health communication research and practice. There are many potential applications of this model illustrating the complexities of effective communication in health care and health promotion. Weick's model of organizing can be used as a template for guiding both research and practice in health care and health promotion. The model illustrates the important roles that communication performs in enabling health care consumers and providers to make sense of the complexities of modern health care and health promotion, select the best strategies for responding effectively to complex health care and health promotion situations, and retain relevant information (develop organizational intelligence) for guiding future responses to complex health care and health promotion challenges.

  4. Evidence, Ethics, and Values: A Framework for Health Promotion

    PubMed Central

    Rychetnik, Lucie; Dietetics, PGradDip; Lloyd, Beverley; Kerridge, Ian H.; Baur, Louise; Bauman, Adrian; Hooker, Claire; Zask, Avigdor

    2011-01-01

    We propose a new approach to guide health promotion practice. Health promotion should draw on 2 related systems of reasoning: an evidential system and an ethical system. Further, there are concepts, values, and procedures inherent in both health promotion evidence and ethics, and these should be made explicit. We illustrate our approach with the exemplar of intervention in weight, and use a specific mass-media campaign to show the real-world dangers of intervening with insufficient attention to ethics and evidence. Both researchers and health promotion practitioners should work to build the capacities required for evidential and ethical deliberation in the health promotion profession. PMID:21233436

  5. A future task for health-promotion research: Integration of health promotion and sustainable development.

    PubMed

    Jelsøe, Erling; Thualagant, Nicole; Holm, Jesper; Kjærgård, Bente; Andersen, Heidi Myglegård; From, Ditte-Marie; Land, Birgit; Pedersen, Kirsten Bransholm

    2018-02-01

    Based on previous studies and reflections collected from participants in a workshop at the 8th Nordic Health Promotion Research Network conference, we reveal current tendencies and discuss future challenges for health-promotion research regarding integration of sustainable development principles. Despite obvious interfaces and interactions between the two, our contention is that strategies for health promotion are not sufficiently integrated with strategies for sustainable development and that policies aimed at solving health or sustainability problems may therefore cause new, undesired and unforeseen environmental and health problems. As illustrated in previous research and as deliberated in the above-mentioned workshop, a number of barriers are identified. These are believed to be related to historical segregation, the conceptual understandings of health promotion and sustainable development, as well as the politics and implementation of policy goals in both areas. Three focal points are proposed as important challenges to address in future research: (a) the duality of health promotion and sustainability and how it can be handled in order to enhance mutually supportive processes between them; (b) the social dimension of sustainability and how it can be strengthened in the development of strategies for health promotion and sustainable development; and (c) exploring and identifying policy approaches and strategies for integrating health promotion and sustainable development.

  6. Exploring health promotion practitioners' experiences of moral distress in Canada and Australia.

    PubMed

    Sunderland, Naomi; Harris, Paul; Johnstone, Kylie; Del Fabbro, Letitia; Kendall, Elizabeth

    2015-03-01

    This article introduces moral distress - the experience of painful feelings due to institutional constraints on personal moral action - as a significant issue for the international health promotion workforce. Our exploratory study of practitioners' experiences of health promotion in Australia and Canada during 2009-2010 indicated that practitioners who work in upstream policy- and systems-level health promotion are affected by experiences of moral distress. Health promotion practitioners at all levels of the health promotion continuum also described themselves as being engaged in a minority practice within a larger dominant system that does not always value health promotion. We argue that health promotion practitioners are vulnerable to moral distress due to the values-driven and political nature of the practice, the emphasis on systems change and the inherent complexity and diversity of the practice. This vulnerability to moral distress poses significant challenges to both workers and organisations and the communities they seek to benefit. We propose that further research should be undertaken to fully identify the causes and symptoms of moral distress in health promotion. Extensive existing research on moral distress in nursing provides ample resources to conduct such research. © The Author(s) 2014.

  7. [Five paradoxes in health promotion].

    PubMed

    López-Dicastillo, Olga; Canga-Armayor, Navidad; Mujika, Agurtzane; Pardavila-Belio, Miren Idoia; Belintxon, Maider; Serrano-Monzó, Inmaculada; Pumar-Méndez, María J

    The World Health Organization states that health promotion is a key strategy to improve health, and it is conceived as a global process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. Health promotion does not focus solely on empowering individuals dealing with their knowledge, attitudes and skills, but it also takes political, social, economic and environmental aspects influencing health and wellbeing into account. The complexity of applying these concepts is reflected in the five paradoxes in health promotion; these arise in between the rhetoric in health promotion and implementation. The detected paradoxes which are described herein involve the patient versus the person, the individual versus the group, disease professionals versus health professionals, disease indicators versus health indicators, and health as an expense versus health as an investment. Making these contradictions explicit can help determine why it is so complex to put the concepts related to health promotion into practice. It can also help to put forward aspects that need further work if health promotion is to put into practice. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  8. Preliminary Findings of Health Promotion Plans among Institutions Caring for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities: A National Survey in Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Jin-Ding; Loh, Ching-Hui; Yen, Chia-Feng; Lee, Jiunn-Tay; Chwo, Miao-Ju; Wu, Jia-Ling; Li, Chi-Wei; Lin, Ya-Wen

    2006-01-01

    Background: In encouraging good health for people with intellectual disabilities, health promotion serves as an effective intervention. However, little is known about health promotion strategies for this sector of the population. The objectives of this study were to describe the current profile of health promotion planning among institutions…

  9. Regulation and Resistance: Negotiation of Premarital Sexuality in the Context of Migrant and Refugee Women.

    PubMed

    Hawkey, Alexandra J; Ussher, Jane M; Perz, Janette

    2017-07-06

    Constructions of normative sexuality shape the sexual scripts that women are permitted to adopt and the manner in which such sexuality can be expressed. We explored experiences and constructions of premarital sexuality among migrant and refugee women recently resettled in Sydney, Australia, and Vancouver, Canada. A total of 78 semistructured individual interviews and 15 focus groups composed of 82 participants were undertaken with women who had migrated from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Sri Lanka, and South America. We analyzed the data using thematic decomposition. Across all cultural groups, women's premarital sexuality was regulated through cultural and religious discourse and material practice. Such regulation occurred across three main facets of women's lives, shaping the themes presented in this article: (1) regulating premarital sex-the virginity imperative; (2) regulation of relationships with men; and (3) regulation of the sexual body. These themes capture women's reproduction of dominant discourses of premarital sexuality, as well as women's resistance and negotiation of such discourses, both prior to and following migration. Identifying migrant and refugee women's experiences and constructions of premarital sexuality is essential for culturally safe sexual health practice, health promotion, and health education.

  10. [Sexual initiation, masculinity and health: narratives of young men].

    PubMed

    Rebello, Lúcia Emilia Figueiredo de Sousa; Gomes, Romeu

    2009-01-01

    The main objective of this study was to analyze the narratives of young university students about the experience of sexual initiation. The theoretical and conceptual references used were the sexual scripts of our society that inform people about when, how, where and with whom they should have their sexual experiences, indicating how to act sexually and the reasons why they have to practice some kind of sexual activity. The method used was a qualitative study of narratives from the perspective of dialectic hermeneutics. The methodological design involves the comprehension of sceneries, contexts, environments and characters of the narratives about sexual initiation. The analysis refers to narratives of university students in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Among the meanings of sexual initiation, we emphasize sexual intercourse, the demarcation of a stage of life, the awakening to the opposite sex and the discovery of the body. We observed that the young men's narratives were coherent with what is considered masculine, present in the discourse of different generations. It is concluded that the young men should be encouraged to participate in actions combining health and education aimed at promotion of sexual and reproductive health.

  11. Consumer subjectivity and U.S. health care reform.

    PubMed

    West, Emily

    2014-01-01

    Health care consumerism is an important frame in U.S. health care policy, especially in recent media and policy discourse about federal health care reform. This article reports on qualitative fieldwork with health care users to find out how people interpret and make sense of the identity of "health care consumer." It proposes that while the term consumer is normally understood as a descriptive label for users who purchase health care and insurance services, it should actually be understood as a metaphor, carrying with it a host of associations that shape U.S. health care policy debates in particular ways. Based on interviews with 36 people, patient was the dominant term people used to describe themselves, but consumer was the second most popular. Informants interpreted the health care consumer as being informed, proactive, and having choices, but there were also "semiotic traps," or difficult-to-resolve tensions for this identity. The discourse of consumerism functions in part as code for individual responsibility, and therefore as a classed moral discourse, with implications for U.S. health care policy.

  12. Appropriate health promotion for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: crucial for closing the gap.

    PubMed

    Demaio, Alessandro; Drysdale, Marlene; de Courten, Maximilian

    2012-06-01

    Health promotion for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their people has generally had limited efficacy and poor sustainability. It has largely failed to recognise and appreciate the importance of local cultures and continues to have minimal emphasis on capacity building, community empowerment and local ownership. Culturally Appropriate Health Promotion is a framework of principles developed in 2008 with the World Health Organization and the Global Alliance for Health Promotion. It serves as a guide for community-focused health promotion practice to be built on and shaped by the respect for understanding and utilisation of local knowledge and culture. Culturally Appropriate Health Promotion is not about targeting, intervening or responding. Rather, it encourages health programme planners and policymakers to have a greater understanding, respect, a sense of empowerment and collaboration with communities, and their sociocultural environment to improve health. This commentary aims to examine and apply the eight principles of Culturally Appropriate Health Promotion to the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context. It proposes a widespread adoption of the framework for a more respectful, collaborative, locally suitable and therefore appropriate approach to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health promotion.

  13. 'Sticking to carpets' - assessment and judgement in health visiting practice in an era of risk: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    King, Caroline

    2016-07-01

    This paper aims to explore health visitors' accounts of assessment and judgement in health visiting in the context of policy change and an increased focus on risk, which is reshaping practice. Assessment and judgement underpin the targeting of support in health visiting practice. Existing literature suggests that needs assessment in health visiting is a complex process which draws on different types of knowledge. The study, upon which this paper draws, was a qualitative exploration which aimed to explore the impact of policy change on health visiting practice and on families. The accounts of sixteen health visitors, who took part in semi-structured interviews, are reported. The interview data were analysed using thematic and narrative techniques. Health visitors' accounts of their observations of families' homes, relationships and practices, such as their references to 'dirt', harmful practices and appropriateness, illustrate ways in which assessment and judgement in health visiting practice are shaped by a discourse of risk and notions of ideal parenting. Health visitors problematise this discourse in relation to the potential stigmatising impacts for families. Although health visitors indicate ambivalence towards the use of assessment tools, the findings indicate that they feel the tools provide them with a safety-net at a time when their practice is being reshaped by a discourse of risk. This paper identifies that assessment and judgement in contemporary health visiting are shaped by a discourse of risk. A discussion of the role of 'emotion in use' and collective emotions provides an appropriate theoretical lens to consider the impact that risk discourse has on health visiting practice and on families. This study highlights the need for assessment and judgement in health visiting practice to be highly reflexive, to support families in an era of risk. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Understanding the decision-making process for health promotion programming at small to midsized businesses.

    PubMed

    Hughes, M Courtney; Patrick, Donald L; Hannon, Peggy A; Harris, Jeffrey R; Ghosh, Donetta L

    2011-07-01

    This study explores the decision-making process for implementing and continuing health promotion programs at small to midsized businesses to inform health promotion practitioners and researchers as they market their services to these businesses. Qualitative interviews are conducted with 24 employers located in the Pacific Northwest ranging in size from 75 to 800 employees, with the majority having between 100 and 200 employees. Small to midsized employers depend most on company success-related factors rather than on humanitarian motives when deciding whether to adopt workplace health promotion programs. They rely heavily on health insurers for health promotion and desire more information about the actual costs and cost-benefits of programs. To increase health promotion adoption at small to midsized businesses, health promotion practitioners should appeal to overall company success-related factors, use the insurance channel, and target their information to both human resource personnel and senior management.

  15. [Health evaluation and promotion. State of the art across the international literature].

    PubMed

    Pame, P

    1995-03-01

    Ten years after its emergence on the international scene, Health Promotion remains a marginal concept, even it its diffusion continues in practice. Resting on an ecological model of health that stresses the importance of interactions between the individual or group and the physical and social environment, health promotion aims to reduce the inequalities concerning health and access to care. The evaluation of health promotion actions suffers from a double handicap (or benefits from a double advantage?): the newness of the concept of health promotion and the relative novelty of using systematic evaluation practices for health actions. To carry out the inquiry of evaluation and health promotion, several public health data bases were consulted, both French and foreign, crossing evaluation and health promotion. It was noted that a degree of assimilation had occurred between health promotion and health education, and thus the research was enlarged by crossing evaluation with health education, community health and prevention. Only one article made specific reference to any of the five strategies delineated in the Ottawa Charter, and it appeared from the existing literature that health promotion in real life seems to have a meaning-confirmed by general practice--somehow reduced compared with the ambitions of the text to reduce inequalities in health and to allow the mastery and control by the population of the determinants of health. The lack of available materials, particularly in francophone Europe, with the majority of references describing actions or experiments in Canada, and only rarely actions on the determinants of health.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  16. Changes in health indicators related to health promotion and microcredit programs in the Dominican Republic.

    PubMed

    Dohn, Anita L; Chávez, Andrea; Dohn, Michael N; Saturria, Luis; Pimentel, Carlos

    2004-03-01

    To assess the impact of health promotion programs and microcredit programs on three communities in the Dominican Republic. One community had only the health promotion program, one community had only the microcredit program, and one community had both a health promotion program and a microcredit program. This pilot project examined the hypothesis that the largest changes in 11 health indicators that were studied would be in the community with both a health promotion program and a microcredit program, that there would be intermediate changes in the community with only a health promotion program, and that the smallest changes would be in the community with only a microcredit program. The health promotion programs used community volunteers to address two major concerns: (1) the prevalent causes of mortality among children under 5 years of age and (2) women's health (specifically breast and cervical cancer screening). The microcredit program made small loans to individuals to start or expand small businesses. Outcome measures were based on comparisons for 11 health indicators from baseline community surveys (27 households surveyed in each of the three communities, done in December 2000 and January 2001) and from follow-up surveys (also 27 households surveyed in each of the three communities, in June and July 2002, after the health promotion program had been operating for about 13 months). Households were randomly chosen during both the baseline and follow-up surveys, without regard to their involvement in the microcredit or health promotion programs. The health indicators improved in all three communities. However, the degree of change was different among the communities (P < 0.001). The community with parallel microcredit and health promotion programs had the largest changes for 10 of the 11 health indicators. Multisector development is known to be important on a macroeconomic scale. The results of this pilot project support the view that multisector development is also important on a microeconomic level, given that the parallel microcredit and health promotion programs resulted in greater change in the measured health indicators than either program alone. As far as we authors know, this is the first published study to quantify changes in health indicators related to parallel health promotion and microcredit programs as compared to control communities with only a health promotion program or a microcredit program.

  17. A graduate course in work site health promotion for occupational health practitioners.

    PubMed

    Kushnir, T; Vigiser, D; Weisberg, E; Ribak, J

    1996-03-01

    This paper describes the rationale, teaching strategies, outcomes, and a 6-month follow-up of an academic course in work site health promotion, in which 35 occupational health practitioners participated. The one-semester course was part of the Masters in Science program in occupational health at the Tel-Aviv University Medical School. The primary goals of the study were to teach the theoretical bases of work site health promotion and their application to specific health needs, and to train better role models for employees. The primary teaching strategies were: (1) facilitation of experiential learning, by encouraging students to undergo health screening and then engage in a personal health promotion plan; (2) use of health promotion experts as guest teachers; and (3) an increase in formal knowledge through formal lectures and background reading. At the time of follow-up, most of the students were still adhering to their plans and maintaining much of their health promotion achievements. Additional outcomes included increased awareness of health risks and health promotion issues, and positions as role models in the private and professional domains. The primary barrier to adherence was low frustration tolerance, which can be regarded as the major challenge to health promotion programs and courses. It is suggested that the course format is an effective means of educating health promoters.

  18. "Are They Just Checking Our Obesity or What?" The Healthism Discourse and Rural Young Women

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Jessica; Macdonald, Doune

    2010-01-01

    This paper makes use of critical discourse analysis and Bourdieu's theoretical framework to explore rural young women's meanings of health and fitness and how the healthism discourse is perpetuated through their experiences in school physical education (PE). The young women's own meanings are explored alongside interview data from their school PE…

  19. Evaluation of health promotion training for the Western Australian Aboriginal maternal and child health sector.

    PubMed

    Wilkins, Alexa; Lobo, Roanna C; Griffin, Denese M; Woods, Heather A

    2015-04-01

    The evaluation of health promotion training for the Western Australian (WA) Aboriginal maternal and child health (MCH) sector. Fifty-one MCH professionals from five regions in WA who attended one of three health promotion short courses in 2012-2013 were invited to complete an online survey or a telephone interview, between 4 to 17 months post-course. Respondents were asked how they had utilised the information and resources from the training and to identify the enabling factors or barriers to integrating health promotion into their work practices subsequently. Overall response rate was 33% (n=17); 94% of respondents reported they had utilised the information and resources from the course and 76% had undertaken health promotion activities since attending the course. Building contacts with other MCH providers and access to planning tools were identified as valuable components of the course. Barriers to translating knowledge into practice included financial constraints and lack of organisational support for health promotion activity. Health promotion training provides participants with the skills and confidence to deliver health promotion strategies in their communities. The training presents an opportunity to build health professionals' capacity to address some determinants of poor health outcomes among pregnant Aboriginal women and their babies. SO WHAT?: Training would be enhanced if accompanied by ongoing support for participants to integrate health promotion into their work practice, organisational development including health promotion training for senior management, establishing stronger referral pathways among partner organisations to support continuity of care and embedding training into MCH workforce curricula.

  20. [Effect of an on-line health promotion program connected with a hospital health examination center on health promotion behavior and health status].

    PubMed

    Park, Jeong Sook; Kwon, Sang Min

    2008-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an On-line health promotion program connected with a hospital health examination center. Based on contents developed, the www.kmwellbeing.com homepage was developed. The research design was a one group pretest-posttest design. Seventy-three clients participated in this study. The data were collected from January 3 to June 30, 2005. As a way of utilizing the homepage, this paper attempted to measure the change of pre and post program health promotion behavior and health status (perceived health status, objective health index-blood pressure, pulse, total cholesterol, blood sugar, waist flexibility, grip strength and lower extremity strength). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and paired t-test with the SPSS/Win 12.0 program. There were significant differences of perceived health status, systolic BP, waist flexibility and grip strength. However, there were no significant differences in health promotion behavior, diastolic BP, pulse, lower extremity strength, blood sugar and total cholesterol between pre program and post program. It is expected that an on-line health promotion program connected with a hospital health examination center will provide an effective learning media for health education and partially contribute to client's health promotion. A strategy, however, is needed to facilitate the continuous use of the on-line health promotion program for adult clients.

  1. Talking about AIDS in Hong Kong: Cultural Models in Public Health Discourse.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Rodney H.

    A study explored the issues of cultural identity and interaction in public health discourse concerning Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Hong Kong's multilingual, multicultural social context. Twenty public service announcements (PSAs) concerning AIDS awareness televised in both English and Cantonese in Hong Kong from 1987 to 1994 were…

  2. Health promotion training in dental and oral health degrees: a scoping review.

    PubMed

    Bracksley-O'Grady, Stacey A; Dickson-Swift, Virginia A; Anderson, Karen S; Gussy, Mark G

    2015-05-01

    Dental diseases are a major burden on health; however, they are largely preventable. Dental treatment alone will not eradicate dental disease with a shift to prevention required. Prevention of dental diseases is a role of dental professionals, with most countries having formalized health promotion competencies for dental and oral health graduates. In spite of this, there may be minimal health promotion being undertaken in clinical practice. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review to identify some published studies on health promotion training in dental and oral health degrees. Key search terms were developed and used to search selected databases, which identified 84 articles. Four articles met the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were included in the review. Of these studies, the type of oral health promotion tasks and instructions received before the tasks varied. However, for all studies the health promotion content was focused on health education. In terms of evaluation of outcomes, only two studies evaluated the health promotion content using student reflections. More good-quality information on health promotions training is needed to inform practice.

  3. Eye health promotion and the prevention of blindness in developing countries: critical issues.

    PubMed

    Hubley, J; Gilbert, C

    2006-03-01

    This review explores the role of health promotion in the prevention of avoidable blindness in developing countries. Using examples from eye health and other health topics from developing countries, the review demonstrates that effective eye health promotion involves a combination of three components: health education directed at behaviour change to increase adoption of prevention behaviours and uptake of services; improvements in health services such as the strengthening of patient education and increased accessibility and acceptability; and advocacy for improved political support for blindness prevention policies. Current eye health promotion activities can benefit by drawing on experiences gained by health promotion activities in other health topics especially on the use of social research and behavioural models to understand factors determining health decision making and the appropriate choice of methods and settings. The challenge ahead is to put into practice what we know does work. An expansion of advocacy-the third and most undeveloped component of health promotion-is essential to convince governments to channel increased resources to eye health promotion and the goals of Vision 2020.

  4. [Attitudes of occupational medicine nurses towards workers' health promotion].

    PubMed

    Puchalski, Krzysztof; Korzeniowska, Elzbieta; Iwanowicz, Eliza

    2007-01-01

    The paper outlines the outcomes of a survey aimed at identifying the attitudes of occupational medicine nurses towards health promotion. The survey was carried out on a random sample of 277 nurses. Almost all respondents think that their occupational group should undertake health promotion activities. However, half of them is convinced that health promotion is only a new name for health education and medical prophylaxis. The vast majority of nurses think that under health promotion programs they should mostly deal with individual health education of patients and encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyles, and they usually undertake this kind of activities. A large number of respondents are not willing to be involved in the organization, marketing, and evaluation of health promotion projects. There is a great need to intensify measures to motivate nurses to play the roles that are neglected by them, such as looking for new professional groups to undertake activities stimulating health promotion in companies, and developing new institutional and systemic support conducive to making progress in such processes.

  5. Fleet leaders' attitudes about subordinates' use of mental health services.

    PubMed

    Westphal, Richard J

    2007-11-01

    Mental disorders are a significant source of medical and occupational morbidity for sailors. Stigma, fear of negative career impact, and subordinates concern about leaders' attitudes are significant barriers to the use of mental health services. Semistructured interviews and military policies were data sources used to analyze the language, knowledge, and attitudes of Navy surface fleet leaders about mental illness and mental health treatment using Foucault's concept of discourse analysis. A discourse is a system of knowledge that influences language, perceptions, values, and social practices. The results showed that leaders' concerns about sailors' mental combat readiness, not mental illness stigma, was the dominant discourse about mental illness and mental health services use. In particular, organizational differences between the surface warfare and the mental health communities may influence leaders' attitudes more than stigma. This study provides an elaborated view of mental health knowledge and power within a Navy community.

  6. A Systematic Review of Health-Promotion Programs in NCAA Division III Institutions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanson, Matthew

    2011-01-01

    Health-promotion in the workplace has existed for numerous years. However, the availability of health-promotion programs offered in institutions of higher education has seemed to lag behind other industries such as business. The purpose of this survey research project was to identify specific components of health-promotion programs within NCAA…

  7. Diversifying the academic public health workforce: strategies to extend the discourse about limited racial and ethnic diversity in the public health academy.

    PubMed

    Annang, Lucy; Richter, Donna L; Fletcher, Faith E; Weis, Megan A; Fernandes, Pearl R; Clary, Louis A

    2010-01-01

    While public health has gained increased attention and placement on the national health agenda, little progress has been made in achieving a critical mass of underrepresented minority (URM) academicians in the public health workforce. In 2008, a telephone-based qualitative assessment was conducted with URM faculty of schools of public health to discuss this issue. As a result, we present successful strategies that institutional leaders can employ to extend the discourse about addressing limited diversity in the public health academy.

  8. Health promotion practice and its implementation in Swedish health care.

    PubMed

    Brobeck, E; Odencrants, S; Bergh, H; Hildingh, C

    2013-09-01

    Health promotion practice is an important work assignment within the entire health and medical care sector. Nurses are important for the development and implementation of health promotion in clinical practice. The aim was to describe how district nurses view health promotion practice and how it was implemented in clinical practice following a training initiative. The study has a descriptive design and a qualitative method. The sample consisted of three focus groups with 16 participants. The interviews were conducted as a conversation with focus on the district nurses view of health promotion and its implementation in clinical practice. The data have been processed using manifest qualitative content analysis. Three categories, titled Training as motivation, Lack of grounding and Lack of scope were identified. The result demonstrated that training provides motivation, but also the importance of grounding in the organization and the need for scope in performing health promotion practice. Our results show that the training initiative has contributed positively to the district nurses' view of health promotion practice, but that they also feel that there are obstacles. The district nurses in our study suggest that health promotion practice should be more visible, and not something that is done when time permits. The district nurses feel motivated and have an enthusiasm for health promotion practice but more time and resources are required to design successful health-promoting initiatives. Before implementing a major training initiative for healthcare personnel in health promotion, it is essential to examine whether the conditions for this exist in the organization. © 2013 International Council of Nurses.

  9. A Guide for Understanding Health Education and Promotion Programs.

    PubMed

    Kim, Richard W; Nahar, Vinayak K

    2018-03-01

    Planning, Implementing & Evaluating Health Promotion Programs: A Primer is a versatile and comprehensive resource on the theoretical and practical underpinnings of successful health promotion programs. The requirements for effective health promotion program development are presented with frequent use of practical planning examples, pedagogical devices, and expert rationale. Ideal for undergraduate and graduate students in health education, promotion, and planning courses, this 15-chapter textbook is organized in a manner that specifically addresses the responsibilities and competencies required of health education specialists as published in the Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis of 2015. The authors of this textbook are leaders in the field and provide readers with the skills necessary to carry out the full process of health promotion program execution, while also offering direct preparation for CHES and MCHES licensing exams.

  10. How primary health care staff working in rural and remote areas access skill development and expertise to support health promotion practice.

    PubMed

    McFarlane, Kathryn A; Judd, Jenni; Wapau, Hylda; Nichols, Nina; Watt, Kerrianne; Devine, Sue

    2018-05-01

    Health promotion is a key component of comprehensive primary health care. Health promotion approaches complement healthcare management by enabling individuals to increase control over their health. Many primary healthcare staff have a role to play in health promotion practice, but their ability to integrate health promotion into practice is influenced by their previous training and experience. For primary healthcare staff working in rural and remote locations, access to professional development can be limited by what is locally available and prohibitive in terms of cost for travel and accommodation. This study provides insight into how staff at a large north Queensland Aboriginal community controlled health service access skill development and health promotion expertise to support their work. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted. Small group and individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff at Apunipima Cape York Health Council (n=9). A purposive sampling method was used to recruit participants from a number of primary healthcare teams that were more likely to be involved in health promotion work. Both on-the-ground staff and managers were interviewed. All participants were asked how they access skill development and expertise in health promotion practice and what approaches they prefer for ongoing health promotion support. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. All participants valued access to skill development, advice and support that would assist their health promotion practice. Skill development and expertise in health promotion was accessed from a variety of sources: conferences, workshops, mentoring or shared learning from internal and external colleagues, and access to online information and resources. With limited funds and limited access to professional development locally, participants fostered external and internal organisational relationships to seek in-kind advice and support. Irrespective of where the advice came from, it needed to be applicable to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander remote communities. To improve health outcomes in rural and remote communities, the focus on health promotion and prevention approaches must be strengthened. Primary healthcare staff require ongoing access to health promotion skill development and expertise to increase their capacity to deliver comprehensive primary health care. Practice-based evidence from staff working in the field provides a greater understanding of how skill development and advice are accessed. Many of these strategies can be formalised through organisational plans and systems, which would ensure that a skilled health promotion workforce is sustained.

  11. Workshop salutogenesis and the future of health promotion and public health.

    PubMed

    Lindström, Bengt

    2018-02-01

    This presentation is a synthesis of a workshop on Salutogenesis and the Future of Health Promotion and Public Health at the Nordic Health Promotion Research Conference in June 2016. A brief historical review of Public Health and Health Promotion development in a Nordic perspective is included. However, the main thrust of the article is to present how the salutogenic theory and approach could strengthen society's organised efforts to prevent disease, promote health and prolong life. A critical view based on existing evidence is maintained through the presentation that arrives at the conclusion it would be worthwhile to invest in effective theory driven approaches to the development of Public Health and Health Promotion in the future.

  12. The CompHP core competencies framework for health promotion in Europe.

    PubMed

    Barry, Margaret M; Battel-Kirk, Barbara; Dempsey, Colette

    2012-12-01

    The CompHP Project on Developing Competencies and Professional Standards for Health Promotion in Europe was developed in response to the need for new and changing health promotion competencies to address health challenges. This article presents the process of developing the CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion across the European Union Member States and Candidate Countries. A phased, multiple-method approach was employed to facilitate a consensus-building process on the development of the core competencies. Key stakeholders in European health promotion were engaged in a layered consultation process using the Delphi technique, online consultations, workshops, and focus groups. Based on an extensive literature review, a mapping process was used to identify the core domains, which informed the first draft of the Framework. A consultation process involving two rounds of a Delphi survey with national experts in health promotion from 30 countries was carried out. In addition, feedback was received from 25 health promotion leaders who participated in two focus groups at a pan-European level and 116 health promotion practitioners who engaged in four country-specific consultations. A further 54 respondents replied to online consultations, and there were a number of followers on various social media platforms. Based on four rounds of redrafting, the final Framework document was produced, consisting of 11 core domains and 68 core competency statements. The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion provides a resource for workforce development in Europe, by articulating the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities that are required for effective practice. The core domains are based on the multidisciplinary concepts, theories, and research that make health promotion distinctive. It is the combined application of all the domains, the knowledge base, and the ethical values that constitute the CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion.

  13. Men's Sheds function and philosophy: towards a framework for future research and men's health promotion.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Nathan J; Cordier, Reinie; Doma, Kenji; Misan, Gary; Vaz, Sharmila

    2015-08-01

    The Men's Shed movement supports a range of men's health promotion initiatives. This paper examines whether a Men's Shed typology could inform future research and enable more efficient and targeted health promotion activities through Men's Sheds. The International Men's Shed Survey consisted of a cross-sectional exploration of sheds, their members, and health and social activities. Survey data about shed 'function' and 'philosophy' were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. A framework of Men's Sheds based on function and philosophy demonstrated that most sheds serve a primary utility function, a secondary social function, but most importantly a primary social opportunity philosophy. Sheds with a primary health philosophy participated in fewer health promotion activities when compared with sheds without a primary health philosophy. In addition to the uniform health promotion resources distributed by the Men's Shed associations, specific health promotion activities, such as prostate education, are being initiated from an individual shed level. This framework can potentially be used to enable future research and health promotion activities to be more efficiently and effectively targeted. SO WHAT? Men experience poorer health and well being outcomes than women. This framework offers a novel approach to providing targeted health promotion activities to men in an environment where it is okay to talk about men's health.

  14. What makes health promotion research distinct?

    PubMed

    Woodall, James; Warwick-Booth, Louise; South, Jane; Cross, Ruth

    2018-02-01

    There have been concerns about the decline of health promotion as a practice and discipline and, alongside this, calls for a clearer articulation of health promotion research and what, if anything, makes it distinct. This discussion paper, based on a review of the literature, the authors' own experiences in the field, and a workshop delivered by two of the authors at the 8th Nordic Health Promotion Conference, seeks to state the reasons why health promotion research is distinctive. While by no means exhaustive, the paper suggests four distinctive features. The paper hopes to be a catalyst to enable health promotion researchers to be explicit in their practice and to begin the process of developing an agreed set of research principles.

  15. [Organization of health services and tuberculosis care management].

    PubMed

    Barrêto, Anne Jaquelyne Roque; de Sá, Lenilde Duarte; Nogueira, Jordana de Almeida; Palha, Pedro Fredemir; Pinheiro, Patrícia Geórgia de Oliveira Diniz; de Farias, Nilma Maria Porto; Rodrigues, Débora Cezar de Souza; Villa, Tereza Cristina Scatena

    2012-07-01

    The scope of this study was to analyze the discourse of managers regarding the relationship between the organization of the health services and tuberculosis care management in a city in the metropolitan region of João Pessoa, State of Pernambuco. Using qualitative research in the analytical field of the French line of Discourse Analysis, 16 health workers who worked as members of the management teams took part in the study. The transcribed testimonials were organized using Atlas.ti version 6.0 software. After detailed reading of the empirical material, an attempt was made to identify the paraphrasic, polyssemic and metaphoric processes in the discourses, which enabled identification of the following discourse formation: Organization of the health services and the relation with TB care management: theory and practice. In the discourse of the managers the fragmentation of the actions of control of tuberculosis, the lack of articulation between the services and sectors, the compliance of the specific activities for TB, as well as the lack of strategic planning for management of care of the disease are clearly revealed. In this respect, for the organization of the health services to be effective, it is necessary that tuberculosis be considered a priority and acknowledged as a social problem in the management agenda.

  16. Using organization theory to understand the determinants of effective implementation of worksite health promotion programs.

    PubMed

    Weiner, Bryan J; Lewis, Megan A; Linnan, Laura A

    2009-04-01

    The field of worksite health promotion has moved toward the development and testing of comprehensive programs that target health behaviors with interventions operating at multiple levels of influence. Yet, observational and process evaluation studies indicate that such programs are challenging for worksites to implement effectively. Research has identified several organizational factors that promote or inhibit effective implementation of comprehensive worksite health promotion programs. However, no integrated theory of implementation has emerged from this research. This article describes a theory of the organizational determinants of effective implementation of comprehensive worksite health promotion programs. The model is adapted from theory and research on the implementation of complex innovations in manufacturing, education and health care settings. The article uses the Working Well Trial to illustrate the model's theoretical constructs. Although the article focuses on comprehensive worksite health promotion programs, the conceptual model may also apply to other types of complex health promotion programs. An organization-level theory of the determinants of effective implementation of worksite health promotion programs.

  17. Organizational capacities for health promotion implementation: results from an international hospital study.

    PubMed

    Röthlin, Florian; Schmied, Hermann; Dietscher, Christina

    2015-06-01

    In this article, organizational structures in hospitals are discussed as possible capacities for hospital health promotion (HP) implementation, based on data from the PRICES-HPH study. PRICES-HPH is a cross-sectional evaluation study of the International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals & Health Services (HPH-Network) and was conducted in 2008-2012. Data from 159 acute care hospitals were used in the analysis. Twelve organizational structures, which were denoted as possible organizational health promotion capacities in previous literature, were tested for their association with certain strategic HP implementation approaches. Four organizational structures were significantly (p = 0.05) associated with one or more elaborate and comprehensive strategic HP implementation approaches: (1) a health promotion specific quality assessment routine; (2) an official hospital health promotion team; (3) a fulltime hospital health promotion coordinator; and (4) officially documented health promotion policies, strategies or standards. The results add further evidence to the importance of organizational capacity structures for hospital health promotion and identify four tangible structures as likely candidates for organizational HP capacities in hospitals. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. A systematic examination of the use of online social networking sites for sexual health promotion.

    PubMed

    Gold, Judy; Pedrana, Alisa E; Sacks-Davis, Rachel; Hellard, Margaret E; Chang, Shanton; Howard, Steve; Keogh, Louise; Hocking, Jane S; Stoove, Mark A

    2011-07-21

    In recent years social networking sites (SNSs) have grown rapidly in popularity. The popularity of these sites, along with their interactive functions, offer a novel environment in which to deliver health promotion messages. The aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which SNSs are currently being used for sexual health promotion and describe the breadth of these activities. We conducted a systematic search of published scientific literature, electronic sources (general and scientific search engines, blogs) and SNSs (Facebook, MySpace) to identify existing sexual health promotion activities using SNSs. Health promotion activities were eligible for inclusion if they related to sexual health or behaviour, utilised one or more SNSs, and involved some element of health promotion. Information regarding the source and type of health promotion activity, target population and site activity were extracted. 178 sexual health promotion activities met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review; only one activity was identified through a traditional systematic search of the published scientific literature. Activities most commonly used one SNS, were conducted by not-for-profit organisations, targeted young people and involved information delivery. Facebook was the most commonly used SNS (used by 71% of all health promotion activities identified), followed by MySpace and Twitter. Seventy nine percent of activities on MySpace were considered inactive as there had been no online posts within the past month, compared to 22% of activities using Facebook and 14% of activities using Twitter. The number of end-users and posts in the last seven days varied greatly between health promotion activities. SNSs are being used for sexual health promotion, although the extent to which they are utilised varies greatly, and the vast majority of activities are unreported in the scientific literature. Future studies should examine the key factors for success among those activities attracting a large and active user base, and how success might be measured, in order to guide the development of future health promotion activities in this emerging setting.

  19. 75 FR 33983 - Establishing the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-16

    ... 13544 of June 10, 2010 Establishing the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council... of Health and Human Services, the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council... Health and Human Services; (4) the Secretary of Transportation; (5) the Secretary of Education; (6) the...

  20. Impact of a five-day short course on integration of health promotion into practice in north Queensland.

    PubMed

    Devine, Susan G; Llewellyn-Jones, Lorraine; Lloyd, Jacqui

    2009-04-01

    Workforce development is one element of health promotion capacity building. This paper describes the extent to which participants in a five-day short course in health promotion, delivered three times in north Queensland during 2007, reported greater adoption of health promotion within their work roles, and the factors that affected the level of adoption. Out of 54 course attendees, 39 completed a post-course survey five to nine months after completing the course (72% response rate). Additionally, 11 course attendees participated in a focus group or phone interview to explore survey findings. The courses succeeded in providing knowledge, skills, confidence and enthusiasm to undertake health promotion work. Eighty per cent of participants stated they had incorporated health promotion into their work frequently or all of the time since undertaking the course. Lack of understanding of health promotion from co-workers and managers, lack of organisational support and commitment, lack of resources, competing clinical priorities, and lack of time were cited as the main barriers for undertaking health promotion. The course met participant training needs. However, similar training across all levels of staff including management may help to develop organisational capacity, thereby building a more knowledgeable workforce that is supported to undertake health promotion as a core part of an organisation's business.

  1. Community-based oral health promotion practices targeted at children and adolescents in Finland--developing an assessment tool.

    PubMed

    Blomqvist, Pia; Ojala, Ellinoora; Kettunen, Tarja; Poskiparta, Marita; Kasila, Kirsti

    2014-06-01

    To develop an assessment tool for evaluating oral health promotion practices and to evaluate community-based oral health promotion practices targeted at children and adolescents with this tool. A theoretical framework about health promotion planning, implementation and evaluation was made on the basis of a literature review. Then, information about Finnish community-based oral health promotion practices (n=12) targeted at children and adolescents was collected using semi-structured interviews. Also, related documents, for example action plans and reports, were collected when available. Next, an assessment tool based on the theoretical framework was developed, and the recorded and transcribed interview data and other documents were evaluated with this tool. The assessment tool proved to be practical: it pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of the practices. The tool revealed strengths in the implementation and deficiencies in the planning and evaluation of oral health promotion practices. One-quarter of the 12 practices assessed could be considered 'good practices'. There is a need to improve the planning and evaluation of oral health promotion practices. The assessment tool developed in this study might be useful for practitioners both in the field of oral health promotion and general health promotion. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Prevalence and development of workplace health promotion in Germany: results of the IAB Establishment Panel 2012.

    PubMed

    Hollederer, Alfons; Wießner, Frank

    2015-10-01

    Based on survey data from the IAB Establishment Panel, the investigation aims to examine the prevalence of workplace health promotion among German establishments and its determinants. The IAB Establishment Panel 2012 comprises interviews with 15,556 establishments of all sizes and industrial sectors in Germany. We first present some descriptive statistics and then analyse the determinants of the prevalence of workplace health promotion by means of a probit regression. In 2012, 27 % of the interviewed establishments reported providing workplace health promotion measures on a voluntary basis. 64 % of all employees do work in establishments with workplace health promotion. From 2002 to 2012, the share of establishments with workplace health promotion increased by 8 % points. The strongest increase was observed in establishments in Western Germany and establishments with work councils. Most popular among the measures of workplace health promotion are employee surveys and analysis of the sickness absence. The vast majority of establishments provide only single measures. The econometric analysis shows that industrial sector, size of establishment, expected problems with human resources and the existence of a work council are important factors for workplace health promotion. Only a minority of establishments are committed to workplace health promotion, while these establishments provide the majority of jobs in Germany. Our analysis displays considerable disparities in terms of prevalence as well as potential for further extensions. This could be taken more into account when discussing innovative approaches of workplace health promotion.

  3. Increasing the health promotion practices of workplaces in Australia with a proactive telephone-based intervention.

    PubMed

    Daly, Justine; Licata, Milly; Gillham, Karen; Wiggers, John

    2005-01-01

    The aim of this study was to explore the potential effectiveness of a proactive telephone-based intervention in increasing workplace adoption of health promotion initiatives. A telephone-based direct marketing strategy was used to contact a sample of Australian workplaces to encourage the adoption of health promotion initiatives. Workplaces were offered free services and resources designed to facilitate adoption of health promotion initiatives. A total of 227 (71%) workplaces provided informed consent to participate in both baseline and 4-year follow-up surveys. Significant increases were evident for seven of the eight health promotion initiatives. The findings of this study suggest that a proactive telephone-based intervention has the potential to be effective in increasing the prevalence of health promotion initiatives across a range of health topics in a large population of workplaces. Given the capacity to reach an entire population of workplaces, this approach represents a promising means of achieving the established potential of workplace health promotion.

  4. Towards Evidence-Based, Quality-Controlled Health Promotion: The Dutch Recognition System for Health Promotion Interventions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brug, Johannes; van Dale, Djoeke; Lanting, Loes; Kremers, Stef; Veenhof, Cindy; Leurs, Mariken; van Yperen, Tom; Kok, Gerjo

    2010-01-01

    Registration or recognition systems for best-practice health promotion interventions may contribute to better quality assurance and control in health promotion practice. In the Netherlands, such a system has been developed and is being implemented aiming to provide policy makers and professionals with more information on the quality and…

  5. Health promotion funding, workforce recruitment and turnover in New Zealand.

    PubMed

    Lovell, Sarah A; Egan, Richard; Robertson, Lindsay; Hicks, Karen

    2015-06-01

    Almost a decade on from the New Zealand Primary Health Care Strategy and amidst concerns about funding of health promotion, we undertook a nationwide survey of health promotion providers. To identify trends in recruitment and turnover in New Zealand's health promotion workforce. Surveys were sent to 160 organisations identified as having a health focus and employing one or more health promoter. Respondents, primarily health promotion managers, were asked to report budget, retention and hiring data for 1 July 2009 through 1 July 2010. Responses were received from 53% of organisations. Among respondents, government funding for health promotion declined by 6.3% in the year ended July 2010 and health promoter positions decreased by 7.5% (equalling 36.6 full-time equivalent positions). Among staff who left their roles, 79% also left the field of health promotion. Forty-two organisations (52%) reported employing health promoters on time-limited contracts of three years or less; this employment arrangement was particularly common in public health units (80%) and primary health organisations (57%). Among new hires, 46% (n=55) were identified as Maori. Low retention of health promoters may reflect the common use of limited-term employment contracts, which allow employers to alter staffing levels as funding changes. More than half the surveyed primary health organisations reported using fixed-term employment contracts. This may compromise health promotion understanding, culture and institutional memory in these organisations. New Zealand's commitment to addressing ethnic inequalities in health outcomes was evident in the high proportion of Maori who made up new hires.

  6. health communication.

    PubMed

    Mullany, Louise; Smith, Catherine; Harvey, Kevin; Adolphs, Svenja

    2015-01-01

    This article explores the communicative choices of adolescents seeking advice from an internet-based health forum run by medical professionals. Techniques from the disciplines of sociolinguistics and corpus linguistics are integrated to examine the strategies used in adolescents’ health questions. We focus on the emergent theme of Weight and Eating, a concern which features prominently in adolescents’ requests to medical practitioners. The majority of advice requests are authored by adolescent girls, with queries peaking at age 12. A combined quantitative and qualitative analysis provides detailed insights into adolescents’ communicative strategies. Examinations of question types, register and a discourse-based analysis draw attention to dominant discourses of the body, including a ‘discourse of slenderness’ and a ‘discourse of normality’, which exercise negative influences on adolescents’ dietary behaviours. The findings are of applied linguistic relevance to health practitioners and educators, as they provide them with access to adolescents’ health queries in their own language.

  7. Public health nurses' supervision of clients in Norway.

    PubMed

    Tveiten, S; Severinsson, E

    2005-09-01

    The aim of this study was to explore and describe what public health nurses (PHNs) understand by client supervision and how they perform it. The main principles of the health promotion discourse initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) over the last 20-30 years are client participation and the view of the client as expert. Supervision is one relevant intervention strategy in the empowerment process, in which these principles play a central role. There is a lack of research pertaining to the intervention models employed by PHNs. Twenty-three transcribed audiotaped dialogues between PHNs and their clients were analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. What the PHNs understand by supervision and how they perform it can be described by three themes: continuity in relationships and reflexivity in the supervision approach, communicating with the client about his/her needs, problems and worries; and the organization of client supervision. The PHNs in this study understand client supervision as communication and relationships with clients on the subject of a healthy lifestyle, child development and coping with everyday life. The PHNs' approach to client supervision seemed to include aspects of empowerment by means of client participation and the view of the client as expert. However, the PHNs themselves had an expert role.

  8. Quantitative methods used in Australian health promotion research: a review of publications from 1992-2002.

    PubMed

    Smith, Ben J; Zehle, Katharina; Bauman, Adrian E; Chau, Josephine; Hawkshaw, Barbara; Frost, Steven; Thomas, Margaret

    2006-04-01

    This study examined the use of quantitative methods in Australian health promotion research in order to identify methodological trends and priorities for strengthening the evidence base for health promotion. Australian health promotion articles were identified by hand searching publications from 1992-2002 in six journals: Health Promotion Journal of Australia, Australian and New Zealand journal of Public Health, Health Promotion International, Health Education Research, Health Education and Behavior and the American Journal of Health Promotion. The study designs and statistical methods used in articles presenting quantitative research were recorded. 591 (57.7%) of the 1,025 articles used quantitative methods. Cross-sectional designs were used in the majority (54.3%) of studies with pre- and post-test (14.6%) and post-test only (9.5%) the next most common designs. Bivariate statistical methods were used in 45.9% of papers, multivariate methods in 27.1% and simple numbers and proportions in 25.4%. Few studies used higher-level statistical techniques. While most studies used quantitative methods, the majority were descriptive in nature. The study designs and statistical methods used provided limited scope for demonstrating intervention effects or understanding the determinants of change.

  9. Global issues and challenges beyond Ottawa: the way forward.

    PubMed

    Scriven, Angela; Speller, Viv

    2007-01-01

    This article links 10 regional field reports to the statement Shaping the future of health promotion: Priorities for action, which are both outcomes of the global IUHPE and CCHPR project, Renewing our Commitment to the Ottawa Charter: The Way Forward. The Shaping the future statement has emerged from the regional field reports and will act as the driving force behind the future articulation of health promotion policy at an international level. Connections are made between the key areas of the regional field reports, which include health promotion policy, health-promoting services, health promotion funding and availability of resources, community participation in health, research and information, and the recommendations made in the Shaping the future of health promotion: Priorities for action statement. The coverage includes putting healthy policies in to practice; strengthening structures and processes for health promotion; moving towards knowledge based practice; building a competent health promotion workforce and empowering communities. There are a number of significant issues arising across all the regional field reports that have been drawn on to make the recommendations in the statement. For example, the political environment has strongly influenced the evolution of health promotion. There is a clear message from the reports that political will is essential and that political advocacy needs to continue to ensure that policy goals represent the principles of Ottawa in an appropriate manner. Examples drawn from the reports demonstrate the many and varied challenges for health promotion in addressing 21st century global health determinants. There is also a clear indication that the principles established in Ottawa, and developed in subsequent WHO declarations and charters, have been embedded in the framework of health promotion practice. Shaping the future articulates the key message from the regional field reports, and therefore ensures that the lessons learnt from implementing Ottawa over the past two decades are harnessed and will shape health promotion in the future.

  10. The Nordic Health Promotion Research Network (NHPRN).

    PubMed

    Ringsberg, Karin C

    2015-08-01

    The Nordic Health Promotion Research Network (NHPRN) was established in 2007 at the Nordic School of Public Health (NHV). This article aims to describe the foundation of the NHPRN, the development and the present status of the work of NHPRN. The NHPRN consists of about 50 senior and junior researchers from all Nordic countries. It is a working network that aims to develop the theoretical understanding of health promotion, to create research cooperation in health promotion from a Nordic perspective and to extend the scope of health promotion through education. Network members meet biannually to discuss and further develop research within the field and are also responsible for the Nordic conference on Health Promotion, organized every 3 years. The NHV hosted the network between 2007 and 2014; and the World Health Organisation (WHO) will assume this role in 2015. © 2015 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

  11. [The health promotion programs for the children based at health promotion institutions].

    PubMed

    Kotenko, K V; Khan, M A; Rassulova, M A; Korchazhkina, N B; Kuyantseva, L V; Bykova, N I

    The research carried out in the framework of the health promotion programs for the children made it possible to obtain characteristics of the patients admitted to health promotion facilities, identify the risk factors for the development of acute respiratory diseases, and substantiate the principles of the differentiated approach to the rehabilitation of such patients based at the institutions of this type taking into consideration the health group to which a concrete patient is referred and the risk factors of acute respiratory diseases. The feasibility and effectiveness of the addition of aromatherapy and treatment with the use of polarized light into the health promotion programs for the children presenting with acute respiratory diseases that they develop during the period of adaptation based at health promotion institutions are discussed.

  12. [The association between the presence of occupational health nurses at Japanese worksites and health promotion activities].

    PubMed

    Kanamori, Satoru; Kai, Yuko; Kawamata, Kayo; Kusumoto, Mari; Takamiya, Tomoko; Ohya, Yumiko; Odagiri, Yuko; Fukushima, Noritoshi; Inoue, Shigeru

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the association between the presence of occupational health nurses and health promotion activities, relative to the number of employees, and the health promotion policies of the companies. We investigated 3,266 companies with at least 50 employees listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Questionnaires were sent by mail, and employees in charge of health management or promotion were asked about health promotion activities at their own worksites. Logistic regression analysis was performed with each type of health promotion activity (nutrition, exercise, sleep, mental health, smoking cessation, alcohol consumption reduction, and oral health) as dependent variables, and the presence of an occupational health nurse as the independent variable. The results were adjusted for the type of industry, total number of company employees, presence of company health promotion policies, and the presence of an occupational health physician. Responses were received from 415 companies (response rate: 12.7%). Occupational health nurses were present at 172 companies (41.4%). Health promotion activities such as (in order of frequency) mental health (295 companies, 71.1%), smoking cessation (133, 32.0%), exercise (99, 23.9%), nutrition (75, 18.1%), oral health (49, 11.8%), sleep (39, 9.4%), and alcohol consumption reduction (26, 6.3%) were being conducted. Setting worksites with no occupational health nurse as a reference, the odds ratios of each health promotion activity of a worksite with one or more occupational health nurses were calculated. The odds ratios of mental health (2.43, 95% confidence interval: 1.32-4.48), smoking cessation (3.70, 2.14-6.38), exercise (4.98, 2.65-9.35), nutrition (8.34, 3.86-18.03), oral health (4.25, 1.87-9.62), and alcohol consumption reduction (8.96, 2.24-35.92) were significant. Stratified analysis using the number of worksite employees, 499 or fewer and 500 or more, also showed significantly higher odds ratios of smoking cessation, exercise, and nutrition activities at worksites of both groups. However, the odds ratios were significant for mental health and oral health activities only at worksites with 499 or fewer employees. At worksites of listed companies around Japan, those with an occupational health nurse carried out more health promotion activities such as nutrition, exercise, mental health, smoking cessation, alcohol consumption reduction, and oral health than those without, even after adjusting for scale of the company and presence of health promotion policies. This result suggests that the posting of an occupational health nurse to a worksite is associated with the conduct of health promotion activities.

  13. From knowing our needs to enacting change: findings from community consultations with indigenous communities in Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Hussain, Sameera; Ruano, Ana Lorena; Rahman, Atiya; Rashid, Sabina Faiz; Hill, Peter S

    2015-11-09

    Indigenous peoples are among the most marginalized peoples in the world due to issues relating to well-being, political representation, and economic production. The research consortium Goals and Governance for Global Health (Go4Health) conducted a community consultation process among marginalized groups across the global South aimed at including their voices in the global discourse around health in the post-2015 development agenda. This paper presents findings from the consultations carried out among indigenous communities in Bangladesh. For this qualitative study, our research team consulted the Tripura and Mro communities in Bandarban district living in the isolated Chittagong Hill Tracts region. Community members, leaders, and key informants working in health service delivery were interviewed. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Our findings show that remoteness shapes the daily lives of the communities, and their lack of access to natural resources and basic services prevents them from following health promotion messages. The communities feel that their needs are impossible to secure in a politically indifferent and sometimes hostile environment. Communities are keen to participate and work with duty bearers in creating the conditions that will lead to their improved quality of life. Clear policies that recognize the status of indigenous peoples are necessary in the Bangladeshi context to allow for the development of services and infrastructure.

  14. Mental health promotion in the health care setting: collaboration and engagement in the development of a mental health promotion capacity-building initiative.

    PubMed

    Horn, Michelle A; Rauscher, Alana B; Ardiles, Paola A; Griffin, Shannon L

    2014-01-01

    Health Compass is an innovative, multiphased project that aims to transform health care practice and shift organizational culture by building the capacity of Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) health care providers to further promote the mental health and well-being of patients and families accessing PHSA's health care services. Health Compass was developed within a health promotion framework, which involved collaboration and engagement with stakeholders across all partnering PHSA agencies. This approach led to the development of an educational and training resource that contributes to increased capacity for mental health promotion within the health care setting. Based on interviews with Health Compass' internal Project Team and findings from a Stakeholder Engagement Evaluation Report, this article outlines the participatory approach taken to develop the Health Compass Mental Health Promotion Resource and E-Learning Tool. A number of key facilitators for collaboration and engagement are discussed, which may be particularly applicable to the implementation of a mental health promotion program or initiative within a complex health care setting.

  15. Reorientation of health services: enablers and barriers faced by organisations when increasing health promotion capacity.

    PubMed

    McFarlane, K; Judd, J; Devine, S; Watt, K

    2016-08-01

    Issue addressed Primary healthcare settings are important providers of health promotion approaches. However, organisational challenges can affect their capacity to deliver these approaches. This review identified the common enablers and barriers health organisations faced and it aimed to explore the experiences health organisations, in particular Aboriginal organisations, had when increasing their health promotion capacity. Methods A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature was conducted. Articles published between 1990-2014 that focused on a health care-settings approach and discussed factors that facilitated or hindered an organisation's ability to increase health promotion capacity were included. Results Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria. Qualitative (n=18) and quantitative (n=7) study designs were included. Only one article described the experiences of an Aboriginal health organisation. Enablers included: management support, skilled staff, provision of external support to the organisation, committed staffing and financial resources, leadership and the availability of external partners to work with. Barriers included: lack of management support, lack of dedicated health promotion staff, staff lacking skills or confidence, competing priorities and a lack of time and resources allocated to health promotion activities. Conclusions While the literature highlighted the importance of health promotion work, barriers can limit the delivery of health promotion approaches within primary healthcare organisations. A gap in the literature exists about how Aboriginal health organisations face these challenges. So what? Primary healthcare organisations wanting to increase their health promotion capacity can pre-empt the common barriers and strengthen identified enablers through the shared learnings outlined in this review.

  16. Motivating factors for small and midsized businesses to implement worksite health promotion.

    PubMed

    Witt, Laurel B; Olsen, Delane; Ablah, Elizabeth

    2013-11-01

    This study explores the decision-making process, including motivating factors, for small and midsized businesses in the Midwest to implement health promotion initiatives. This a replication of a study conducted in the Pacific Northwest. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with key informants from 12 Midwestern metropolitan employers with fewer than 1,000 employees. Informants were interviewed regarding their companies' policies and practices around workplace health promotion programming adoption and valuation. Workplace health promotion adoption at these small and midsized businesses was motivated by three goals: to lower health care costs, to address human relations objectives, and to improve productivity. Low upfront cost was the most frequently considered criterion in choosing which workplace health promotion program to offer. Barriers to implementation included lack of employee buy-in, prohibitive costs, and personnel or time constraints. Aids to implementation included employee buy-in and affordability. This study suggests that cost considerations predominate in the workplace health promotion decision-making process at small to midsized businesses. Furthermore, employee buy-in cannot be underestimated as a factor in successful program implementation or longevity. Employees, along with executives and human resources management, must be appropriately targeted by health promotion practitioners in workplace health promotion efforts.

  17. Neurobiology in public and private discourse: the case of adults with ADHD.

    PubMed

    Bröer, Christian; Heerings, Marjolijn

    2013-01-01

    How do people describe their health? How do their descriptions relate to public definitions? This article focuses on adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We look at Dutch adults who adopt the ADHD label and ask: which discourses structure their descriptions of ADHD? How do these relate to the dominant public discourse on ADHD? Do people use, for example, neurobiological explanations of ADHD? The research makes use of Q-methodology, which combines a discursive relational approach with factor analysis. We examine five different personal discourses that partly differ from the public discourse. People borrow neurobiological, psychological, sociological and even holistic arguments from public discourse to come up with a distinct set of discourses. Neurobiology resonates among adults with ADHD but does not dominate their thinking. Contrary to our expectation, this supports reflexivity instead of discipline theory. © 2012 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2012 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  18. Promoting mental health as an essential aspect of health promotion.

    PubMed

    Sturgeon, Shona

    2006-12-01

    This paper advocates that mental health promotion receive appropriate attention within health promotion. It is of great concern that, in practice, mental health promotion is frequently overlooked in health promotion programmes although the WHO definitions of health and the Ottawa Charter describe mental health as an integral part of health. It is suggested that more attention be given to addressing the determinants of mental health in terms of protective and risk factors for both physical and mental conditions, particularly in developing countries. Examples of evidence-based mental health programmes operating in widely diverse settings are presented to demonstrate that well designed interventions can contribute to the well-being of populations. It is advocated that particular attention be given to the intersectorial cooperation needed for this work.

  19. Sustainability and power in health promotion: community-based participatory research in a reproductive health policy case study in New Mexico.

    PubMed

    Mendes, Rosilda; Plaza, Veronica; Wallerstein, Nina

    2016-03-01

    Health promotion programs are commonly viewed as value-free initiatives which seek to improve health, often through behavior change. An opposing view has begun to emerge that health promotion efforts, especially ones seeking to impact health policy and social determinants of health, are vulnerable to political contexts and may depend on who is in power at the time. This community-based participatory research study attempts to understand these interactions by applying a conceptual model focused on the power context, diverse stakeholder roles within this context, and the relationship of political levers and other change strategies to the sustainability of health promotion interventions aimed at health policy change. We present a case study of a health promotion coalition, New Mexico for Responsible Sex Education (NMRSE), as an example of power dynamics and change processes. Formed in 2005 in response to federal policies mandating abstinence-only education, NMRSE includes community activists, health promotion staff from the New Mexico Department of Health, and policy-maker allies. Applying an adapted Mayer's 'power analysis' instrument, we conducted semi-structured stakeholder interviews and triangulated political-context analyses from the perspective of the stakeholders.We identified multiple understandings of sustainability and health promotion policy change, including: the importance of diverse stakeholders working together in coalition and social networks; their distinct positions of power within their political contexts; the role of science versus advocacy in change processes; the particular challenges for public sector health promotion professionals; and other facilitators versus barriers to action. One problem that emerged consisted of the challenges for state employees to engage in health promotion advocacy due to limitations imposed on their activities by state and federal policies. This investigation's results include a refined conceptual model, a power-analysis instrument, and new understandings of the intersection of power and stakeholder strategies in the sustainability of health promotion and health in all policies. © The Author(s) 2014.

  20. [Economic analysis of health promotion conducted in an enterprise].

    PubMed

    Wang, Zhi-chun; Yang, Xue-ying; Kang, Wen-long; Wang, Wen-jing

    2013-12-01

    To take intervention measures for health promotion after investigation of occupational health needs among employees, to analyze the economic input and output of the intervention measures, and to analyze the feasibility of health promotion through cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-benefit analysis. A survey was conducted in an enterprise using a self-designed questionnaire to investigate the general information on enterprise, occupational history of each employee, awareness of occupational health knowledge, awareness of general health knowledge, awareness of hypertension, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, etc., lifestyle, and needs for health knowledge. Intervention measures were taken in the enterprise according to the investigation results, and then investigation and economic analysis of investment in health promotion, economic benefit, and absence of employees were performed using the questionnaire. After intervention, the awareness rate of the Code of Occupational Disease Prevention increased from 4.5% to 15.3%, the awareness rate of the definition of occupational diseases increased from 4.5% to 73.5%, and the awareness rate of the prevention and control measures for occupational diseases increased from 38.4% to 85.8%. Before intervention, 25.4%of all employees thought salt intake needed to be reduced, and this proportion increased to 92.5% after intervention. After the control strategy for health promotion, the benefit of health promotion that results from avoiding absence of employees and preventing occupational diseases was more than ten times the investment in health promotion, suggesting a significant benefit of health promotion conducted in the enterprise. The return on health promotion's investment for enterprise is worth. Health promotion really not just contribute to improve hygienic knowledge but increase the economic benefit.

  1. Health promotion in Swedish schools: school managers' views.

    PubMed

    Persson, Louise; Haraldsson, Katarina

    2017-04-01

    Schools are recognized worldwide as settings for health promotion, and leadership has a bearing on schools' ability to be health promoting. School managers have a great influence on what is prioritized in school, which in turn affects students' school performance and health. There is lack of research into school managers' views on health promotion, and what they consider to be central to health promotion. The aim was therefore to examine school managers' views about what health promotion in schools include. An explorative design, qualitative content analysis, was performed. In-depth interviews were conducted with all 13 school managers of a middle-sized municipality in central Sweden. The analysis had both manifest and latent content and three categories: 'Organization and Collaboration', 'Optimize the arena' and 'Strengthen the individual', and 10 subcategories emerged. The theme, 'Opportunities for learning and a good life', describes the latent content of these categories. Taking into account the views of school managers are important because these views help form a more complete picture of how school managers work with health promotion and what is needed to enhance health promotion to improve students' opportunities for learning and a good life. The Ottawa Charter for Health promotion is thereby transformed into practice. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. [A comparative study of primary care health promotion practices in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada].

    PubMed

    Heidemann, Ivonete Teresinha Schulter Buss; Cypriano, Camilla da Costa; Gastaldo, Denise; Jackson, Suzanne; Rocha, Carolina Gabriele; Fagundes, Eloi

    2018-01-01

    The study aimed to compare the experiences with the organization of universal public healthcare systems in relation to health promotion in primary care units in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This was a descriptive exploratory study with a qualitative approach in primary care units. Data were collected with semi-structured interviews containing questions on health promotion practices, with 25 health professionals in Florianópolis and 10 in Toronto. The data were discussed using thematic analysis, identifying the practices, difficulties, and facilities in health promotion. In the two cities, 60% of health professionals and health administrators had not received any specific knowledge on health promotion during their training. As for health promotion skills, health professionals in Toronto identified them with autonomy and social determinants, while in Florianópolis they were related to health education and community participation. In both cities, health promotion practices are targeted to individual and collective activities. The motivation to act comes from interdisciplinarity and the demands raised by the population. Health promotion is a relevant form of care and stimulus for individual and community autonomy, in light of social determinants. Such practices aim at comprehensive health for the community, but there are limits in the teams that still conduct disease-centered activities. Resources are limited, requiring inter-sector actions to improve quality of life. Healthcare centers on the hegemonic model, and progress is needed to achieve a positive approach to health and social determinants.

  3. Using smartphone-based applications (apps) in workplace health promotion: The opinion of German and Austrian leaders.

    PubMed

    Dunkl, Anita; Jiménez, Paul

    2017-03-01

    Reaching the actual target group for a web-based health promotion project turns out to be a difficult task. In this article, individual and organizational factors which can influence the decision of using apps in workplace health promotion are analyzed. Furthermore, we analyzed the opinion about feedback possibilities of apps in workplace health promotion. A study with 438 leaders was conducted, as leaders can be seen as a key factor in the success of health promotion projects. The results showed that younger leaders and leaders with a more positive attitude toward workplace health promotion are more likely to use an app. Furthermore, leaders with a positive attitude are more interested in expert-feedback than in instant feedback received from an app.

  4. Skills, systems and supports: An Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (Apunipima) approach to building health promotion evaluation capacity of staff.

    PubMed

    Nichols, Nina; McFarlane, Kathryn; Gibson, Priscilla; Millard, Fiona; Packer, Andrew; McDonald, Malcolm

    2018-04-01

    Building the health promotion evaluation capacity of a workforce requires more than a focus on individual skills and confidence. We must also consider the organisational systems and supports that enable staff to embed learnings into practice. This paper describes the processes used to build health promotion evaluation capacity of staff in an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS). To build health promotion evaluation capacity three approaches were used: (i) workshops and mentoring; (ii) strengthening systems to support program reporting; and (iii) recruitment of staff with skills and experience. Pre- and post-questionnaires determined levels of individual skills and confidence, updated systems were assessed for adequacy to support new health promotion practices and surveys captured the usefulness of workshops and mentoring. There was increased participant skills and confidence. Participants completed program impact evaluation reports and results were successfully presented at national conferences. The health promotion team was then able to update in-house systems to support new health promotion practices. Ongoing collaboration with experienced in-house researchers provided basic research training and professional mentoring. Building health promotion evaluation capacity of staff in an ACCHS can be achieved by providing individual skill development, strengthening organisational systems and utilising professional support. SO WHAT?: Health promotion practitioners have an ongoing professional obligation to improve the quality of routine practice and embrace new initiatives. This report outlines a process of building evaluation capacity that promotes quality reporting of program impacts and outcomes, reflects on ways to enhance program strengths, and communicates these findings internally and to outside professional bodies. This is particularly significant for ACCHSs responsible for addressing the high burden of preventable disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. © 2017 Australian Health Promotion Association.

  5. Health promotion and health education viewed as symbiotic paradigms: bridging the theory and practice gap between them.

    PubMed

    Whitehead, Dean

    2003-11-01

    A recognized 'paradigm war' exists between the two distinct approaches of health education and health promotion practice. This tension is both unhealthy and unhelpful and is known to have a profound effect on nursing activity. Leading health promotionalists have begun to acknowledge the futility of the stated paradigm tension, realizing that health education and health promotion interventions are not that dissimilar in their origins and intentions. Progressive health education and health promotion programmes acknowledge the interrelatedness of both approaches and seek to incorporate favourable aspects of the two. The aim of this article is to present arguments and stances that help to diffuse/avoid the stated paradigm conflict, as a basis for health education and health promotion reform in nursing. It also seeks to clarify the nature of both health education and health promotion practice so as to avoid contextual confusion. In doing so, this article draws significantly from the author's previous work. This article concludes that the constructive review of any intended health education/health promotion programme lies in the consideration of each approach according to its own relative merits, what is required of the programme, and the nature of the setting in which the intervention takes place.

  6. Professional competencies in health promotion and public health: what is common and what is specific? Review of the European debate and perspectives for professional development.

    PubMed

    Mereu, Alessandra; Sotgiu, Alessandra; Buja, Alessandra; Casuccio, Alessandra; Cecconi, Rosaria; Fabiani, Leila; Guberti, Emilia; Lorini, Chiara; Minelli, Liliana; Pocetta, Giancarlo; Contu, Paolo

    2015-01-01

    According to the Nairobi Call to Action, the growth of practitioners' skills can be favoured by setting accreditation standards and by reorienting professional competencies of current and future health workers. This will make it possible to develop a critical mass of competent practitioners, foster training, and increase visibility of the professional field. Through a review of the literature, the authors offer an overview of competency-based strategies for professional development in health promotion. The main research questions discussed were as follows: Is there a shared definition of public health?; Is there a shared definition of health promotion?; Who are the main stakeholders for public health and health promotion in Europe?; What is the meaning of professional competencies in education and practice for public health and health promotion?; Is there a shared system of professional core competencies in public health and health promotion?;What is common and what is specific between the two systems of professional competencies?; Is it useful and feasible to create specific strategies of professional development for public health and health promotion? A transformative use of competencies makes it possible to inform students, professionals, employers, and political decision-makers about what is expected from a specific profession and its values.

  7. 77 FR 42313 - Recharter of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-18

    ... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Corinne Graffunder... Integrative and Public Health (the ``Advisory Group'') within the Department of Health and Human Services. To...

  8. Insurance Incentives for Health Promotion.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hosokawa, Michael C.

    1984-01-01

    To reduce the cost of reimbursements, many insurance companies have begun to use insurance incentives as a way to motivate individuals to participate in health promotion activities. Traditional health education, research and demonstration, and policy-premium incentives are methods of health promotion used by life and health insurance companies.…

  9. 'Let other people do it…': the role of emergency department nurses in health promotion.

    PubMed

    Shoqirat, Noordeen

    2014-01-01

    To explore emergency department nurses' roles in health promotion and contributing factors involved. In many healthcare systems, emergency departments are increasingly urged to play a crucial role in health promotion. Although much has been written about health promotion and nurses in acute care settings, less has focused on emergency departments. A qualitative design was used. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used with a convenient sample of 15 nurses in a Jordanian emergency department. Data were analysed using nvivo 9 (QSR International, Doncaster, Victoria, Australia). The analysis identified two themes. The first focused on nurses' roles in health promotion, comprising two categories: having no roles and 'let other people do it'. The second theme focused on the context and constraints of health promotion comprising fear of violence, the nature of healthcare service and patients' beliefs. The majority of nurses in emergency departments do not associate health promotion with their practice, hold some negative attitudes and devote more time to clinical tasks than health promotion, which is seen as a second priority. The ideology of medicalised tasks has penetrated deeply into the core principles of health promotion, and thus, nurses' roles and potential in this area are questioned. Decision-makers and nurses within the hospital are urged to address the constraints identified in this study and debate them further. Failure to do so may lead to emergency nursing not being optimally achieved, with the absence of sustained and concerted health promotion work matching patients' cultural needs and sensitivities. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. [Research on health education and promotion in Spanish nursery and primary schools. A systematic review of studies published between 1995 and 2005].

    PubMed

    Davó, Mari Carmen; Gil-González, Diana; Vives-Cases, Carmen; Alvarez-Dardet, Carlos; La Parra, Daniel

    2008-01-01

    To identify the characteristics of health education and promotion interventions in Spanish nursery and primary schools, through the studies published in scientific journals. We performed a review of studies on health education and promotion interventions in Spanish nursery and primary schools, published from 1995 to 2005. The information sources were Medline (through Pubmed), Cinhal, Eric, Sociological Abstracts, Science Citation Index, and Isooc (CSIC). Studies performed in Spanish nursery and primary schools that incorporated health education and promotion interventions were selected. The studies' general features, main subject and aims, methodology, the kind of intervention described, and compliance with the criteria for Healthy Schools were analyzed. Only 26 of the 346 articles identified met the inclusion criteria. Health education programs focussed more on disease prevention than on health promotion and only a few studies were performed in nursery and primary schools. The criteria for health promotion in schools were included in 5 articles (19.2%). The importance of health institutions (n = 7; 26.9%) and universities (n = 8; 30.8%) as promoters of programs was notable. The most frequent subject was smoking (n = 11; 42.3%). Teachers play a lesser role in health promotion in schools than health institutions in the implementation and dissemination of health programs. Research into health promotion in nursery and primary schools is scarce.

  11. A systematic examination of the use of Online social networking sites for sexual health promotion

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background In recent years social networking sites (SNSs) have grown rapidly in popularity. The popularity of these sites, along with their interactive functions, offer a novel environment in which to deliver health promotion messages. The aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which SNSs are currently being used for sexual health promotion and describe the breadth of these activities. Methods We conducted a systematic search of published scientific literature, electronic sources (general and scientific search engines, blogs) and SNSs (Facebook, MySpace) to identify existing sexual health promotion activities using SNSs. Health promotion activities were eligible for inclusion if they related to sexual health or behaviour, utilised one or more SNSs, and involved some element of health promotion. Information regarding the source and type of health promotion activity, target population and site activity were extracted. Results 178 sexual health promotion activities met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review; only one activity was identified through a traditional systematic search of the published scientific literature. Activities most commonly used one SNS, were conducted by not-for-profit organisations, targeted young people and involved information delivery. Facebook was the most commonly used SNS (used by 71% of all health promotion activities identified), followed by MySpace and Twitter. Seventy nine percent of activities on MySpace were considered inactive as there had been no online posts within the past month, compared to 22% of activities using Facebook and 14% of activities using Twitter. The number of end-users and posts in the last seven days varied greatly between health promotion activities. Conclusions SNSs are being used for sexual health promotion, although the extent to which they are utilised varies greatly, and the vast majority of activities are unreported in the scientific literature. Future studies should examine the key factors for success among those activities attracting a large and active user base, and how success might be measured, in order to guide the development of future health promotion activities in this emerging setting. PMID:21777470

  12. Operationalising and piloting the IUHPE European accreditation system for health promotion.

    PubMed

    Battel-Kirk, Barbara; Barry, Margaret M; van der Zanden, Gerard; Contu, Paolo; Gallardo, Carmen; Martinez, Ana; Speller, Viv; Debenedetti, Sara

    2015-09-01

    The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) European Accreditation System for Health Promotion aims to promote quality assurance in health promotion practice, education and training. The System is designed to be flexible and sensitive to the different contexts for health promotion practice, education and training in Europe, while maintaining robust criteria. These competency-based criteria were developed in the CompHP Project (2009-2012) that developed core competencies, professional standards and an accreditation framework for health promotion practice, education and training in the context of workforce capacity development in Europe.This paper describes how consultations undertaken with the health promotion community informed the structure and processes of the IUHPE Accreditation System. An overview of its development, key functions and the piloting of its implementation, which was co-funded by the European Union in the context of the EU Health Programme, is presented.Feedback from consultations with key health promotion stakeholders in Europe indicated overall support for the development of an accreditation system for health promotion. However, a number of potential barriers to its implementation were noted including: absence of dedicated practitioners and professional bodies in some countries; lack of clarity about professional boundaries; lack of financial resources required to facilitate capacity building; and concerns about the costs, objectivity and transparency of the system. Feedback from the consultations shaped and informed the process of designing an operational accreditation system to ensure that it would be responsive to potential users' needs and concerns.Based on the agreed structures and processes, a web-based application system was developed and managed at IUHPE headquarters. A governance structure was established together with agreed policies and procedures for the System. During the pilot period, applications from 20 health promotion practitioners, two health promotion education programmes and one national accreditation organisation were processed. Feedback from the piloting stage will inform further refinement of the system.While recognising the challenges, the overall positive feedback and the commitment demonstrated by the health promotion community form a constructive platform for the implementation of the IUHPE Accreditation System in Europe and internationally. © The Author(s) 2014.

  13. Promoting people's health: challenges and opportunities.

    PubMed

    Heitkamp, P

    1998-01-01

    Promoting health underlines the right of each individual to the highest attainable standard of health. It stresses the importance of the participation of people and recognizes different sociocultural values and beliefs that are prevalent throughout the world. Working on health development has a sustainable effect only when done comprehensively: personal development, community development, organizational development, and political development. The international conferences that have marked the way of health promotion have been goal posts of an energetic movement to strengthen health worldwide. The Ottawa Charter on Health Promotion has been a worldwide source of guidance for health promotion through its five strategies: building health policy, creating supportive elements, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, and reorienting health services. Moreover, the Jakarta Declaration on "Leading Health Promotion into the 21st Century" identifies five priorities in the next millennium: 1) promote social responsibility for health; 2) increase investments for health development; 3) consolidate and expand partnerships for health; 4) increase community capacity and empower the individual in matters of health; and 5) secure an infrastructure for health promotion. Increasing the investment in health development calls for the need to find new mechanisms for funding as well as reorienting existing resources towards health promotion and health education.

  14. The importance of context in the evolution of health promotion.

    PubMed

    Sparks, Michael

    2013-06-01

    The world has changed dramatically since the Ottawa Charter was developed in 1986. Contemporary health promotion responses continue to evolve and become more sophisticated in response to the multiple challenges created by an ever-changing world. This commentary discusses some of the challenges facing health promotion professionals today and some of the responses that are being developed to address them. The importance of contextual considerations for both the worker and the work of health promotion are emphasised. The author then suggests ways that organisations and individuals can meet modern-day health promotion challenges through specific courses of action.

  15. Domains of core competency, standards, and quality assurance for building global capacity in health promotion: the galway consensus conference statement.

    PubMed

    Allegrante, John P; Barry, Margaret M; Airhihenbuwa, Collins O; Auld, M Elaine; Collins, Janet L; Lamarre, Marie-Claude; Magnusson, Gudjon; McQueen, David V; Mittelmark, Maurice B

    2009-06-01

    This paper reports the outcome of the Galway Consensus Conference, an effort undertaken as a first step toward international collaboration on credentialing in health promotion and health education. Twenty-nine leading authorities in health promotion, health education, and public health convened a 2-day meeting in Galway, Ireland, during which the available evidence on credentialing in health promotion was reviewed and discussed. Conference participants reached agreement on core values and principles, a common definition, and eight domains of core competency required to engage in effective health promotion practice. The domains of competency are catalyzing change, leadership, assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, advocacy, and partnerships. The long-term aim of this work is to stimulate a global dialogue that will lead to the development and widespread adoption of standards and quality assurance systems in all countries to strengthen capacity in health promotion, a critical element in achieving goals for the improvement of global population health.

  16. [More Health in Urban Districts: The Integration of Health Promotion in Urban Development].

    PubMed

    Reimann, B; Böhme, C

    2015-09-01

    Poverty represents a considerable health risk. As social- and health-related disadvantages are spatially concentrated, municipalities must take up the task of forging a stronger link between urban district development and health promotion than has thus far been the case. Moreover, they must put health promotion as part of urban district development as an item on the agenda. The present contribution illustrates in which ways health promotion in disadvantaged urban districts and its scientific monitoring and evaluation can be successful. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  17. Mutuality at the center: health promotion with Cape Verdean immigrant women.

    PubMed

    De Jesus, Maria

    2009-02-01

    Public health care researchers, policy makers, and providers are increasingly interested in developing more effective and culturally responsive health promotion theories and interventions for diverse immigrant populations. The purpose of this study was to develop health promotion theory that validates the local knowledge and experiences of Cape Verdean women health promoters who work with immigrant women in their community. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine culturally savvy, community-based Cape Verdean women health promoters about their perspectives and daily experiences of health promotion practice with Cape Verdean immigrant women. This study used Glaserian grounded theory to analyze the interviews. This approach identified concepts and developed an integrated process through which to theorize about the practice of health promoters. For Cape Verdean women health promoters, a process of creating relationships was a key to promoting women's health. The relational theory of health promotion practice reflects these dynamic processes, properties, and stages through which Cape Verdean women health promoters develop mutually engaging relationships with immigrant women. CONCLUSION. These findings challenge health care professionals to broaden the repertoire of health promotion strategies to include relationship-building between health promoters and community women. Through these relationships health promoters can understand the complex structural, cultural, and community factors that influence immigrant women's health and incorporate that knowledge into more effective health promotion practices.

  18. Application of Health Promotion Theories and Models for Environmental Health

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parker, Edith A.; Baldwin, Grant T.; Israel, Barbara; Salinas, Maria A.

    2004-01-01

    The field of environmental health promotion gained new prominence in recent years as awareness of physical environmental stressors and exposures increased in communities across the country and the world. Although many theories and conceptual models are used routinely to guide health promotion and health education interventions, they are rarely…

  19. Health Promotion in University: What Do Students Want?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dunne, Cathy; Somerset, Maggie

    2004-01-01

    This qualitative research was designed to investigate students' health needs and their views on health promotion in a University. A total of 31 students participated in focus group discussions. Inductive analysis revealed two central themes: student health concerns and health promotion in a University setting. The former included issues associated…

  20. Reductions in employee productivity impairment observed after implementation of web-based worksite health promotion programs.

    PubMed

    Silberman, Jordan; Schwartz, Steven; Giuseffi, Danielle L; Wang, Chun; Nevedal, Dana; Bedrosian, Richard

    2011-12-01

    To assess changes in employee productivity impairment observed after the implementation of several Web-based health promotion programs. Health risk assessments and self-report measures of productivity impairment were administered on-line to more than 43,000 participants of Web-based health promotion programs. Reductions in productivity impairment were observed after 1 month of program utilization. Productivity impairment at 90- and 180-day follow-ups also decreased relative to baseline. Improvements in employee health were associated with reductions in employee productivity impairment. The use of Web-based health promotion programs was associated with reductions in productivity impairment and improvements in employee health. After the implementation of Web-based health promotion programs, reductions in productivity impairment may be observed before reductions in direct health care costs.

  1. Worksite Health Promotion for Low-Wage Workers: A Scoping Literature Review.

    PubMed

    Stiehl, Emily; Shivaprakash, Namrata; Thatcher, Esther; Ornelas, India J; Kneipp, Shawn; Baron, Sherry L; Muramatsu, Naoko

    2018-02-01

    To determine: (1) What research has been done on health promotion interventions for low-wage workers and (2) what factors are associated with effective low-wage workers' health promotion programs. This review includes articles from PubMed and PsychINFO published in or before July 2016. Study Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria: The search yielded 130 unique articles, 35 met the inclusion criteria: (1) being conducted in the United States, (2) including an intervention or empirical data around health promotion among adult low-wage workers, and (3) measuring changes in low-wage worker health. Central features of the selected studies were extracted, including the theoretical foundation; study design; health promotion intervention content and delivery format; intervention-targeted outcomes; sample characteristics; and work, occupational, and industry characteristics. Consistent with a scoping review, we used a descriptive, content analysis approach to analyze extracted data. All authors agreed upon emergent themes and 2 authors independently coded data extracted from each article. The results suggest that the research on low-wage workers' health promotion is limited, but increasing, and that low-wage workers have limited access to and utilization of worksite health promotion programs. Workplace health promotion programs could have a positive effect on low-wage workers, but more work is needed to understand how to expand access, what drives participation, and which delivery mechanisms are most effective.

  2. The Jakarta Declaration on health promotion in the 21st century.

    PubMed

    1998-01-01

    The Fourth International Conference on Health Promotion, held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in July 1997, focused on the theme: New Players for a New Era--Leading Health Promotion into the 21st Century. Health promotion strategies can change life-styles as well as the social, economic, and environmental conditions that determine health. Most effective are comprehensive approaches that combine public policy efforts, the creation of supportive environments, community action, the development of personal skills, and a reorientation of health services. Also required is the creation of new partnerships for health between different sectors at all levels of society and government. The conference identified five priorities for health promotion in the 21st century: 1) promote social responsibility for health; 2) increase investments for health development, especially for groups such as women, children, older persons, the indigenous, the poor, and marginalized populations; 3) consolidate and expand partnerships for health to enable the sharing of expertise, skills, and resources; 4) increase community capacity and empower the individual; and 5) secure an infrastructure for health promotion through new funding mechanisms, intersectoral collaboration, and training of local leadership.

  3. Teachers' Ideas about Health: Implications for Health Promotion at School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miglioretti, Massimo; Velasco, Veronica; Celata, Corrado; Vecchio, Luca

    2013-01-01

    Objectives: The study explores the relationships among teachers' health representations, their ideas about health promotion, their working conditions and their involvement in health-promotion activities at school. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 107 teachers in 86 schools in Milan (Italy). The questionnaire was structured in four…

  4. Parent perceptions of health promotion for school-age children with spina bifida.

    PubMed

    Luther, Brenda L; Christian, Becky J

    2017-01-01

    To gain insight into how parents develop their beliefs of health promotion for their children with spina bifida (SB) and how they develop and promote health promotion practices for their children. Qualitative, exploratory design with semi-structured interviews of parents of children between 6 and 12 years of age diagnosed with SB was used for this study. Perceptions of health promotion were maintaining healthy bowel function and managing SB care. Good bowel function and SB management is health promotion and adequate bowel function is viewed as a marker of health. Maintaining healthy bowel function was identified by parents as the key marker of health for their children with SB. Further, the term health promotion brought up plans, concerns, and goals more related to their child's physiologic functioning and health care needs rather than promoting health and avoiding preventable disease. Nurses and healthcare providers are in unique and powerful positions for strategizing with parents on how to integrate health promotion into the lives of children with SB. Team-based, whole-person, holistic assessment and teaching inclusive of promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors in addition to providing excellent care related to their physiologic systems affected by SB can improve how we promote health for these children. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Moving the worksite health promotion profession forward: is the time right for requiring standards? A review of the literature.

    PubMed

    Watkins, Cecilia; English, Gary

    2015-01-01

    Standards in any profession are adopted to assure that the individuals hired are adequately trained and the programs that they oversee are of the highest quality. Worksite health promotion should be no different from any other field. A review of the research conducted by experts in worksite health promotion is examined, along with an assessment of skills needed to ensure that wellness programs are effective and employees, their families, and even their communities are educated on the ways to best prevent chronic diseases and occupational incidences through healthy and safe behaviors. This article is consistent with Health Promotion Practice's mission and focuses on the exploration of the processes used to plan effective worksite health promotion programs, and it suggests initial discussions on whether these processes should become standards for professionals in the worksite health promotion field. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

  6. Promoting Health in Early Childhood Environments: A Health-Promotion Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Minniss, Fiona Rowe; Wardrope, Cheryl; Johnston, Donni; Kendall, Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    This paper investigates the mechanisms by which a health-promotion intervention might influence the health-promoting behaviours of staff members working in early childhood centres. The intervention was an ecological health-promotion initiative that was implemented within four early childhood centres in South-East Queensland, Australia. In-depth,…

  7. Day hospital and psychosocial care center: Expanding the discussion of partial hospitalization in mental health.

    PubMed

    Weber, César Augusto Trinta; Juruena, Mario Francisco

    2016-07-01

    Since the second half of the twentieth century the discussions about mental patient care reveal ongoing debate between two health care paradigms: the biomedical/biopsychosocial paradigm and the psychosocial paradigm. The struggle for hegemony over the forms of care, on how to deal optimally with the experience of becoming ill is underpinned by an intentionality of reorganizing knowledge about the health/disease dichotomy, which is reflected in the models proposed for the implementation of actions and services for the promotion, prevention, care and rehabilitation of human health. To discuss the guidelines of care in mental health day hospitals (MHDH) in contrast to type III psychosocial care centers (CAPS III). Review of mental health legislation from 1990 to 2014. A definition of therapeutic project could not be found, as well as which activities and techniques should be employed by these health services. The MHDH and PCC III are services that replace psychiatric hospital admission and are characterized by their complementarity in the care to the mentally ill. Due to their varied and distinctive intervention methods, which operate synergistically, the contributions from both models of care are optimized. Discussions on the best mental health care model reveal polarization between the biomedical/biopsychosocial and psychosocial paradigms. This reflects the supremacy of the latter over the former in the political-ideological discourse that circumscribes the reform of psychiatric care, which may hinder a better clinical outcome for patients and their families.

  8. Cultural aspects of ageing and health promotion.

    PubMed

    Mariño, R J

    2015-03-01

    The emphasis of Australian Government policy is on the promotion of good health in later life and positive experiences with ageing. Conceptually, a new gerontology framework has replaced the study of disease, decline, loss and disability. Within this framework, health promotion offers a mechanism by which individuals can be assisted to create environments that offer better opportunities for continued participation in society and improved quality of health and self-care. Oral health is instrumental to older people's health, life satisfaction, quality of life and perception of self. Australia is culturally diverse, composed of numerous ethno-cultural groups coexisting within a larger, predominant culture, creating a multicultural and multiracial society. However, despite this cultural diversity, the well documented ageing profile of the Australian population and repeated calls for comprehensive geriatric assessment, the oral health of older adults remains a challenge for oral health providers and for society. A major challenge will be to translate existing knowledge and experience of disease prevention and health promotion into appropriate programmes for older adults. Health promotion is the key to improving oral health in later life as it encourages older adults to be proactive in regard to their health. Therefore, increased efforts should be directed towards identifying opportunities for health promotion activities and the development of community based models that encourage older people to improve and maintain their oral health. Ignoring opportunities for health promotion may increase inequalities in oral health and may lead to even greater demands for curative and oral rehabilitative services from these groups This article firstly provides a brief rationale for oral health promotion. Its second part explores the influence of culture on health beliefs, behaviours and outcomes in older adults and how oral health can relate to cultural background. The last section presents the results of an oral health promotion programme for older adults. © 2015 Australian Dental Association.

  9. The politics of health promotion: influences on public health promoting nursing practice in Ontario, Canada from Nightingale to the nineties.

    PubMed

    Falk Rafael, A R

    1999-09-01

    The marked and significant differences in the various meanings ascribed to health promotion in professional literature provide evidence of the concept's evolution over the last half of the 20th century and testify both to the powerful influences of dominant ideologies and the invisibility of others. The "new public health" marks a return to a conceptualization of health that is consistent with a nursing paradigm and thus potentially useful in supporting nursing health promotion practice. To take full advantage of this knowledge, however, it is critical that nurses reclaim their legacy in health promotion, critically appraise outside influences that threaten to undermine their work, and educate the public and other disciplines about nursing's unique focus on health promotion.

  10. 76 FR 58007 - Meeting of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-19

    ... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the... Public Health Service. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory... scheduled to be held for the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public...

  11. Determining organisation-specific factors for developing health interventions in companies by a Delphi procedure: Organisational Mapping.

    PubMed

    van Scheppingen, Arjella R; ten Have, Kristin C J M; Zwetsloot, Gerard J I M; Kok, Gerjo; van Mechelen, Willem

    2015-12-01

    Companies, seen as social communities, are major health promotion contexts. However, health promotion in the work setting is often less successful than intended. An optimal adjustment to the organisational context is required. Knowledge of which organisation-specific factors are relevant to health promotion is scarce. A Delphi procedure is used to identify these factors. The aim is to contribute to more effective workplace health promotion. The identified factors are described and embedded into a practical methodology (Intervention Mapping). A systematic use of these factors (called 'Organisational Mapping') is likely to contribute to more effective health promotion in the work setting. © The Author(s) 2014.

  12. Health Matters for People with Developmental Disabilities: Creating a Sustainable Health Promotion Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marks, Beth; Sisirak, Jasmina; Heller, Tamar

    2010-01-01

    Adults with developmental disabilities are at significant risk for health problems. Effective health promotion can improve outcomes--and that's why adult day and residential agencies, schools, and other organizations need this invaluable program development guide. An urgent call to action and a start-to-finish framework for health promotion, this…

  13. Adoption of health promotion practices in a cohort of U.S. physician organizations.

    PubMed

    Bellows, Nicole M; McMenamin, Sara B; Halpin, Helen A

    2010-12-01

    Physician organizations such as medical groups and independent practice associations can play a vital role in health promotion through the adoption of effective health promotion practices such as health risk assessments, patient reminder systems, and health promotion education programs. To examine organizational changes in a cohort of physician organizations and changing health promotion practices. Data for a cohort of 369 physician organizations in the U.S. with 20 or more physicians were collected between September 2000 and September 2001 and subsequently from March 2006 to March 2007. Paired-sample t tests were used to identify changes in physician organization characteristics and the use of nine health promotion practices between 2000-2001 and 2006-2007. Compared to 2000-2001, the cohort of physician organizations in 2006-2007 was larger, more likely to be owned by physicians; less likely to be owned by a hospital, health system, or HMO; more profitable; and more likely to use electronic information technology. Between 2000-2001 and 2006-2007, physician organizations increased the use of health risk appraisals to contact high-risk patients and increased the use of reminders for eye exams for diabetic patients. During the same time period, physician organizations decreased the use of nutrition and weight-loss health promotion programs. The adding and dropping of programs among physician organizations is due to many factors, including changing regulatory environments, market conditions, populations, and new health promotion technologies. In the coming years, incentives and regulatory policy should encourage the adoption of effective health promotion practices by physician organizations. Copyright © 2010 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Health communication in primary health care -a case study of ICT development for health promotion.

    PubMed

    Mahmud, Amina Jama; Olander, Ewy; Eriksén, Sara; Haglund, Bo Ja

    2013-01-30

    Developing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) supported health communication in PHC could contribute to increased health literacy and empowerment, which are foundations for enabling people to increase control over their health, as a way to reduce increasing lifestyle related ill health. However, to increase the likelihood of success of implementing ICT supported health communication, it is essential to conduct a detailed analysis of the setting and context prior to the intervention. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of health communication for health promotion in PHC with emphasis on the implications for a planned ICT supported interactive health channel. A qualitative case study, with a multi-methods approach was applied. Field notes, document study and focus groups were used for data collection. Data was then analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Health communication is an integral part of health promotion practice in PHC in this case study. However, there was a lack of consensus among health professionals on what a health promotion approach was, causing discrepancy in approaches and practices of health communication. Two themes emerged from the data analysis: Communicating health and environment for health communication. The themes represented individual and organizational factors that affected health communication practice in PHC and thus need to be taken into consideration in the development of the planned health channel. Health communication practiced in PHC is individual based, preventive and reactive in nature, as opposed to population based, promotive and proactive in line with a health promotion approach. The most significant challenge in developing an ICT supported health communication channel for health promotion identified in this study, is profiling a health promotion approach in PHC. Addressing health promotion values and principles in the design of ICT supported health communication channel could facilitate health communication for promoting health, i.e. 'health promoting communication'.

  15. (White House Conference on Aging, 1981. Health Maintenance and Health Promotion. Report and Executive Summary of the Technical Committee.)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farber, Seymour M.; And Others

    The introduction to this Technical Committee Report reviews the health status of the older population and examines major disease entities where health maintenance and promotion can play a role. Part One, "Health Maintenance and Health Promotion Services," discusses the physical and social environments, indicators of change in physical…

  16. 76 FR 26300 - Meeting of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-06

    ... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the... Public Health Service. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory... scheduled to be held for the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public...

  17. 76 FR 67731 - Meeting of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-02

    ... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the... Public Health Service. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory... scheduled to be held for the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public...

  18. 77 FR 15372 - Meeting of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-15

    ... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the... Public Health Service. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory... scheduled to be held for the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public...

  19. Health promotion programme design and efficacy in relation to ageing persons with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Lood, Qarin; Häggblom-Kronlöf, Greta; Dahlin-Ivanoff, Synneve

    2015-12-16

    Health promotion has the potential to empower people to develop or maintain healthy lifestyles. However, previous research has visualised serious health and healthcare inequities associated with ageing, cultural affiliations and linguistic preferences. Therefore, this study was part of a larger health promotion project, set out to bridge barriers to health for ageing persons who have migrated to Sweden. More specifically, the present study aimed to elucidate the content and effects of multidimensional health promotion programmes in the context of ageing persons with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Databases were systematically searched to identify relevant randomised controlled trial publications. All potentially relevant publications were assessed for relevance and design and after this screening, a final sample of eight publications could be included in the review. Those publications evaluated six different programmes and a mixed-methods approach to data analysis was applied, using a combination of narrative synthesis, meta-analyses and evidence grading. The findings suggest a multidimensional health promotion programme design for ageing persons with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, involving culturally and linguistically modified activities and health information that should be provided by professionals with a person-centred approach. In addition, the meta-analyses revealed statistically significant effects in favour of health promotion on: general health, depression, mental health, physical health, and vitality. However, the evidence for the identified effects is low, and further research findings are likely to change the estimations. The present study provides an aggregation of health promotion intervention research with older persons with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; a group of people who are commonly excluded from research, and marginalised when it comes to health and healthcare. By visualising the core components of health promotion programmes with proven efficacy, the findings provide guidance for further explorations of how health promotion should be designed to minimise inequities in health.

  20. Evaluation in health promotion: thoughts from inside a human research ethics committee.

    PubMed

    Allen, Judy; Flack, Felicity

    2015-12-01

    Health promotion research, quality improvement and evaluation are all activities that raise ethical issues. In this paper, the Chair and a member of human resear ch ethics committees provide an insiders' point of view on how to demonstrate ethical conduct in health promotion research and quality improvement. Several common issues raised by health promotion research and evaluation are discussed including researcher integrity, conflicts of interest, use of information, consent and privacy.

  1. Scale Development of Individual and Organisation Infrastructure for Heart Health Promotion in Regional Health Authorities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plotnikoff, Ronald C.; Anderson, Donna; Raine, Kim; Cook, Kay; Barrett, Linda; Prodaniuk, Tricia R.

    2005-01-01

    Objective: The purpose of this study was to validate measures of individual and organisational infrastructure for health promotion within Alberta's (Canada) 17 Regional Health Authorities (RHAs). Design: A series of phases were conducted to develop individual and organisational scales to measure health promotion infrastructure. Instruments were…

  2. A critical theory of medical discourse: how patients and health professionals deal with social problems.

    PubMed

    Waitzkin, H; Britt, T

    1989-01-01

    Criticism of social context does not generally appear in medical encounters. When contextual issues arise in medical discourse, messages of ideology and social control may become apparent, usually without the conscious awareness of the participants. By easing the physical or psychological impact of contextual difficulties, or by encouraging patients' conformity to mainstream expectations of desirable behavior, encounters with doctors can help win patients' consent to troubling social conditions. Seen in this light, doctor-patient encounters become micropolitical situations that do not typically encourage explicit statements or actions by health professionals to change contextual sources of their patients' difficulties. A critical theory influenced by structuralism suggests that the surface meanings of signs in medical discourse prove less important than their structural relationships. In addition, a theoretical approach adopting elements of post-structuralism and Marxist literary criticism emphasizes the marginal, absent, or excluded elements of medical discourse. Contextual features that shape a text include social class, sex, age, and race. Through the underlying structure of medical discourse, contextual problems are expressed, marginalized, and managed.

  3. Disclosing discourses: biomedical and hospitality discourses in patient education materials.

    PubMed

    Öresland, Stina; Friberg, Febe; Määttä, Sylvia; Öhlen, Joakim

    2015-09-01

    Patient education materials have the potential to strengthen the health literacy of patients. Previous studies indicate that readability and suitability may be improved. The aim of this study was to explore and analyze discourses inherent in patient education materials since analysis of discourses could illuminate values and norms inherent in them. Clinics in Sweden that provided colorectal cancer surgery allowed access to written information and 'welcome letters' sent to patients. The material was analysed by means of discourse analysis, embedded in Derrida's approach of deconstruction. The analysis revealed a biomedical discourse and a hospitality discourse. In the biomedical discourse, the subject position of the personnel was interpreted as the messenger of medical information while that of the patients as the carrier of diagnoses and recipients of biomedical information. In the hospitality discourse, the subject position of the personnel was interpreted as hosts who invite and welcome the patients as guests. The study highlights the need to eliminate paternalism and fosters a critical reflective stance among professionals regarding power and paternalism inherent in health care communication. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. Health promotion: an ethical analysis.

    PubMed

    Carter, Stacy M

    2014-04-01

    Thinking and practising ethically requires reasoning systematically about the right thing to do. Health promotion ethics - a form of applied ethics - includes analysis of health promotion practice and how this can be ethically justified. Existing frameworks can assist in such evaluation. These acknowledge the moral value of delivering benefits. But benefits need to be weighed against burdens, harms or wrongs, and these should be minimised: they include invading privacy, breaking confidentiality, restraining liberty, undermining self-determination or people's own values, or perpetuating injustice. Thinking about the ethics of health promotion also means recognising health promotion as a normative ideal: a vision of the good society. This ideal society values health, sees citizens as active and includes them in decisions that affect them, and makes the state responsible for providing all of its citizens, no matter how advantaged or disadvantaged, with the conditions and resources they need to be healthy. Ethicists writing about health promotion have focused on this relationship between the citizen and the state. Comparing existing frameworks, theories and the expressed values of practitioners themselves, we can see common patterns. All oppose pursuing an instrumental, individualistic, health-at-all-costs vision of health promotion. And all defend the moral significance of just processes: those that engage with citizens in a transparent, inclusive and open way. In recent years, some Australian governments have sought to delegitimise health promotion, defining it as extraneous to the role of the state. Good evidence is not enough to counter this trend, because it is founded in competing visions of a good society. For this reason, the most pressing agenda for health promotion ethics is to engage with communities, in a procedurally just way, about the role and responsibilities of the citizen and the state in promoting and maintaining good health.

  5. Health communication in primary health care -A case study of ICT development for health promotion

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Developing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) supported health communication in PHC could contribute to increased health literacy and empowerment, which are foundations for enabling people to increase control over their health, as a way to reduce increasing lifestyle related ill health. However, to increase the likelihood of success of implementing ICT supported health communication, it is essential to conduct a detailed analysis of the setting and context prior to the intervention. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of health communication for health promotion in PHC with emphasis on the implications for a planned ICT supported interactive health channel. Methods A qualitative case study, with a multi-methods approach was applied. Field notes, document study and focus groups were used for data collection. Data was then analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results Health communication is an integral part of health promotion practice in PHC in this case study. However, there was a lack of consensus among health professionals on what a health promotion approach was, causing discrepancy in approaches and practices of health communication. Two themes emerged from the data analysis: Communicating health and environment for health communication. The themes represented individual and organizational factors that affected health communication practice in PHC and thus need to be taken into consideration in the development of the planned health channel. Conclusions Health communication practiced in PHC is individual based, preventive and reactive in nature, as opposed to population based, promotive and proactive in line with a health promotion approach. The most significant challenge in developing an ICT supported health communication channel for health promotion identified in this study, is profiling a health promotion approach in PHC. Addressing health promotion values and principles in the design of ICT supported health communication channel could facilitate health communication for promoting health, i.e. ‘health promoting communication’. PMID:23363566

  6. Social deprivation and exposure to health promotion. A study of the distribution of health promotion resources to schools in England.

    PubMed

    Chivu, Corina M; Reidpath, Daniel D

    2010-08-10

    Area deprivation is a known determinant of health. It is also known that area deprivation is associated with lower impact health promotion. It is less well known, however, whether deprived areas are less responsive to health promotion, or whether they are less exposed. Using data from a national, school-based campaign to promote vaccination against the human papilloma virus (HPV), the relationship between area deprivation and exposure was examined. Taking advantage of a health promotion campaign to provide information to schools about HPV vaccination, a cross sectional study was conducted to examine the relationship between area level, social deprivation, and take-up of (i.e., exposure to) available health promotion material. The sample was 4,750 schools across England, including government maintained and independent schools. The relationship between area deprivation and exposure was examined using bi- and multivariate logistic regression. It was found that schools in the least deprived quintile had 1.32 times the odds of requesting health promotion materials than schools in the most deprived areas (p = .01). This effect was independent of the school size, the type of school, and the geographic region. The relationship between area deprivation and the impact of health promotion may be due, at least in part, to differential levels of exposure. The study was limited in scope, pointing to the need for more research, but also points to potentially important policy implications.

  7. Health promotion in local churches in Victoria: an exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Ayton, Darshini; Manderson, Lenore; Smith, Ben J; Carey, Gemma

    2016-11-01

    Church-based health promotion has increasingly gained attention in strategies to address health disparities. In Australia, we have limited understanding of the role of local churches in health promotion and without this, how they might be involved in meaningful partnerships to tackle public health challenges. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore how churches are involved in health promotion in the state of Victoria. The research involved in-depth interviews with ministers from 30 churches in urban and rural Victoria, and case studies with 10 of these churches to enable further exploration. These case studies, conducted in 2010, included interviews with church staff, focus groups with volunteers, participant observation and document analysis. Analysis was iterative, utilising open, axial and thematic coding. Three different expressions of church - traditional, new modern and emerging - were identified and found to differentiate the levels and types of health promotion activity. Case studies illustrate the different expressions of how church mission influences health promotion activity. The traditional churches were involved particularly in disease screening and health education activities with their own, predominantly older congregation members. The new modern churches tended to have the material and human resources to be harnessed in health promotion activities involving congregation members and others. Emerging churches, in contrast, engaged in broad health-promoting activities, including disease prevention, lifestyle activities and socio-ecological approaches at a community level. These research findings highlight the opportunities and challenges of engaging with local churches in health promotion efforts and public health programmes to address health inequities. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Creating healthier graduates, campuses and communities: Why Australia needs to invest in health promoting universities.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Patricia; Saheb, Rowena; Howse, Eloise

    2018-05-13

    Higher education is an important and influential setting for embedding health promotion principles and practice. Universities have a responsibility to their communities and more broadly as leaders in society. Settings-based health promotion is an effective method for increasing healthy environments and an organisational culture that supports health. "Healthy Universities" and the Okanagan Charter aim to embed health within the university structure through committed policies and programs. Collaboration across Australia can support this sector-wide adoption. Leadership is required from Australian universities to invest in health promotion. This is the time for higher education in Australia to consider its role in shaping the health of its local and global communities. © 2018 The Authors. Health Promotion Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Health Promotion Association.

  9. Undergraduate nursing students' attitudes towards smoking health promotion.

    PubMed

    McCann, Terence V; Clark, Eileen; Rowe, Kathy

    2005-09-01

    Despite the fact that nurses have a key role in health promotion, many continue to smoke at much the same rate as the general population. This paper investigates the influence of smoking status, gender, age, stage of education, and smoking duration on undergraduate nursing students' attitudes towards smoking health promotion. The study took place in one university's School of Nursing in Victoria, Australia. Respondents completed the Smoking and Health Promotion instrument. Researchers obtained ethics approval prior to commencing the study. Smoking status was the main factor that affected respondents' attitudes towards smoking health promotion, with age and education stage having a minor effect, and gender and smoking duration not significant. Nurses have an important role in modeling non-smoking behaviors for patients. There needs to be consistency between personal and professional beliefs for nurses to properly engage in smoking health promotion. The findings have implications for undergraduate nursing education curricula, nursing practice and research, and these are discussed.

  10. Process Evaluation of an Integrated Health Promotion/Occupational Health Model in WellWorks-2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hunt, Mary Kay; Lederman, Ruth; Stoddard, Anne M.; LaMontagne, Anthony D.; McLellan, Deborah; Combe, Candace; Barbeau, Elizabeth; Sorensen, Glorian

    2005-01-01

    Disparities in chronic disease risk by occupation call for new approaches to health promotion. WellWorks-2 was a randomized, controlled study comparing the effectiveness of a health promotion/occupational health program (HP/OHS) with a standard intervention (HP). Interventions in both studies were based on the same theoretical foundations. Results…

  11. Reorienting health services with capacity building: a case study of the Core Skills in Health Promotion Project.

    PubMed

    Yeatman, H R; Nove, T

    2002-12-01

    This paper presents a case study of the application of a framework for capacity building [Hawe, P., King, L., Noort, M., Jordens, C. and Lloyd, B. (2000) Indicators to Help with Capacity Building in Health Promotion. NSW Health, Sydney] to describe actions aimed at building organizational support for health promotion within an area health service in New South Wales, Australia. The Core Skills in Health Promotion Project (CSHPP) arose from an investigation which reported that participants of a health promotion training course had increased health promotion skills but that they lacked the support to apply their skills in the workplace. The project was action-research based. It investigated and facilitated the implementation of a range of initiatives to support community health staff to apply a more preventive approach in their practice and it contributed to the establishment of new organizational structures for health promotion. An evaluation was undertaken 4 years after the CSHPP was established, and 2 years after it had submitted its final report. Interviews with senior managers, document analysis of written reports, and focus groups with middle managers and service delivery staff were undertaken. Change was achieved in the three dimensions of health infrastructure, program maintenance and problem solving capacity of the organization. It was identified that the critically important elements in achieving the aims of the project-partnership, leadership and commitment-were also key elements of the capacity building framework. This case study provides a practical example of the usefulness of the capacity building framework in orienting health services to be supportive of health promotion.

  12. Manufacturing heterosexuality: hormone replacement therapy and menopause in urban Oaxaca.

    PubMed

    Ramirez, Michelle

    2006-01-01

    For several decades, hormone replacement therapies have been prescribed to women, not only to prevent disease but to improve the sexual functioning of menopausal women. The medical promotion of continued sexual activity in a woman's post-reproductive years is exported to locations outside of North America and Europe, which provides an opportunity to critically examine the cultural roots that have informed expert biomedical representations. This ethnographic study examined menopause and social class in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico using interviews, questionnaires, and textual analysis. The research found that biomedicine in conjunction with the pharmaceutical industry promoted culturally constructed gender hierarchies under the guise of optimal menopausal health. However, women's actual experience of gender and sexuality in mid-life diverged significantly from these expert representations. Themes that emerged in interviews and questionnaires included the importance of motherhood in old age, diminished sexual desire as not problematic, and greater sexual freedom at a post-reproductive age. Ultimately, biomedical discourse was not the sole arbiter of appropriate menopausal womanhood and femininity.

  13. Health Promotion Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McClary, Cheryl

    The Health Promotion Program began with establishment of a one-credit course in health promotion and wellness and the training of family practice residents at the Mountain Area Health Education Center to serve as lab leaders in the course. The course later became part of the university's general education requirements. In addition, a health…

  14. Introduction to Health Promotion for People with Chronic Illness and Disability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chan, Fong; Chiu, Chung-Yi; Bezyak, Jill L.; Keegan, John

    2012-01-01

    Health promotion has received increasing attention in rehabilitation counseling research. Health promotion research contributes to theory building and provides the foundation for empirically supported interventions that can improve the health-related quality of life and employment outcomes of people with chronic illness and disability. In this…

  15. Promoting LGBT health and wellbeing through inclusive policy development

    PubMed Central

    Mulé, Nick J; Ross, Lori E; Deeprose, Barry; Jackson, Beth E; Daley, Andrea; Travers, Anna; Moore, Dick

    2009-01-01

    In this paper we argue the importance of including gender and sexually diverse populations in policy development towards a more inclusive form of health promotion. We emphasize the need to address the broad health and wellbeing issues and needs of LGBT people, rather than exclusively using an illness-based focus such as HIV/AIDS. We critically examine the limitations of population health, the social determinants of health (SDOH), and public health goals, in light of the lack of recognition of gender and sexually diverse individuals and communities. By first acknowledging the unique health and social care needs of LGBT people, then employing anti-oppressive, critical and intersectional analyses we offer recommendations for how to make population health perspectives, public health goals, and the design of public health promotion policy more inclusive of gender and sexual diversity. In health promotion research and practice, representation matters. It matters which populations are being targeted for health promotion interventions and for what purposes, and it matters which populations are being overlooked. In Canada, current health promotion policy is informed by population health and social determinants of health (SDOH) perspectives, as demonstrated by Public Health Goals for Canada. With Canada's multicultural makeup comes the challenge of ensuring that diverse populations are equitably and effectively recognized in public health and health promotion policy. PMID:19442315

  16. Factors Facilitating the Implementation of Church-Based Heart Health Promotion Programs for Older Adults: A Qualitative Study Guided by the Precede-Proceed Model.

    PubMed

    Banerjee, Ananya Tina; Kin, R; Strachan, Patricia H; Boyle, Michael H; Anand, Sonia S; Oremus, Mark

    2015-01-01

    To describe the factors facilitating the implementation of heart health promotion programs for older adults in Anglican, United, and Catholic churches. The study used qualitative methods comprising semistructured interviews and focus groups. The interviews and focus groups were conducted in Anglican, Catholic, and United churches located in the Canadian cities of Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario. Twelve ordained pastors and 21 older parishioners who attended church regularly and who had no health conditions were recruited to best explain how churches could be suitable locations for health promotion activities targeting older adults. Twelve semistructured interviews with the pastors and three focus groups with the 21 parishioners were undertaken. A component of the Precede-Proceed model (a model for planning health education and health promotion programs and policies) was applied to the findings after direct content analysis of the data. Participants identified pastor leadership, funding for a parish nurse, community-focused interventions, secured infrastructure, and social support from congregation members as pertinent factors required for implementing health promotion programs in Anglican, United, and Catholic churches. The findings have particular relevance for health promotion and public health because they suggest factors that would be necessary to design church-based heart health promotion programs for older adults at risk of chronic diseases.

  17. Factors associated with physical activity promotion by allied and other non-medical health professionals: A systematic review.

    PubMed

    Crisford, Paul; Winzenberg, Tania; Venn, Alison; Schultz, Martin; Aitken, Dawn; Cleland, Verity

    2018-05-21

    To identify factors associated with non-medical health professionals' engagement in physical activity (PA) promotion. Five electronic databases were searched for studies including practising health professionals (excluding medical doctors), a PA promotion practice measure, a test of association between potential influencing factors and PA promotion practice, and written in English. Two researchers independently screened studies and extracted data. Extracted data were synthesized in a tabular format with a narrative summary (thematic analysis). Thirty studies involving 7734 non-medical health professionals were included. Self-efficacy in PA promotion, positive beliefs in the benefits of PA, assessing patients' PA, and PA promotion training were the main factors associated with engaging in PA promotion. Lack of remuneration was not associated. Common study limitations included a lack of information on non-responders, data collection by survey only and limited reliability or validity testing of measurements. There are common factors influencing PA promotion, but the absence of studies from some health professions, limitations related to study measures, and the lack of randomised controlled intervention trials highlights the need for further research. The factors identified may prove useful for guiding the development of strategies to encourage greater engagement in PA promotion by health professionals. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Using the CDC's Worksite Health ScoreCard as a Framework to Examine Worksite Health Promotion and Physical Activity.

    PubMed

    Gutermuth, Leah K; Hager, Erin R; Pollack Porter, Keshia

    2018-06-21

    Worksite health promotion programs are emerging as an effective approach for addressing the adult obesity epidemic and improving the overall health of employees. We conducted a scoping review to identify articles that described a physical activity component (eg, promoted increased physical or reduced sitting time) of a worksite health promotion intervention. Our search specified full-length articles published in English from January 2000 through July 2015. We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Worksite Health ScoreCard, a validated tool, as a framework to summarize information on organizational supports strategies (18 questions) and physical activity strategies (9 questions) implemented by worksite health promotion programs. We also determined whether or not the included studies reported significant (P < .05) improvements in physical activity. We identified 18 worksite health promotion programs; 11 produced significant improvements in physical activity. Incentives, health risk assessments, health promotion committees, leadership support, marketing, and subsidies or discounts for use of exercise facilities were the most effective organizational supports strategies cited, and physical activity seminars, classes, and workshops were the most effective physical activity strategies cited. The use of the Health ScoreCard allowed for a practical interpretation of our findings, which can inform next steps for the field. Future research should explore the relationships between components of worksite health promotion programs and their outcomes to further develop best practices that can improve worker health and promote physical activity.

  19. An integrative discourse perspective on positive leadership in public health care.

    PubMed

    Pietiläinen, Ville; Salmi, Ilkka

    2017-02-06

    Purpose This study aims to take a discursive view on positive leadership (PL). A positive approach has gained momentum in recent years as appropriate leadership practices are implemented in organizations. Despite the turn toward discursive approaches in organization studies, there is insufficient evidence supporting PL as a socially constructed experience. Design/methodology/approach The present study addresses an integrative discourse perspective for capturing the PL concept as a social process within the public health-care context. Findings Four meanings of PL are highlighted: role-taking, servicing, balancing and deciphering. Research limitations/implications The meanings shift the emphasis of certain PL definitions to a contextual interpretation. For scholars, the perspective demonstrates a multidimensional process approach in the desired organizational context as a counterbalance to one unanimously agreed-upon PL definition. Practical implications For leaders, an integrative discourse perspective offers tools for comprehending PL as a process: how to identify, negotiate and reconcile various PL meanings. Originality/value An integrative discourse perspective provides a novel perspective capturing the PL concept within the public health-care field.

  20. Worksite Health Promotion for Low-wage Workers: A Scoping Literature Review

    PubMed Central

    Stiehl, Emily; Shivaprakash, Namrata; Thatcher, Esther; Ornelas, India J.; Kneipp, Shawn; Baron, Sherry L.; Muramatsu, Naoko

    2018-01-01

    Objective To determine: (1) What research has been done on health promotion interventions for low-wage workers and (2) What factors are associated with effective low-wage workers’ health promotion. Data Source This review includes articles from PubMed and PsychINFO published in or before July 2016 Study Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria The search yielded 130 unique articles, 35 met the inclusion criteria: (1) being conducted in the US, (2) including an intervention or empirical data around health promotion among adult low-wage workers, and (3) measuring changes in low-wage worker health. Data Extraction Central features of the selected studies were extracted, including the theoretical foundation, study design, health promotion intervention content and delivery format, intervention targeted outcomes, sample characteristics, and work, occupational, and industry characteristics. Data Analysis Consistent with a scoping review, we used a descriptive, content analysis approach to analyze extracted data. All authors agreed upon emergent themes and two authors independently coded data extracted from each article. Results The results suggest that the research on low-wage workers’ health promotion is limited, but increasing, and that low-wage workers have limited access to and utilization of worksite health promotion programs. Conclusions Workplace health promotion programs could have a positive effect on low-wage workers, but more work is needed to understand how to expand access, what drives participation and which delivery mechanisms are most effective. PMID:28893085

  1. Impact of a Health Promotion Nurse Intervention on Disability and Health Care Costs among Elderly Adults with Heart Conditions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meng, Hongdao; Wamsley, Brenda R.; Eggert, Gerald M.; Van Nostrand, Joan F.

    2007-01-01

    Context: Patients with heart conditions in rural areas may have different responses to health promotion-disease Self-management interventions compared to their urban counterparts. Purpose: To estimate the impact of a multi-component health promotion nurse intervention on physical function and total health care expenditures among elderly adults…

  2. Allied Health Leadership in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Invitational Conference Proceedings (Williamsburg, Virginia, April 17-19, 1986).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kra, Eleanor, Ed.

    The following papers are included: "Opening Remarks" (McTernan); "Conference Goals and Plans" (Douglas); "Challenge to Leadership" (Pearson); "Implications of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for the Practice of Respiratory Care" (Axton); "Health Promotion Strategies in Dietetic Practice"…

  3. Health Promotion of Faculty and Staff: The School Nurse's Role

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryan, Kelly M.

    2008-01-01

    Health promotion of school faculty and staff is an important part of a coordinated school health program. The lack of evaluation of health promotion programs and inconsistent results highlighting the efficacy and benefits of programs adds to employers' perceptions of inconsistent benefits. More studies evaluating effectiveness and development of…

  4. The way forward: experiences of health promotion development in Thailand.

    PubMed

    Buasai, Supakorn; Kanchanachitra, Churnrurtai; Siwaraksa, Parichart

    2007-01-01

    A landmark in health promotion in Thailand came in 2001 with the launching of the Universal Health Coverage Scheme at the cost of approximately USD 2 billion a year. Another important event was the establishment of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) as a health promotion funding mechanism that draws upon a 2 percent surcharge levied on alcohol and tobacco excise tax, approximately USD 50-60 million a year. The most significant institutional development is the promulgation of the National Health Act in 2007. The Act embraces the principle of human rights and key principles of the Ottawa Charter in 2005. It is a result of five years of extensive public dialogues on important health issues that enhanced public awareness and nation wide networking on health promotion. ThaiHealth regards itself as a catalyst for health promotion. The organisation collaborates with all sectors of the society, from the national to the grassroots level, and is the most notable organisation for health promotion in Thailand. ThaiHealth funds programs on health risks/issues such as alcohol, tobacco, accidents, exercise, as well as area or setting based programs, for example, school, work place, community, and programs that target specific population groups such as the youth, the elderly, Muslim community. The open grants program invites proposals from all kinds of organizations/groups interested in launching health promotion initiatives. The endeavour has started to bear fruit. Smoking and alcohol consumption rates have dropped and more people have become health conscious and do more exercise. However, much remains to be done as some population groups especially the youth have become susceptible to various kinds of health risks. This remarkable start must be sustained and reinforced by the continuation and expansion of knowledge generation and dissemination, relentless policy advocacy and creative public campaign, with a strong health promotion network as the most critical success factor.

  5. Domains of Core Competency, Standards, and Quality Assurance for Building Global Capacity in Health Promotion: The Galway Consensus Conference Statement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allegrante, John P.; Barry, Margaret M.; Airhihenbuwa, Collins O.; Auld, M. Elaine; Collins, Janet L.; Lamarre, Marie-Claude; Magnusson, Gudjon; McQueen, David V.; Mittelmark, Maurice B.

    2009-01-01

    This paper reports the outcome of the Galway Consensus Conference, an effort undertaken as a first step toward international collaboration on credentialing in health promotion and health education. Twenty-nine leading authorities in health promotion, health education, and public health convened a 2-day meeting in Galway, Ireland, during which the…

  6. Designing social marketing strategies to increase African Americans' access to health promotion programs.

    PubMed

    Icard, Larry D; Bourjolly, Joretha N; Siddiqui, Nushina

    2003-08-01

    This qualitative study explored four key factors--source, message, channel, and target--for linking at-risk African Americans with health promotion programs. Among the findings from focus group discussions was that the use of the African American church to involve at-risk African Americans in health promotion programs may actually function as a barrier for some individuals. The study also suggests that use of a high profile person to deliver a message may be counterproductive to efforts to motivate people to use health promotion programs. The significance of these and other findings for designing more effective social marketing strategies to increase at-risk African Americans' access to health promotion programs are discussed.

  7. Promoting LGBT health and wellbeing through inclusive policy development.

    PubMed

    Mulé, Nick J; Ross, Lori E; Deeprose, Barry; Jackson, Beth E; Daley, Andrea; Travers, Anna; Moore, Dick

    2009-05-15

    In this paper we argue the importance of including gender and sexually diverse populations in policy development towards a more inclusive form of health promotion. We emphasize the need to address the broad health and wellbeing issues and needs of LGBT people, rather than exclusively using an illness-based focus such as HIV/AIDS. We critically examine the limitations of population health, the social determinants of health (SDOH), and public health goals, in light of the lack of recognition of gender and sexually diverse individuals and communities. By first acknowledging the unique health and social care needs of LGBT people, then employing anti-oppressive, critical and intersectional analyses we offer recommendations for how to make population health perspectives, public health goals, and the design of public health promotion policy more inclusive of gender and sexual diversity. In health promotion research and practice, representation matters. It matters which populations are being targeted for health promotion interventions and for what purposes, and it matters which populations are being overlooked. In Canada, current health promotion policy is informed by population health and social determinants of health (SDOH) perspectives, as demonstrated by Public Health Goals for Canada. With Canada's multicultural makeup comes the challenge of ensuring that diverse populations are equitably and effectively recognized in public health and health promotion policy.

  8. Perspectives on Workplace Health Promotion Among Employees in Low-Wage Industries.

    PubMed

    Hammerback, Kristen; Hannon, Peggy A; Harris, Jeffrey R; Clegg-Thorp, Catherine; Kohn, Marlana; Parrish, Amanda

    2015-01-01

    Study goals were to (1) understand the attitudes of employees in low-wage industries toward workplace health promotion, including views on appropriateness of employer involvement in employee health and level of interest in workplace health promotion overall and in specific programs, and (2) determine the potential for extending workplace health promotion to spouses and partners of these employees. The study used 42 interviews of 60 to 90 minutes. Interviews were conducted with couples (married or living together) in the Seattle/King County metropolitan area of Washington State. Study participants were forty-two couples with one or more members working in one of five low-wage industries: accommodation/food services, education, health care/social assistance, manufacturing, and retail trade. The study employed qualitative analysis of interview transcripts using grounded theory to identify themes. Employees consider workplace health promotion both appropriate and desirable and believe it benefits employers through increased productivity and morale. Most have little personal experience with it and doubt their employers would prioritize employee health. Employees are most interested in efforts focused on nutrition and physical activity. Both employees and their partners support extending workplace health promotion to include partners. Employees and their partners are interested in workplace health promotion if it addresses behaviors they care about. Concern over employer involvement in their personal health decisions is minimal; instead, employees view employer interest in their health as a sign that they are valued.

  9. Use of most significant change (MSC) technique to evaluate health promotion training of maternal community health workers in Cianjur district, Indonesia.

    PubMed

    Limato, Ralalicia; Ahmed, Rukhsana; Magdalena, Amelia; Nasir, Sudirman; Kotvojs, Fiona

    2018-02-01

    Maternal health promotion is a defined activity in the community integrated posts (Posyandu) in Indonesia. However, it is often neglected due to limited knowledge and skills of the community health workers (kader). We conducted health promotion training for the kader and village midwives in four villages in Cianjur district. This study describes the use of "most significant change" (MSC) technique to evaluate impact of health promotion to the beneficiaries and community at large. The MSC uses stories as raw data. Through interviews focused on perception of change, stories were collected from four pregnant women, eight kader and three village midwives. A Panel consisting of policy and programme managers and implementers read all the stories. The story by a pregnant woman who routinely attended Posyandu was selected as the story with most significant change. Her story highlighted changes in kader's knowledge and communication of health messages and attitude towards pregnant women. She expressed these changes impacted community awareness about health and to seek help from kader.The MSC technique enabled stakeholders to view raw data and evaluate the impact of health promotion from the beneficiary's perspective. At the same time, recipients of health promotion contributed to the decision process of evaluation through their stories. The different perspectives on the MSC reflected individual's objectives of the health promotion. The application of this technique is limited in maternal health promotion programme in Indonesia, and none have been published in peer reviewed journals. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  10. Health Promotion and Wellness Programs: An Insight into the Fortune 500.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forouzesh, Mohammed Reza; Ratzker, Leslie E.

    1985-01-01

    Employee health promotion and wellness programs have become a popular method of decreasing employee health care costs. The characteristics of worksite health-promotion programs were surveyed in a study of Fortune 500 companies. This study also served to examine the extent of activities offered in these programs. (DF)

  11. Pilgrimage to Wellness: An Exploratory Report of Rural African American Clergy Perceptions of Church Health Promotion Capacity

    PubMed Central

    Carter-Edwards, Lori; Hooten, Elizabeth Gerken; Bruce, Marino A.; Toms, Forrest; Lloyd, Cheryl LeMay; Ellison, Calvin

    2013-01-01

    Churches serve a vital role in African American communities and may be effective vehicles for health promotion in rural areas where disease burden is disproportionately greater and healthcare access is more limited than other communities. Endorsement by church leadership is often necessary for the approval of programs and activities within churches; however, little is known about how church leaders perceive their respective churches as health promotion organizations. The purpose of this exploratory pilot was to report perceptions of church capacity to promote health among African American clergy leaders of predominantly African American rural churches. The analysis sample included 27 pastors of churches in Eastern NC who completed a survey on church health promotion capacity and perceived impact on their own health. Capacities assessed included perceived need and impact of health promotion activities, church preparedness to promote health, health promotion actions to take, and the existence and importance of health ministry attributes. The results from this pilot study indicated a perceived need to increase the capacity of their churches to promote health. Conducting health programs, displaying health information, collaborations within the church (i.e., kitchen committee working with the health ministry), partnerships outside of the church, and funding were most commonly reported needed capacities. Findings from this exploratory work lay the foundation for the development of future, larger observational studies that can specify some of the key factors associated with organizational change and ultimately health promotion in these rural church settings. PMID:22694157

  12. Barriers and challenges affecting the contemporary church's engagement in health promotion.

    PubMed

    Ayton, Darshini; Manderson, Lenore; Smith, Ben J

    2017-03-01

    Issue addressed Christian churches have historically undertaken welfare and community service activities to practise faith and increase their relevance to communities. However, the church in Australia has received little attention from health promotion practitioners and researchers. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the barriers and challenges that affect church engagement in health promotion to assist practitioners' understanding of the potential for these civil society organisations to play a role in health promotion programs and partnerships. Methods The research was based on interviews with five directors of church-affiliated organisations and with the church leaders (ministers, pastors, priests) of 30 churches in urban and rural Victoria. Analysis was iterative using open, axial and thematic coding. Results The challenges to church involvement in health promotion, as articulated by church leaders, fell under the themes of the social context of churches and the attributes of congregations. Major issues raised were perceived relevance, mistrust, contested agendas, discordant values within congregations, and risk management. Conclusion Although churches may take a different stance to health promotion agencies on a range of social and health issues, many have experience addressing social disadvantage and are prepared to commit resources to meet the needs of people outside their congregations. However, several factors inhibit the engagement of churches in health promotion including perceived irrelevance and community mistrust, agendas of conversion and values that conflict with health promotion. So what? Churches have a history of addressing social determinants of health such as housing, employment and food security. Deeper understanding of the challenges and barriers church leaders experience in undertaking health promotion work will facilitate more realistic and effective engagement by practitioners with these organisations.

  13. Young men in juvenile detention centers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: gender, sexuality, masculinity and health implications.

    PubMed

    Nascimento, Marcos Antonio Ferreira do; Uziel, Anna Paula; Hernández, Jimena de Garay

    2018-02-19

    This article presents results for young men's health based on an intervention-study on gender, sexuality, and health of adolescents and young men in conflict with the law, deprived of their freedom, and subject to socio-educational confinement in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The themes addressed included questions on overall health, mental health, and sexual and reproductive health, analyzed from a relational gender perspective and social construction of masculinities. The majority of these young men are black, from low-income communities, with low schooling levels, and ranging in age from 14 to 21 years of age; some of them are fathers. The study showed that these young men have been exposed to police and social violence from a very early age and have been deprived of their freedom due to involvement with the drug traffic, homicides, or episodes of sexual violence. The male and female health professionals that work with them report that the most common health problems are skin conditions, mental disorders, and sexually transmissible infections. Male chauvinism and rigid notions of gender and sexuality are important factors in the views of these young men on health (especially sexual and reproductive). Their discourse takes violence and paternity for granted as important signs in the public demonstration of masculinity. There is an urgent need to include discussions on gender and sexuality in health professionals' training and activities with these young men. It is also necessary to call attention to the strong influence of gender concepts, social group, and sexual orientation in practices, interpersonal relations, and health promotion.

  14. Creating an effective physical activity-based health promotion programme for adults with a brain injury.

    PubMed

    Driver, Simon; Irwin, Kelley; Woolsey, Anne; Pawlowski, Jill

    2012-01-01

    To describe the processes involved with developing and implementing a physical activity-based health promotion programme for people with a brain injury, summarize previous health promotion research efforts and provide an actual example of a programme entitled P.A.C.E, a 'Physical Activity Centred Education' programme. REASONING BEHIND LITERATURE SELECTION: Brain injury is a serious public health issue due to the incidence, complexity and high healthcare costs. Health promotion programmes that incorporate physical activity have been shown to improve the health of people with a disability. However, if programmes are to be successful they have to be appropriately designed, otherwise individuals will not adopt and maintain the desired health behaviours. Readers will have an understanding of (1) how a theoretical framework drives programme development, (2) the strategies required to facilitate behaviour change, (3) how previous research supports the use of a physical activity-based health promotion programme and (4) how to implement a programme. Future research ideas are provided so as to stimulate research in the area of physical activity-based health promotion programmes for people with a brain injury.

  15. 75 FR 38099 - Establishment of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-01

    ... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary, Office of Public Health and Science. ACTION: Notice. AUTHORITY: Executive Order 13544, dated June... Act, Public Law 111-148, dated March 23, 2010. The Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and...

  16. Equity in Access to Health Promotion and Risk Reduction Services: Implications for Elder Health.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Nancy H.; Howze, Elizabeth Harper

    Although there is a national emphasis on health promotion and preventive practices, questions remain regarding the equity of access to these services by low income and minority groups, and the implications of inequities for elder health. Data from a systematic survey of 500 public and private providers of health promotion services in northern…

  17. Predictors of Employee Involvement in a Worksite Health Promotion Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rost, Kathryn; And Others

    1990-01-01

    A recruitment effort aimed at utility company employees enrolled 64 percent (679) in a health promotion program. Results demonstrate that sociodemographic predictors of recruitment are almost a mirror image of employee participation in worksite health promotion programs. (JOW)

  18. Perspectives on workplace health promotion among employees in low-wage industries

    PubMed Central

    Hammerback, Kristen; Hannon, Peggy A.; Harris, Jeffrey R.; Clegg-Thorp, Catherine; Kohn, Marlana; Parrish, Amanda

    2016-01-01

    Purpose Study goals were to (a) understand the attitudes of employees in low-wage industries toward workplace health promotion, including views on appropriateness of employer involvement in employee health, and level of interest in workplace health promotion overall and in specific programs; and (b) determine the potential for extending workplace health promotion to spouses and partners of these employees. Approach Forty-two 60-90-minute interviews Setting Interviews were conducted with couples (married or living together) in the Seattle/King County metropolitan area of Washington State. Participants Forty-two couples with one or more members working in one of five low-wage industries: accommodation/food services, education, health care/social assistance, manufacturing, and retail trade. Method Qualitative analysis of interview transcripts using grounded theory to identify themes. Results Employees consider workplace health promotion both appropriate and desirable, and believe it benefits employers through increased productivity and morale. Most have little personal experience with it and doubt their employers would prioritize employee health. Employees are most interested in efforts focused on nutrition and physical activity. Both employees and their partners support extending workplace health promotion to include partners. Conclusion Employees and their partners are interested in workplace health promotion if it addresses behaviors they care about. Concern over employer involvement in their personal health decisions is minimal; instead, employees view employer interest in their health as a sign that they are valued. PMID:25162321

  19. Edutainment's Impact on Health Promotion: Viewing The Biggest Loser Through the Social Cognitive Theory.

    PubMed

    Mocarski, Richard; Bissell, Kimberly

    2016-01-01

    Through a critical rhetorical analysis using Bandura's social cognitive theory as a lens to view The Biggest Loser (TBL), this article illustrates the contradictions between the show's health promotional aims and its entertainment aims, which show the problems the show creates for health promotion practitioners working on obesity. The social cognitive theory constructs of observational learning, psychological determinants, and environmental determinants emerged from this reading of TBL as central to how the show masquerades as a health promotion tool. This reading reveals that TBL promotes a neoliberal construction of health and obesity that challenges the worldview that many health promotion campaigns take and, therefore, complicates our own efforts to combat obesity. With this revealed, it is suggested that TBL be incorporated into health promotion campaigns only as a foil. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.

  20. Grading the "good" body: a poststructural feminist analysis of body mass index initiatives.

    PubMed

    Gerbensky-Kerber, Anne

    2011-06-01

    This article analyzes discourse surrounding Arkansas's legislation requiring public schools to measure students' body mass index (BMI) annually and to send the scores to parents on children's report cards. Using poststructural feminist sensibilities, I explore the tensions experienced by parents, children, educators, and policymakers as this mandate was debated and implemented. The discourse illuminates salient issues about disproportionate disparities in health status that exist in communities with fewer resources, and the potentially unintended gendered consequences of health policies. I explain three dominant threads of discourse: How the economic costs of childhood obesity opened a policy window for the legislation; the presence of tensions between freedom and social control; and how BMI discourses inscribe ideological visions of bodies. Ultimately, the analysis offers insight into the discursive nature of policymaking and how class and gender are implicated in health interventions.

  1. [Empowering the family-center health model: the toy library as a health promotion platform].

    PubMed

    Huang, Yu-Chu; Tsai, Yen-Chih

    2011-02-01

    Facing the lowest birth rates in its history, Taiwan is increasingly recognizing the centrality of children's healthcare needs to effective family care. The World Health Organization's goal of health for all emphasizes health promotion. However, little research attention has been given to how families actively promote personal health in everyday life. This article considers 'family-centric' healthcare, with a particular emphasis on children's health and well-being and the mother health promotion model. Authors employ a 'toy library' as the health promotion platform to build community interaction and empower the health enhancement process. Results suggested the following: 1. The fixed-point type toy library may be an effective tool in a health promotion strategy; 2. A model may be developed for rural institution agencies; 3. Cooperation may be facilitated using a medical service vehicle; 4. The love bag program can serve extended purposes. The authors found that the empowerment and growth of tribal mothers is a key element to facilitate the successful development of their children. Based on findings, the implementation of a toy library as the platform to build community-based health promotion model is suggested.

  2. Toward a humanistic model in health communication.

    PubMed

    Werder, Olaf

    2017-03-01

    Since the key to effective health communication lies in its ability to communicate well, some of its core problems are those that relate to the sharing of meaning between communicators. In elaborating on these problems, this paper offers two key propositions: one, health communication has to pass through the filter of a particular world view that creates a discrepancy between expected and actual message reception and response. Two, the assumption of a rational human actor made implicitly by most health psychological models is a contestable issue, as many times message recipients do not follow a cognitive judgment process. The phenomenon of resisting health messages by reasonable people asks the question whether we ought to rethink our adherence to a particular vision of human health as many times the adverse reaction to behaviour modification occurs as the result of a particular dialogical or discursive situation. At the same time, most motivational decisions in people's daily routines are automatic and use a concept known as self-identity to give stability to their behaviour patterns. Finally, health communication as part of organised government practices adheres to predominant value perspectives within health promotion practice that affect the manner in which health issues become problematised. This paper proposes a humanistic model that aims to pay attention to the intricacies of human communication by addressing all of the above problems in turn. It interprets the sharing of meaning element in human communication and addresses the question of how the idea of health is created through discourse. As such, it offers a complementary and constructive paradigm and set of approaches to understand health, its meanings and communication.

  3. 77 FR 34951 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-12

    ... National Healthy Worksite Program--New--National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion...), a comprehensive workplace health promotion program to address physical activity, nutrition, and... of participating NHWP worksites; to describe implementation and costs of workplace health promotion...

  4. Cardiovascular health promotion and consumers with mental illness in Australia.

    PubMed

    Happell, Brenda; Platania-Phung, Chris

    2015-04-01

    People with serious mental illness (SMI) have increased risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death, yet research on nurse-provided health promotion in mental health services remains under-developed. This paper informs efforts to improve the nursing role in physical health of consumers with SMI by establishing what nurse perceptions and background influence their care. Members of the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing were invited to participate in an online survey on their views on physical health care in mental health services. Survey questions included: (a) nurse-consumer collaboration in preventative care and (b) sub-sections of the Robson and Haddad Physical Health Attitude Scale to measure nurse perceived barriers to encouraging lifestyle change of consumers with SMI and frequency of nurse physical healthcare practices. Structural equation modelling was applied to investigate antecedents to physical health care, as well as relationships between antecedents. A national sample of 643 nurses reported regular engagement in health promotion (e.g. advice on diet). There was statistical support for a model depicting perceived consumer-nurse collaboration as a dual-determinant of nurse perceived barriers and self-reported health promotion to consumers with SMI. Perceived barriers to consumer lifestyle change did not predict health promotion. The effects of nurse-consumer collaboration were significant, but small. Perceived consumer-nurse collaboration in preventative care may positively influence the amount of health promotion by nurses in mental health. Perceived barriers to consumer adherence with a healthy lifestyle did not have an impact on nurse-delivered health promotion.

  5. Health promotion in Kenya: a volunteer nurse's experience.

    PubMed

    Kater, Vered; Liebergall, Michal

    2010-01-01

    This article presents a case study describing how nurses can improve the health behaviors of people living in developing countries. Difficulties and potential solutions are presented. Health promotion allows people to exert control over their health to improve it. A primary difficulty of health promotion in developing countries is communication between care providers and patients. One solution is the utilization of an interpreter; however, in the present study, no professional interpreters were available, thereby complicating the comprehension of new health-related concepts. Another challenge is to understand the patients' perspectives as related to healthcare values. Additionally, as a result of a dearth of evidence-based research in developing countries, difficulties arise in implementing, assessing, and evaluating health promotion programs. Despite these obstacles, nurses continue to travel to developing countries to promote health. Recommendations include respect for a community's health values and incorporation of these values into healthcare planning. To be accepted as a teacher by the local population, the nurse must be able to set aside his/her personal beliefs relating to healthcare, well-being, and disease. Health promotion initiatives should include the means for implementation, thereby enabling the local population to develop skills that will allow them to carry out health promotion projects.

  6. A multilevel model of organizational health culture and the effectiveness of health promotion.

    PubMed

    Lin, Yea-Wen; Lin, Yueh-Ysen

    2014-01-01

    Organizational health culture is a health-oriented core characteristic of the organization that is shared by all members. It is effective in regulating health-related behavior for employees and could therefore influence the effectiveness of health promotion efforts among organizations and employees. This study applied a multilevel analysis to verify the effects of organizational health culture on the organizational and individual effectiveness of health promotion. At the organizational level, we investigated the effect of organizational health culture on the organizational effectiveness of health promotion. At the individual level, we adopted a cross-level analysis to determine if organizational health culture affects employee effectiveness through the mediating effect of employee health behavior. The study setting consisted of the workplaces of various enterprises. We selected 54 enterprises in Taiwan and surveyed 20 full-time employees from each organization, for a total sample of 1011 employees. We developed the Organizational Health Culture Scale to measure employee perceptions and aggregated the individual data to formulate organization-level data. Organizational effectiveness of health promotion included four dimensions: planning effectiveness, production, outcome, and quality, which were measured by scale or objective indicators. The Health Promotion Lifestyle Scale was adopted for the measurement of health behavior. Employee effectiveness was measured subjectively in three dimensions: self-evaluated performance, altruism, and happiness. Following the calculation of descriptive statistics, hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to test the multilevel hypotheses. Organizational health culture had a significant effect on the planning effectiveness (β = .356, p < .05) and production (β = .359, p < .05) of health promotion. In addition, results of cross-level moderating effect analysis by HLM demonstrated that the effects of organizational health culture on three dimensions of employee effectiveness were completely mediated by health behavior. The construct connections established in this multilevel model will help in the construction of health promotion theories. The findings remind business executives that organizational health culture and employee health behavior help improve employee effectiveness.

  7. Opinions of Polish occupational medicine physicians on workplace health promotion.

    PubMed

    Puchalski, Krzysztof; Korzeniowska, Elzbieta; Pyzalski, Jacek; Wojtaszczyk, Patrycja

    2005-01-01

    According to the current Polish legislation on occupational health services, occupational medicine physicians should perform workplace health promotion (WHP) activities as a part of their professional work. The concept of workplace health promotion or health promotion programs, however, has not been defined in this legislation in any way. Therefore, two essential questions arise. First, what is the physicians' attitude towards workplace health issues and second, what is actually carried out under the label of health promotion? The main objective of the research described in this paper was to answer these questions. The survey was carried out by the National Center for Workplace Health Promotion in 2002. A questionnaire prepared by the Center for the purpose of this survey was sent to a random sample of occupational medicine physicians. The results of the survey showed that 53% of occupational medicine physicians consider WHP just as a new name for prophylactics. On the other hand almost all of the respondents (94%) agree that occupational medicine physicians should perform WHP activities and find them useful in improving patients' health (78%). The main obstacle for the development of this activity in the perception of physicians is the lack of interest in workplace health promotion among employers (86%). In the modern understanding of workplace health promotion concept this type of intervention includes not only safety measures and health education, but also a profound organizational change that allows employers, employees and social partners to improve wellbeing of people at work. Each of such projects should facilitate changes necessary to create a health promoting workplace. It also needs a skilled leader--well trained and aware of a multidisciplinary dimension of WHP interventions. Occupational medicine specialists should become natural partners of employers and employees. The majority of the occupational medicine physicians, however, are not sufficiently prepared to carry out workplace health promotion programs.

  8. The Search Conference as a Method in Planning Community Health Promotion Actions

    PubMed Central

    Magnus, Eva; Knudtsen, Margunn Skjei; Wist, Guri; Weiss, Daniel; Lillefjell, Monica

    2016-01-01

    Aims: The aim of this article is to describe and discuss how the search conference can be used as a method for planning health promotion actions in local communities. Design and methods: The article draws on experiences with using the method for an innovative project in health promotion in three Norwegian municipalities. The method is described both in general and how it was specifically adopted for the project. Results and conclusions: The search conference as a method was used to develop evidence-based health promotion action plans. With its use of both bottom-up and top-down approaches, this method is a relevant strategy for involving a community in the planning stages of health promotion actions in line with political expectations of participation, ownership, and evidence-based initiatives. Significance for public health This article describe and discuss how the Search conference can be used as a method when working with knowledge based health promotion actions in local communities. The article describe the sequences of the conference and shows how this have been adapted when planning and prioritizing health promotion actions in three Norwegian municipalities. The significance of the article is that it shows how central elements in the planning of health promotion actions, as participation and involvements as well as evidence was a fundamental thinking in how the conference were accomplished. The article continue discussing how the method function as both a top-down and a bottom-up strategy, and in what way working evidence based can be in conflict with a bottom-up strategy. The experiences described can be used as guidance planning knowledge based health promotion actions in communities. PMID:27747199

  9. School Health Promotion Policies and Adolescent Risk Behaviors in Israel: A Multilevel Analysis.

    PubMed

    Tesler, Riki; Harel-Fisch, Yossi; Baron-Epel, Orna

    2016-06-01

    Health promotion policies targeting risk-taking behaviors are being implemented across schools in Israel. This study identified the most effective components of these policies influencing cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption among adolescents. Logistic hierarchical linear model (HLM) analysis of data for 5279 students in 95 Jewish public schools from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) 2010-2011 survey in Israel enabled simultaneous estimation of the relationship between student- and school-level variables (health promotion policy) to alcohol consumption and smoking behavior. Principals of participating schools also were interviewed to ascertain their degree of adoption and implementation of a health promotion policy. Most of the variance in adolescent risk behaviors is explained by student-level variables: negative perceptions of school, lack of parental support for school issues, and more time spent with friends. Among the school-level policy measures, parental participation in health promotion intervention programs was repeatedly associated with lower rates of risk behaviors, over and above student characteristics. School health promotion policies should focus on parents' involvement in intervention programs and should seek to improve students' perceptions of school and their sense of well-being to promote resilience. Further research is needed to identify additional factors that may increase the effectiveness of school health promotion policies. © 2016, American School Health Association.

  10. Human Rights Discourse in the Sustainable Development Agenda Avoids Obligations and Entitlements

    PubMed Central

    Williams, Carmel; Blaiklock, Alison

    2016-01-01

    Our commentary on Forman et al paper explores their thesis that right to health language can frame global health policy responses. We examined human rights discourse in the outcome documents from three 2015 United Nations (UN) summits and found rights-related terms are used in all three. However, a deeper examination of the discourse finds the documents do not convey the obligations and entitlements of human rights and international human rights law. The documents contain little that can be used to empower the participation of those already left behind and to hold States and the private sector to account for their human rights duties. This is especially worrying in a neoliberal era. PMID:27285518

  11. Improving health promotion through central rating of interventions: the need for Responsive Guidance.

    PubMed

    Kok, Maarten Olivier; Bal, Roland; Roelofs, Caspar David; Schuit, Albertine Jantine

    2017-11-23

    In several countries, attempts are made to improve health promotion by centrally rating the effectiveness of health promotion interventions. The Dutch Effectiveness Rating System (ERS) for health promotion interventions is an improvement-oriented approach in which multi-disciplinary expert committees rate available health promotion interventions as 'theoretically sound', 'probably effective' or 'proven effective'. The aim of this study is to explore the functioning of the ERS and the perspective of researchers, policy-makers and practitioners regarding its contribution to improvement. We interviewed 53 selected key informants from research, policy and practice in the Netherlands and observed the assessment of 12 interventions. Between 2008 and 2012, a total of 94 interventions were submitted to the ERS, of which 23 were rejected, 58 were rated as 'theoretically sound', 10 were rated as 'probably effective' and 3 were rated as 'proven effective'. According to participants, the ERS was intended to facilitate both the improvement of available interventions and the improvement of health promotion in practice. While participants expected that describing and rating interventions promoted learning and enhanced the transferability of interventions, they were concerned that the ERS approach was not suitable for guiding intervention development and improving health promotion in practice. The expert committees that assessed the interventions struggled with a lack of norms for the relevance of effects and questions about how effects should be studied and rated. Health promotion practitioners were concerned that the ERS neglected the local adaptation of interventions and did not encourage the improvement of aspects like applicability and costs. Policy-makers and practitioners were worried that the lack of proven effectiveness legitimised cutbacks rather than learning and advancing health promotion. While measuring and centrally rating the effectiveness of interventions can be beneficial, the evidence based-inspired ERS approach is too limited to guide both intervention development and the improvement of health promotion in practice. To better contribute to improving health promotion, a more reflexive and responsive guidance approach is required, namely one which stimulates the improvement of different intervention aspects, provides targeted recommendations to practitioners and provides feedback to those who develop and rate interventions.

  12. Brazilian physical activity guidelines as a strategy for health promotion

    PubMed Central

    Sebastião, Emerson; Schwingel, Andiara; Chodzko-Zajko, Wojtek

    2014-01-01

    Public health actions endorsed by the federal government, for instance, health promotion initiatives, usually have greater impact at population level compared to other types of initiatives. This commentary aims to instigate debate on the importance and necessity of producing federally endorsed brazilian physical activity guidelines as a strategy for health promotion. PMID:25210830

  13. Health promotion among older adults in Austria: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Boggatz, Thomas; Meinhart, Christoph Matthias

    2017-04-01

    To determine the types of attitudes to health promotion among older Austrians. Health promotion in old age becomes increasingly important in the current period of demographic transition. Interventions are likely to be successful if they take the attitude of older persons into consideration. There may be several types of attitudes to health promotion among older adults. Cross-sectional qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a purposive sample consisting of 36 home-dwelling older persons from local communities in the federal province of Salzburg, Austria. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis according to Mayring and subsequent construction of types. There are three main types of attitudes to health promotion. 'Health promoters through everyday activities' considered domestic work and walks to be sufficient in keeping up their health. Fitness-oriented persons practised sports of some type. Users of complementary methods practised such methods to some degree. These types of attitudes could be further differentiated according to their outcome expectations. In addition to benefits for health, socialising was also an important outcome. Physical decline may reduce a fitness-oriented attitude, whereas encouragement by others may trigger it. Older adults have various attitudes to health promotion, but these are not immutable. Health promotion programmes that are not restricted to a narrow focus on health but provide the opportunity to socialise may support older adults in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Health Promotion in Schools: A Scoping Review of Systematic Reviews

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chilton, Roy; Pearson, Mark; Anderson, Rob

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Schools are an important setting for a wide variety of activities to promote health. The purpose of this paper is to map the different types of health promotion programmes and activities in schools, to estimate the amount of published evaluations of health promotion within UK schools, and to identify any provisional "candidate…

  15. The integration of health promotion and social marketing.

    PubMed

    Griffiths, Jenny; Blair-Stevens, Clive; Parish, Richard

    2009-11-01

    The urgency and scale of contemporary health challenges are enormous. The review It's Our Health! published in 2006 found that social marketing had considerable potential to increase the effectiveness of health improvement work, with the intention that it should build on core health promotion principles and not replace them. Health promotion has, however, lost its focus and identity in recent years in some parts of the country, partly due to repeated organizational change, and it has suffered from a lack of proactive workforce development. Over the last year, the National Social Marketing Centre (NSMC) and the Shaping the Future of Health Promotion Collaboration (StFofHP), hosted by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), have explored the relationship between social marketing and health promotion and led a debate with stakeholders. A Delphi consultation with an expert panel drawn from specialists and strategic leaders in several settings, and the academic community, is currently under way and will report in the autumn. Findings so far emphasize the wide variation in understanding and interpretation of the two skill sets, much confusion about definitions and what added value both health promotion and social marketing bring to health improvement. Some of the distinctive contributions of both are described in this paper.

  16. Information technology in health promotion.

    PubMed

    Lintonen, T P; Konu, A I; Seedhouse, D

    2008-06-01

    eHealth, the use of information technology to improve or enable health and health care, has recently been high on the health care development agenda. Given the vivid interest in eHealth, little reference has been made to the use of these technologies in the promotion of health. The aim of this present study was to conduct a review on recent uses of information technology in health promotion through looking at research articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Fifteen relevant journals with issues published between 2003 and June 2005 yielded altogether 1352 articles, 56 of which contained content related to the use of information technology in the context of health promotion. As reflected by this rather small proportion, research on the role of information technology is only starting to emerge. Four broad thematic application areas within health promotion were identified: use of information technology as an intervention medium, use of information technology as a research focus, use of information technology as a research instrument and use of information technology for professional development. In line with this rather instrumental focus, the concepts 'ePromotion of Health' or 'Health ePromotion' would come close to describing the role of information technology in health promotion.

  17. Discourse Analysis of Navy Leaders’ Attitudes About Mental Health Problems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-08-01

    are a significant source of medical and occupational morbidity for sailors. The literature suggests that stigma , fear of negative career impact, and...and social practices. The data showed that concerns about sailors’ mental combat readiness, not mental illness stigma , were the dominant discourse...surface warfare and the mental health communities may influence leaders’ attitudes more than stigma . This study provides an elaborated view of mental

  18. Black Families' Lay Views on Health and the Implications for Health Promotion: A Community-Based Study in the UK

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ochieng, Bertha

    2012-01-01

    Many studies focusing on beliefs about health and health promotion have paid little attention to the life experiences of Black and other visible minority ethnic families in western societies. This paper is a report of a study exploring Black families' beliefs about health and the implications of such beliefs for health promotion. Ten Black…

  19. Online social networking sites-a novel setting for health promotion?

    PubMed

    Loss, Julika; Lindacher, Verena; Curbach, Janina

    2014-03-01

    Among adolescents, online social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook are popular platforms for social interaction and may therefore be considered as 'novel settings' that could be exploited for health promotion. In this article, we examine the relevant definitions in health promotion and literature in order to analyze whether key characteristics of 'settings for health promotion' and the socio-ecological settings approach can be transferred to SNS. As many of our daily activities have shifted to cyberspace, we argue that online social interaction may gain more importance than geographic closeness for defining a 'setting'. While exposition to positive references to risk behavior by peers may render the SNS environment detrimental to health, SNS may allow people to create their own content and therefore foster participation. However, those health promotion projects delivered on SNS up until today solely relied on health education directed at end users. It remains unclear how health promotion on SNS can meet other requirements of the settings approach (e.g. building partnerships, changing the environment). As yet, one should be cautious in terming SNS a 'setting'. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. A Health Promotion Program for School Personnel.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flack, Vilma T.; Kilcoyne, Martha E., Jr.

    1984-01-01

    Programs that provide support for the health and well-being of school employees are rare. A health promotion program focusing on self-help is discussed in this article. Methods of program development and implementation are presented. Results indicate that school employees can be trained to facilitate a health promotion program in the school…

  1. Making Healthy Behaviors the Easy Choice for Employees: A Review of the Literature on Environmental and Policy Changes in Worksite Health Promotion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kahn-Marshall, Jennifer L.; Gallant, Mary P.

    2012-01-01

    As employers look for ways to reduce rising health care costs, worksite health promotion interventions are increasingly being used to improve employee health behaviors. An alternative approach to traditional worksite health promotion programs is the implementation of environmental and/or policy changes to encourage employees to adopt healthier…

  2. AAHD's Health Promotion and Wellness, Part 2: Health Promotion Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Exceptional Parent, 2011

    2011-01-01

    This article is part 2 of a 4-part series on "Health Promotion and Wellness" from the American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 54 million people--one in five Americans--have a disability, and these Americans are more likely to report: (1) Being in poorer overall health; (2) Having less…

  3. [Development and evaluation of the reliability and validity of an empowerment scale for health promotion volunteers].

    PubMed

    Koyama, Utako; Murayama, Nobuko

    2011-08-01

    This qualitative and quantitative research was conducted to develop an empowerment scale for health promotion volunteers (hereinafter referred to as the ESFHPV), key persons responsible for creating healthy communities. A focus group interview was conducted with four groups of health promotion volunteers from two cities in S Public Health Center of N Prefecture. A qualitative analysis was employed and a 32-item draft scale was created. The reliability and validity of this scale were then evaluated using quantitative methods. A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2009 for all 660 health promotion volunteers across the 2 cities. Of 401 respondents (response rate, 60.8%), 356 (53.9%) provided valid responses and were thus included in the analysis. 1) Internal consistency was confirmed by item-total correlation analysis (I-T analysis), assessment of Cronbach's coefficient alpha for all except one item and good-poor analysis (G-P analysis). Four items were excluded from the 32-item draft scale because of correlation coefficients more than 0.7, leaving 28 items for analysis. 2) Based on the results obtained from the factor analysis performed on the 28 provisional empowerment questions, 28 items were chosen for inclusion in the ESFHPV. These items consisted of four sub-scales, namely 'activity for healthy community' (10 items), 'intention for solving health problems of the community' (10 items), 'democratic organization activity' (four items) and 'growth as individual health promotion volunteers' (four items). 3) The Cronbach's coefficient alpha for the ESFHPV and its four sub-scales were 0.93, 0.88, 0.89, 0.84 and 0.79 respectively. The coefficients of I-T analysis were between 0.33 and 0.69. 4) The health promotion volunteers who attended other community activities demonstrated significantly high scores for the ESFHPV and the four sub-scales. Persons who were above 60 years, had a longer duration of activity as a health promotion volunteer and were housewives showed significantly high scores on the first sub-scale, 'growth as individual health promotion volunteers' To measure the empowerment levels of health promotion volunteers, a 28-item scale was developed and its reliability and validity were confirmed. Health promotion volunteers as well as the public health nurses who assist them can use this scale to assess the empowerment levels of other health promotion volunteers.

  4. [Health promotion for immigrant women in Quebec].

    PubMed

    Vissandjée, B; Carignan, P; Gravel, S; Leduc, N

    1998-03-01

    Over the past fifteen years, the Canadian population has undergone increasing cultural diversification. Many researchers have investigated the role of culture with respect to social and health services. Most studies confirm the fact that increased cultural diversification related to immigration challenges the public health system in many ways. Certain groups, such as economically challenged immigrant women, may pose even greater problems to the health system. While these individuals are in relatively good health upon arrival to Canada, there is a need to ensure that adequate health promotion as well as disease prevention strategies are instituted. It is important to examine the concepts of health promotion and disease prevention through a cultural perspective. Little research has been done in this area. Concepts of promotion and prevention as they are understood by immigrants may not always coincide with North American or European definitions. Therefore, it is essential to consider life conditions that surround potential health promotion and prevention behaviors of immigrants. Empowerment, economic integration and acculturation are among the many factors that need to be taken into account when studying immigrants' health promotion behavior. Here, we present a critical analysis of current knowledge in this field. This is followed by research recommendations aimed at facilitating the development of health promotion and prevention strategies that are appropriate to the needs of Canadian, and more specifically of immigrant women in Québec.

  5. Health promotion, occupational therapy and multiculturalism: lessons from research.

    PubMed

    Dyck, I

    1993-08-01

    Principles of occupational therapy practice make the profession an important potential partner in health promotion initiatives for immigrant groups. Health promotion embodies the principles of self-definition of health needs by target groups, and working with a community in initiating and supporting programmes. This paper discusses the implications of an exploratory study of the daily activities of immigrant Indo-Canadian mothers for translating health promotion principles into practice. The research process and an analysis of interviews conducted with the women suggest factors to consider in using a health promotion framework with immigrants who have experienced social and economic dislocation through the immigration process. Discussion of household structure, divisions of labour, childcare strategies, and parenting concerns raises issues requiring particular attention in sharing occupational therapy skills and knowledge with ethnocultural communities.

  6. [Determinants of workplace health promotion in the insurance sector: results of a complete survey of German insurance companies in 2006].

    PubMed

    Köhler, T; Janssen, C; Plath, S-C; Steinhausen, S; Pfaff, H

    2009-11-01

    The present study is aimed to assess the current level of workplace health promotion (WHP) within the German insurance sector and to examine whether and to what extent internal and external factors play a role in implementing non-statutory health promotion measures. Firstly, a telephone survey was conducted of German insurance companies fulfilling the inclusion criteria for the survey (n=258). It was enquired whether these companies wish to participate in a written survey on workplace health promotion. A written questionnaire was then sent to those companies meeting the criteria (n=140). The questionnaire contained questions on the company, number and type of workplace health promotion measures as well as the internal and external framework for workplace health promotion measures. In total, 68 questionnaires were filled in and returned. Linear regression analysis was applied to investigate how external and internal variables influence workplace health promotion. The response rate was 48.57%. Workplace health promotion measures undertaken by those insurance companies taking part in the written survey were largely dominated by behavioural and relational prevention measures. Also on offer were measures from areas such as further education and prevention that seek to improve communication and team work. By contrast, diagnostic activities were only of minor importance. Incorporation into workplace health management (beta=0.469; p<0.001), company size (beta=0.340; p<0.001) as well as implementation of management measures with regard to personnel development, organisational development and quality control (beta=0.243; p<0.01) have a significant influence on the number of non-statutory WHP measures implemented (R (2)=62%). To increase the effectiveness of their non-statutory health promotion measures insurance companies should increasingly incorporate such measures into specific health management programmes as well as general management measures with regard to personnel development, organisational development and quality control. Moreover, workplace health promotion measures should always be evaluated in terms of health and economic indicators. It should also be noted that small and medium-sized companies have the largest potential for improvement. Copyright Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart . New York.

  7. Drugs and Mental Health Problems among the Roma: Protective Factors Promoted by the Iglesia Evangélica Filadelfia.

    PubMed

    López, Jelen Amador; García, Ramón Flecha; Martí, Teresa Sordé

    2018-02-14

    Background: High incidences of drug consumption and mental health problems are found among the Roma population in Spain, a reality that remains understudied. Past studies have indicated the positive role played by the Iglesia Evangélica Filadelfia (IEF) in promoting rehabilitation and prevention of these practices. Objective: In this article, authors analyze in which ways the IEF favors processes of drug rehabilitation and mental health recovery as well as the prevention of these problems among its Roma members. Methods: A communicative qualitative approach was developed. It was communicative because new knowledge was created by dialogically contrasting the existing state of the art with study participants. It was qualitative because everyday life stories were collected, gathering the experiences, perceptions and interpretations of Roma people who are actively involved in three different IEF churches based in Barcelona. Results: This article identifies these protective factors: anti-drug discourse, a supportive environment, new social relations, role model status, the promotion of interactions, the revaluation of oneself, spiritual activities and the improvement of the feeling of belonging and the creation of meaning. Conclusion: The present research contributes new evidence to the current understanding of the role played by the IEF in improving Roma health status and how the identified protective factors can contribute to rehabilitation and recovery from such problems in other contexts.

  8. Determinants of health promotion action in primary health care: comparative study of health and home care personnel in four municipalities in Finland.

    PubMed

    Simonsen-Rehn, Nina; Laamanen, Ritva; Sundell, Jari; Brommels, Mats; Suominen, Sakari

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to contribute to understanding which factors influence health promotion action in primary health care (PHC) on the municipal, i.e. local, level. A cross-sectional mail survey of all PHC personnel in four municipalities in Finland in 2002. The data were analysed by descriptive statistics, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. A total of 417 (response rate 57%) healthcare professionals participated in the study; 65% of the personnel working in ambulatory care, 52% working in home care and 44% working in inpatient care were engaged in health promotion action (=higher than median engagement). Factors independently associated with engagement in health promotion were organizational values, reflected in perceived skill discretion and social support from coworkers, and the personnel's competence, reflected in knowledge about the health and living conditions of the population served. Further, the opportunities, reflected in cooperation with partners outside the organization were strongly associated with engagement in health promotion action. The results suggest that working conditions such as possibilities for skill usage, reflection and development as well as collegial support enable higher engagement in health promotion action in PHC. However, access to data on the local population's health and living conditions, in addition to opportunities to cooperate with decision makers and partners in the community turned out to be as important. This should be taken into consideration when striving to reorient health services to health promotion.

  9. Building Social Networks for Health Promotion: Shout-out Health, New Jersey, 2011

    PubMed Central

    Jones, Veronica M.; Storm, Deborah S.; Parrott, J. Scott; O’Brien, Kathy Ahearn

    2013-01-01

    Background Building social networks for health promotion in high-poverty areas may reduce health disparities. Community involvement provides a mechanism to reach at-risk people with culturally tailored health information. Shout-out Health was a feasibility project to provide opportunity and support for women at risk for or living with human immunodeficiency virus infection to carry out health promotion within their informal social networks. Community Context The Shout-out Health project was designed by an academic–community agency team. During 3 months, health promotion topics were chosen, developed, and delivered to community members within informal social networks by participants living in Paterson and Jersey City, New Jersey. Methods We recruited women from our community agency partner’s clients; 57 women participated in in-person or online meetings facilitated by our team. The participants identified and developed the health topics, and we discussed each topic and checked it for message accuracy before the participants provided health promotion within their informal social networks. The primary outcome for evaluating feasibility included the women’s feedback about their experiences and the number of times they provided health promotion in the community. Other data collection included participant questionnaires and community-recipient evaluations. Outcome More than half of the participants reported substantial life challenges, such as unemployment and housing problems, yet with technical support and a modest stipend, women in both groups successfully provided health promotion to 5,861 people within their informal social networks. Interpretation Shout-out Health was feasible and has implications for building social networks to disseminate health information and reduce health disparities in communities. PMID:23987253

  10. Worksite health promotion programs in college settings

    PubMed Central

    Hill-Mey, Patricia E.; Kumpfer, Karol L.; Merrill, Ray M.; Reel, Justine; Hyatt-Neville, Beverly; Richardson, Glenn E.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe the multifaceted nature and benefits of worksite health promotion programs (WHPPs), with emphasis on the college setting. An assessment of the peer-reviewed literature was conducted of articles published since 2000. Several search engines were accessed and selected key words were used. Most studies examining WHPPs have focused on return on investment and productivity. Research that targets the softer side-benefits of health promotion programs in the workplace is less available. Although the college setting offers some advantages for implementing health promotion programs. They may also have unique challenges due to their large and diverse employee population. There is little research to show the effectiveness and unique challenges of college-based health promotion programs. PMID:25861657

  11. A prospective evaluation of first people's health promotion program design in the goulburn-murray rivers region.

    PubMed

    Doyle, Joyce; Atkinson-Briggs, Sharon; Atkinson, Petah; Firebrace, Bradley; Calleja, Julie; Reilly, Rachel; Cargo, Margaret; Riley, Therese; Crumpen, Tui; Rowley, Kevin

    2016-11-10

    Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) provide community-focussed and culturally safe services for First Peoples in Australia, including crisis intervention and health promotion activities, in a holistic manner. The ecological model of health promotion goes some way towards describing the complexity of such health programs. The aims of this project were to: 1) identify the aims and purpose of existing health promotion programs conducted by an alliance of ACCOs in northern Victoria, Australia; and 2) evaluate the extent to which these programs are consistent with an ecological model of health promotion, addressing both individual and environmental determinants of health. The project arose from a long history of collaborative research. Three ACCOs and a university formed the Health Promotion Alliance to evaluate their health promotion programs. Local community members were trained in, and contributed to developing culturally sensitive methods for, data collection. Information on the aims and design of 88 health promotion activities making up 12 different programs across the ACCOs was systematically and prospectively collected. There was a wide range of activities addressing environmental and social determinants of health, as well as physical activity, nutrition and weight loss. The design of the great majority of activities had a minimal Western influence and were designed within a local Aboriginal cultural framework. The most common focus of the activities was social connectedness (76 %). Physical activity was represented in two thirds of the activities, and nutrition, weight loss and culture were each a focus of about half of the activities. A modified coding procedure designed to assess the ecological nature of these programs showed that they recruited from multiple settings; targeted a range of individual, social and environmental determinants; and used numerous and innovative strategies to achieve change. First Peoples' health promotion in the Goulburn-Murray Rivers region encompasses a broad range of social, cultural, lifestyle and community development activities, including reclaiming and strengthening cultural identity and social connectedness as a response to colonisation.

  12. The language of violence in mental health: shifting the paradigm to the language of peace.

    PubMed

    Alex, Marion; Whitty-Rogers, Joanne; Panagopoulos, Wendy

    2013-01-01

    Language used in health care, particularly with vulnerable populations such as those with mental illness, is often violent, rising from historical prejudices and politics of power over others. This creates disharmony and distrust between health care providers and patients and families. Peace involves relationships that nurture ongoing harmony, trust, and constructive solutions. In this descriptive philosophical article, we discuss connections between and among the concepts of peace, health, relational ethics, in relation to nurses' responsibilities, current health care realities, and the language of nursing. We propose a shift in discourse within nurse-patient relationships from oppressive and stigmatizing language to the discourse of peace.

  13. Work environment and health promotion needs among personnel in the faculty of medicine, Thammasat university.

    PubMed

    Buranatrevedh, Surasak

    2013-04-01

    Work environment and health promotion needs are important factors for quality of life of workers. Study occupational health and safety hazards and control measures as well as health status and health promotion needs among personnel in Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University. This was a cross sectional study. Questionnaires were designed to collect demographic data, health status, health promotion needs, occupational health and safety hazards, and job demand/control data. Questionnaires were sent out to 181 personnel and 145 were returned filled-out (80.1%). Among them, 42.8% had physical illness or stress, 68.3% had debt problem, 20% had some problems with coworker or work environment, 65.5% had a high workload, and 64.1% felt they did not get enough work benefits. Job demand and control factors included attention from leaders, fast-pace work, relationship among coworkers, repetitive work, hard work, high stress work, and high workload The occupational safety and health system included training to use new equipment, supervisor training, work skill training, work in sitting position for long period of time, appropriate periodic health exam, appropriate medical service, proper canteen, proper salary raise, and facilities for health promotion. In the occupational health hazards, employees were working in low temperature, bright light, and had a lack of health promotion programs. Requested programs to improve quality of life were Thai traditional massage, workplace improvement, health promotion, one-day travel, and Friday's happy and healthy program. Results from the present study can be used to improve workplace environment and health of personnel in the Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University.

  14. Barriers to promote cardiovascular health in community pharmacies: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Alonso-Perales, María Del Mar; Lasheras, Berta; Beitia, Guadalupe; Beltrán, Idoia; Marcos, Beatriz; Núñez-Córdoba, Jorge M

    2017-06-01

    Community pharmacists play an important role in the provision of health promotion services, and community pharmacies are considered as a potentially ideal site for cardiovascular health promotion. Information based on a systematic review of barriers to promoting cardiovascular health in community pharmacy is currently lacking. We have sought to identify the most important barriers to cardiovascular health promotion in the community pharmacy. We have systematically searched PubMed and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts for a period of 15 years from 1 April 1998 to 1 April 2013, contacted subject experts and hand-searched bibliographies. We have included peer-reviewed articles, with English abstracts in the analysis, if they reported community pharmacists' perceptions of the barriers to cardiovascular health promotion activities in a community pharmacy setting. Two reviewers have independently extracted study characteristics and data. We identified 24 studies that satisfy the eligibility criteria. The main barriers to cardiovascular health promotion in the community pharmacy included pharmacist-related factors; practice site factors; financial factors; legal factors; and patient-related factors. This review will help to provide reliable evidence for health promotion practitioners of the barriers to promoting cardiovascular health in the community pharmacy setting. This knowledge is valuable for the improvement of cardiovascular health promotion in this setting and guiding future research. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. Policing ‘Vancouver’s Mental Health Crisis’: A Critical Discourse Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Boyd, Jade; Kerr, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    In Canada and other western nations there has been an unprecedented expansion of criminal justice systems and a well documented increase of contact between people with mental illness and the police. Canadian police, especially in Vancouver, British Columbia, have been increasingly at the forefront of discourse and regulation specific to mental health. Drawing on critical discourse analysis, this paper explores this claim through a case study of four Vancouver Police Department (VPD) policy reports on “Vancouver’s mental health crisis” from 2008–2013, which include recommendations for action. Analyzed is the VPD’s role in framing issues of mental health in one urban space. This study is the first analysis to critically examine the VPD reports on mental health in Vancouver, B.C. The reports reproduce negative discourses about deinstitutionalization, mental illness and dangerousness that may contribute to further stigma and discrimination of persons with mental illness. Policing reports are widely drawn upon, thus critical analyses are particularly significant for policy makers and public health professionals in and outside of Canada. PMID:28496294

  16. Drugs and Mental Health Problems among the Roma: Protective Factors Promoted by the Iglesia Evangélica Filadelfia

    PubMed Central

    López, Jelen Amador; García, Ramón Flecha; Martí, Teresa Sordé

    2018-01-01

    Background: High incidences of drug consumption and mental health problems are found among the Roma population in Spain, a reality that remains understudied. Past studies have indicated the positive role played by the Iglesia Evangélica Filadelfia (IEF) in promoting rehabilitation and prevention of these practices. Objective: In this article, authors analyze in which ways the IEF favors processes of drug rehabilitation and mental health recovery as well as the prevention of these problems among its Roma members. Methods: A communicative qualitative approach was developed. It was communicative because new knowledge was created by dialogically contrasting the existing state of the art with study participants. It was qualitative because everyday life stories were collected, gathering the experiences, perceptions and interpretations of Roma people who are actively involved in three different IEF churches based in Barcelona. Results: This article identifies these protective factors: anti-drug discourse, a supportive environment, new social relations, role model status, the promotion of interactions, the revaluation of oneself, spiritual activities and the improvement of the feeling of belonging and the creation of meaning. Conclusion: The present research contributes new evidence to the current understanding of the role played by the IEF in improving Roma health status and how the identified protective factors can contribute to rehabilitation and recovery from such problems in other contexts. PMID:29443877

  17. Primary health care registered nurses' types in implementation of health promotion practices.

    PubMed

    Maijala, Virpi; Tossavainen, Kerttu; Turunen, Hannele

    2016-09-01

    Aim This study aimed to identify and reach consensus among primary health care participants [registered nurses (RNs) who receive clients, directors of nursing, senior physicians, health promotion officers, and local councillors] on the types of service provider that RNs who receive clients represent in the implementation of health promotion practices in primary health care in Eastern Finland. There is an increasing focus on public health thinking in many countries as the population ages. To meet the growing needs of the health promotion practices of populations, advance practice has been recognized as effective in the primary health care setting. The advance practice nurses share many common features, such as being RNs with additional education, possessing competencies to work independently, treating clients in both acute and primary care settings, and applying a variety of health promotion practices into nursing. The two-stage modified Delphi method was applied. In round one, semi-structured interviews were conducted among primary health care participants (n=42) in 11 health centres in Eastern Finland. In round two, a questionnaire survey was conducted in the same health centres. The questionnaire was answered by 64% of those surveyed (n=56). For data analysis, content analysis and descriptive statistics were used. Findings This study resulted in four types of service provider that RNs who receive clients represented in the implementation of health promotion practices in the primary health care setting in Eastern Finland. First, the client-oriented health promoter demonstrated four dimensions, which reached consensus levels ranging between 82.1 and 89.3%. Second, the developer of health promotion practices comprised four dimensions, which reached consensus levels between 71.4 and 85.7%. Third, the member of multi-professional teams of health promotion practices representing three dimensions, with consensus levels between 69.6 and 82.1%. Fourth, the type who showed interest towards health policy reached a consensus level of 55.4% in this study.

  18. Economic evaluation of health promotion for older people-methodological problems and challenges.

    PubMed

    Huter, Kai; Kocot, Ewa; Kissimova-Skarbek, Katarzyna; Dubas-Jakóbczyk, Katarzyna; Rothgang, Heinz

    2016-09-05

    The support of health promotion activities for older people gains societal relevance in terms of enhancing the health and well-being of older people with a view to the efficient use of financial resources in the healthcare sector. Health economic evaluations have become an important instrument to support decision-making processes in many countries. Sound evidence on the cost-effectiveness of health promotion activities would encourage support for the implementation of health promotion activities for older people. This debate article discusses to what extent economic evaluation techniques are appropriate to support decision makers in the allocation of resources regarding health promotion activities for older people. We address the problem that the economic evaluation of these interventions is hampered by methodological obstacles that limit comparability, e.g. with economic evaluations of curative measures. Our central objective is to describe and discuss the specific problems and challenges entailed in the economic evaluation of health promotion activities especially for older people with regard to their usefulness for informing decision making processes. Beyond general problems concerning the economic evaluation of health promotion, our discussion focusses on problems that pertain to the analysis of cost and outcomes of health promotion interventions for older people. With regard to costs these are general problems of economic evaluations, namely the actual implementation of a societal perspective, the appropriate measurement and valuation of informal caregiver time, the measurement and valuation of productivity costs and costs incurred in added years of life. The main problems concerning the identification and measurement of outcomes are related to the identification of outcome parameters that, firstly, adequately reflect the broad effects of health promotion interventions, especially social benefits that gain importance for older people, and secondly, ensure a comparability of effects across different age groups. In particular, the limitations of the widely used QALY for older people are discussed and recently developed alternatives are presented. The key conclusion of the article is that a comparison of the effects of different health promotion initiatives between different age groups by means of economic evaluation is not recommendable. Taking into account the complex outcomes of health promotion interventions it has to be accepted that the outcomes of these interventions will often not be comparable with clinical interventions and have to be assessed differently.

  19. 'You ain't going to say...I've got a problem down there': workplace-based prostate health promotion with men.

    PubMed

    Dolan, Alan; Staples, Victoria; Summer, Sylvie; Hundt, Gillian Lewando

    2005-12-01

    Prostate health has emerged as a key health issue for men. Nearly 10,000 men die from prostate cancer each year and many more live with non-cancerous, but debilitating, prostate conditions. Despite the widespread prevalence, evidence suggests that men lack knowledge about male cancers and conditions, and are more likely to ignore signs and delay seeking help. Health promotion with men in the workplace is, therefore, increasingly being advocated as an important way of providing men with health information and encouraging them to see a health professional where appropriate. However, there has not been a developed account of men's views on health promotion within the workplace. This paper presents the findings of a small-scale qualitative study that explored men's perceptions and experiences of three different workplace-based health promotion interventions to improve prostate health awareness and their attitudes towards the workplace as an appropriate setting for promoting men's health. This paper shows that men generally welcomed a workplace-based health promotion campaign targeted specifically at them. However, the masculine 'culture' of the workplace, where concerns about health were likely to be met with ridicule rather than concern, was one important factor in understanding these men's views of different health promotion interventions.

  20. Health Promotion Seminar. An Instructor Resource Guide. Appendix to a Final Report on the Paraprofessional Rurally Oriented Family Home Health Training Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Myer, Donna Foster

    This instructor's resource guide, one in a series of products from a project to develop an associate degree program for paraprofessional rural family health promoters, deals with conducting a health promotion seminar. Covered in the first section of the guide are the role of a health care promotion seminar in rural health promotional training,…

  1. [Participative action research; self-care education for the mature adult, a dialogic and empowered process].

    PubMed

    Sanchez Gomez, Sheila; Medina Moya, José Luis; Mendoza Pérez de Mendiguren, Beatriz; Ugarte Arena, Ana Isabel; Martínez de Albéniz Arriaran, Mercedes

    2015-11-01

    Explore and transform dialogic-reflexive learning processes oriented to self-care, capacitation, empowerment and health promotion for "mature-adult" collective. Participative action research on a qualitative and sociocritic approach. Data generation methods are SITE: Field work focuses on the development of the educational program "Care is in your hands" that takes place in two villages (Primary Care. Comarca Araba). Through a theoretical sampling involved people who are in a "mature-adult" life stage and three nurses with extensive experience in development health education programs. Participant observation where health education sessions are recorded in video and group reflection on action. To triangulate the data, have been made in-depth interviews with 4 participants. Carried out a content and discourse analysis. Participant and nurses' Previous Frameworks, and these last ones' discourses as well, reveal a current technical rationality (unidirectional, informative,.) yet in practice that perpetuates the role of passive recipient of care. Educational keys constructed from a viewpoint of Dialogic Learning emerge as elements that facilitate overcoming these previous frames limitations. Finally, Reflective Learning launched, has provided advance in professional knowledge and improve health education. Dialogical learning emerges as key to the training and empowerment, where we have seen how practical-reflexive, and not technical, rationality is meanly useful confronting ambiguous and complex situations of self-care practice and education. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  2. What Is Known about School-Based Interventions for Health Promotion and Their Impact in Developing Countries? A Scoping Review of the Literature

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mukamana, O.; Johri, M.

    2016-01-01

    Schools can play an important role in health promotion mainly by improving students' health literacy, behaviors and academic achievements. School-based health promotion can be particularly valuable in developing countries facing the challenges of low health literacy and high burden of disease. We conducted a scoping review of the published…

  3. Parents' discursive resources: analysis of discourses in Swedish, Danish and Norwegian health care guidelines for children with diabetes type 1.

    PubMed

    Boman, Ase; Borup, Ina; Povlsen, Lene; Dahlborg-Lyckhage, Elisabeth

    2012-06-01

    The incidence of diabetes type 1 in children, the most common metabolic disorder in childhood, increases worldwide, with highest incidence in Scandinavia. Having diabetes means demands in everyday life, and the outcome of the child's treatment highly depends on parents' engagement and involvement. The aim of this study was to explore and describe discourses in health care guidelines for children with diabetes type 1, in Sweden, Norway and Denmark during 2007-2010, with a focus on how parents were positioned. As method a Foucauldian approach to discourse analysis was applied, and a six-stage model was used to perform the analysis. The findings shows a Medical, a Pedagogic and a Public Health discourse embedded in the hegemonic Expert discourse. The Expert discourse positioned parents as dependent on expert knowledge, as recipients of education, as valuable and responsible for their child's health through practicing medical skills. This positioning may place parents on a continuum from being deprived of their own initiatives to being invited to take an active part and could result in feelings of guilt and uncertainty, but also of security and significance. From this study we conclude that guidelines rooted in the Expert discourse may reduce opportunities for parents' voices to be heard and may overlook their knowledge. By broadening the selection of authors of the guidelines to include patients and all professionals in the team, new discourses could emerge and the parents' voice might be more prominent. © 2011 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences © 2011 Nordic College of Caring Science.

  4. Health promotion and information provision during long-term follow-up for childhood cancer survivors: A service evaluation.

    PubMed

    Mayes, Jonathan; Brown, Morven C; Davies, Nicola; Skinner, Roderick

    2016-09-01

    Health promotion is an important component of long-term follow-up (LTFU) care for childhood cancer survivors (CCS). However, little information exists about how survivors perceive their own health promotion needs. As part of a service evaluation, 51 CCS who had previously attended the LTFU clinic took part in a single semistructured interview to seek their views on information they had received regarding late adverse effects (LAEs) of treatment, the purpose of LTFU, and the provision of health promotion information. Although most (93%) CCS were satisfied with the information received about LAEs, 37% desired further details. Over half (59%) believed that the purpose of LTFU was to screen for LAEs, whereas 31% felt that it was to check for relapse. No survivor reported health promotion to be an aim of LTFU; only 14% of CCS expected to receive healthy lifestyle advice, and fewer than 10% wanted dietary and physical activity advice. Most (88%) CCS felt that their hospital-based health care professional was best placed to give healthy lifestyle advice, but there was no consensus about the optimum timing for health promotion. CCS varied in their knowledge, needs, and wishes regarding LTFU care. The results of this evaluation strongly indicate that the profile of health promotion needs to be raised within our service and identifies issues that may be pertinent to similar services. Further research is needed to understand the views of CCS regarding health promotion and lifestyle behaviors, with the aim of tailoring and improving the delivery of effective health education to CCS.

  5. [Health status, health perception, and health promotion behaviors of low-income community dwelling elderly].

    PubMed

    Lee, Tae-Wha; Ko, Il-Sun; Lee, Kyung-Ja; Kang, Kyeong-Hwa

    2005-04-01

    The purpose of the study was to investigate the health status(present illness, ADL and IADL), health perception, and health promotion behaviors of low-income elderly who are receiving the visiting nurse service in the community. The sample of the study was 735 elderly over 65 years old with basic livelihood security, who were conveniently selected from 245 public health centers nation-wide. Data collection was done using a structured questionnaire through interviews by visiting nurses. The average number of present illnesses in the study subjects was 4.18. The average scores of ADL and IADL were 15.903.39 and 9.772.97 respectively, which indicates a relatively independent everyday life. However, 64.2% of the subjects perceived their health status as 'not healthy'. In terms of health promotion behaviors, 77.8% of the subjects had ceased smoking, 83.9% stopped drinking, 56.4% had a regular diet, 45.8% received regular physical check-ups during the past two years, and 66% received flu shots. Approximately 50% of the subjects were practicing 3-4 health promotion behaviors. Significant factors associated with health promotion behaviors were ADL, IADL and self-efficacy. Health promotion programs which focus on regular diet, exercise, and regular physical check-ups should be developed to improve independence of everyday life and quality of life among low-income elderly.

  6. What Do We Know about School Mental Health Promotion Programmes for Children and Youth?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Mara, Linda; Lind, Candace

    2013-01-01

    There are numerous studies of school mental health promotion and primary prevention and many reviews of these studies; however, no clear consensus statement has emerged regarding school mental health promotion other than that child mental health is an important area that should be addressed in schools. This integrative review seeks to address this…

  7. Early Experience with a Health Promotion Course for Pharmacy Students in Indonesia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kristina, Susi Ari; Yulianto, Yulianto; Prabandari, Yayi Suryo

    2018-01-01

    Objective: To implement a new health promotion course as part of pharmacy public health practices and to identify pharmacy students' knowledge, perceived role and self-efficacy with respect to what was learned through this. Method: A total of 119 fifth-year pharmacy students undertook a new health promotion course in a pharmacy school in…

  8. Codman Award Paper: self-efficacy of staff nurses for health promotion counselling of patients at risk for stroke.

    PubMed

    Mayer, Cheryl; Andrusyszyn, Mary-Anne; Iwasiw, Carroll

    2005-06-01

    The effect of nurses' confidence to counsel patients at risk of stroke in selected health promotion areas: smoking cessation, exercise and nutrition was examined. Bandura's (1986) self-efficacy and Knowles' adult learning theories provided the theoretical underpinnings for the study. This was a quasi-experimental design in which neuroscience nurses (N = 23) from a quaternary hospital completed questionnaires prior to, immediately after, and 2 months post completion of a self-directed learning manual (SDL). The researcher-designed manual was designed to enhance learning about the risk factors for stroke and the importance of stroke prevention. Along with reflective activities and pre-post test, strategies for counseling high-risk, stroke-prone individuals in the areas of smoking cessation, exercise, and nutrition were also integrated. The Health Promotion Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale (Tresolini, Saluja, and Stritter, 1995), consisting of 10 self-efficacy subscales relating to self-confidence in knowledge and ability to counsel in health promotion areas, was used to capture the nurses' self-report of self-efficacy. Using a 5-point Likert Scale, nurses also rated their amount of agreement or disagreement about health promotion counseling in practice. Overall, self-efficacy levels for both knowledge and counseling increased significantly (p < .01) from pre-to immediately post completion of the manual, and decreased slightly at two-month follow-up. This pattern was evident in all health promotion areas measured except for knowledge in exercise (p = .015). Nurses' attitudes about aspects of health promotion practices correlated significantly (p < 05) at two-month follow-up with all health promotion areas. Results of this study support the usefulness of a self-directed learning manual as a teaching strategy for health promotion counseling of individuals at risk of stroke.

  9. Findings from non-participant observational data concerning health promoting nursing practice in the acute hospital setting focusing on generalist nurses.

    PubMed

    Casey, Dympna

    2007-03-01

    This paper reports on the non-participant observational findings from a study, which examined hospital-based nurses' health promoting nursing practice in an acute setting. Nurses are considered to have a key role in health promotion. However, the development of the role of the generalist hospital-based nurse in health promotion has been slow and is not well-understood. The conceptual framework used was based on the Ottawa Charter (WHO 1986). A single qualitative embedded case study, employing data source and methodological triangulation was used. A framework for identifying nurse's use of health promotion methods was developed and used to collect non-participant observations on a purposive sample of eight nurses working on an acute hospital ward. Following the observations a semi structured one-to-one interview was conducted with each observed nurse. One randomly selected patient that the observed nurse had cared for during the observations was also interviewed. Qualitative data analysis based on the work of Miles and Huberman was employed. Two categories were identified 'health promotion strategies and content' and 'patient participation'. The findings indicated that, overall, the strategies used by nurses to promote health were prescriptive and individualistic. The main strategy observed was information giving and the content was 'preparatory information'. Predominantly, nurses practised traditional health education. Overall, patient participation was limited to minor personal aspects of care as nurses focused on the routine and getting the tasks completed. There was no evidence of a ward culture which valued health promotion. Ward managers are key in creating a culture for health promotion. A review of the methods of organizing nursing care is warranted. Nursing programmes must highlight health promotion as integral to practice and emphasis the socio-political dimensions of health promotion.

  10. The Variables Associated With Health Promotion Behaviors Among Urban Black Women.

    PubMed

    Hepburn, Millie

    2018-04-24

    To improve understanding of variables impacting health promotion behaviors among urban Black women. A cross-sectional survey was used. Urban Black women (N = 132) between the ages of 30 to 64 years participated. The study was conducted in a U.S. metropolitan region in 2015. Health literacy (Newest Vital Sign [NVS]), self-efficacy (New General Self-Efficacy Scale [NGSE]), and readiness for change (Health Risk Instrument [HRI]) were correlated with health promotion behaviors (Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile II [HPLPII]). Univariate statistics addressed demographic characteristics; bivariate/simultaneous linear regression determined the relationships between the NVS, NGSE, and HRI to health promotion behaviors (HPLPII). Demographics: 72.6% completed high school and 25% completed college, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was >32. Positive correlations existed between each variable to health promotion behaviors: NVS (r = .244, p < .002), NGSE (r = .312, p < .001), HRI (r = .440, p < .001), and accounted for 29.8% of variances in health promotion behaviors. Education and health literacy were also correlated (r s = .414, p = .001). Although health literacy, self-efficacy, and readiness for change are associated with health promotion behaviors, readiness for change was the most highly correlated. The development and incorporation of interventions to promote health promotion behaviors should include readiness for change, health literacy, BMI, and education, especially among urban Black women in order to reduce critical health disparities. Community-based and culturally relevant strategies in promoting health that are integrated into existing lifestyles and designed to impact readiness for change will have the greatest impact on reducing health disparities both in the United States and in countries experiencing rapid urbanization. For example, healthy eating behaviors or increased physical activity may be best adopted when integrated into existing community-based spiritual or cultural events via trusted community leaders. Replication of this study in other populations of Black women will improve the generalizability of this study, both in the United States and globally. However, the addition of other demographic variables, such as a history of chronic conditions, military service, domestic or other violence, spirituality, and the availability of community resources, would strengthen the results in future studies. © 2018 Sigma Theta Tau International.

  11. Analysis of health promotion and prevention financing mechanisms in Thailand.

    PubMed

    Watabe, Akihito; Wongwatanakul, Weranuch; Thamarangsi, Thaksaphon; Prakongsai, Phusit; Yuasa, Motoyuki

    2017-08-01

    In the transition to the post-2015 agenda, many countries are striving towards universal health coverage (UHC). Achieving this, governments need to shift from curative care to promotion and prevention services. This research analyses Thailand's financing system for health promotion and prevention, and assesses policy options for health financing reforms. The study employed a mixed-methods approach and integrates multiple sources of evidence, including scientific and grey literature, expenditure data, and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in Thailand. The analysis was underpinned by the use of a well-known health financing framework. In Thailand, three agencies plus local governments share major funding roles for health promotion and prevention services: the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), the National Health Security Office, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and Tambon Health Insurance Funds. The total expenditure on prevention and public health in 2010 was 10.8% of the total health expenditure, greater than many middle-income countries that average 7.0-9.2%. MOPH was the largest contributor at 32.9%, the Universal Coverage scheme was the second at 23.1%, followed by the local governments and ThaiHealth at 22.8 and 7.3%, respectively. Thailand's health financing system for promotion and prevention is strategic and innovative due to the three complementary mechanisms in operation. There are several methodological limitations to determine the adequate level of spending. The health financing reforms in Thailand could usefully inform policymakers on ways to increase spending on promotion and prevention. Further comparative policy research is needed to generate evidence to support efforts towards UHC. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

  12. Health promotion and education: application of the ICF in the US and Canada using an ecological perspective.

    PubMed

    Howard, David; Nieuwenhuijsen, Els R; Saleeby, Patricia

    2008-01-01

    Health promotion is an issue comprised of complex and multi-layered concepts that involves a process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health. The aims and applications of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), with its focus on components of functioning, activities and participation, and environmental factors are salient to health promotion and health education efforts. For individuals with or without disabilities, health promotion occurs within the community in which they reside and is influenced by a complex interaction of personal and environmental factors. The aim of this paper is to discuss how the ICF can be useful in enhancing social change through health promotion and health education for all people, in particular those with disabilities and chronic conditions. In doing so health promotion concepts and the ecological approach linked with the ICF, the relationship of social change and social support to the ICF, the potential role of the ICF for national and local (city) policies, and the role of health professionals in this process will be examined. Building on this body of knowledge, the authors recommend that future research should focus on the relationship between policies and the social participation of people with disabilities in the community, the use of ICF measurement tools to improve the indicators established by the National Organization on Disability, the development of a new ICF core set for community accessibility and inclusion, better interventions to enhance social support, and enhancing the role of professionals in health promotion for people with disabilities or chronic health conditions.

  13. Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health: National Consultation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    2003

    This report provides a description of a national consultation that was undertaken in 2001-2002 to provide feedback on two companion national policy documents: "National Action Plan for Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health 2000" and "Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health: A…

  14. Evaluating social media's capacity to develop engaged audiences in health promotion settings: use of Twitter metrics as a case study.

    PubMed

    Neiger, Brad L; Thackeray, Rosemary; Burton, Scott H; Giraud-Carrier, Christophe G; Fagen, Michael C

    2013-03-01

    Use of social media in health promotion and public health continues to grow in popularity, though most of what is reported in literature represents one-way messaging devoid of attributes associated with engagement, a core attribute, if not the central purpose, of social media. This article defines engagement, describes its value in maximizing the potential of social media in health promotion, proposes an evaluation hierarchy for social media engagement, and uses Twitter as a case study to illustrate how the hierarchy might function in practice. Partnership and participation are proposed as culminating outcomes for social media use in health promotion. As use of social media in health promotion moves toward this end, evaluation metrics that verify progress and inform subsequent strategies will become increasingly important.

  15. Youth or disadvantage? The construction of teenage mothers in medical journals.

    PubMed

    Breheny, Mary; Stephens, Christine

    2010-04-01

    Teenage motherhood is routinely discussed in medical and nursing journals as a cause for concern and a social problem. Taking these accounts as a starting point, this paper uses discursive analysis to understand how the teenage mother is produced as an unsuitable mother. Beginning with a 'Public Health' discourse, early motherhood is understood as a disease requiring surveillance and a public health response. Using an 'Economic' discourse, teenage mothers are positioned as a financial drain on society and early motherhood as a cost to the mothers themselves. An 'Ethnicity' discourse classifies young mothers into ethnic groups and explains differential fertility rates through the resistance of appropriate reproductive technology among minority group members. These understandings are reflected in a 'Eugenics' discourse, which engages metaphors of parenting as a biological priority and highlights the unsuitability of young mothers as parents. An examination of these discourses shows that concern about teenage motherhood is as much about the wrong sort of young women becoming mothers, as mothering too soon.

  16. Community health workers in Lesotho: Experiences of health promotion activities.

    PubMed

    Seutloali, Thato; Napoles, Lizeka; Bam, Nomonde

    2018-02-27

    Lesotho adopted primary health care in 1979, and community health workers (CHWs) were included in the programme to focus on health promotion, particularly to reach people in underserved rural areas. Although the CHW programme has been successful, the heavy burden of disease because of HIV and/or AIDS and tuberculosis shifted resources from health promotion to home-based care. The study explored the lived experience of CHWs in conducting health promotion activities in Lesotho. The study was conducted in four health centres in Berea district, Lesotho. A qualitative study was conducted using an interviewer guide translated from English into Sesotho for four CHW focus group discussions, four individual interviews of key informants and four semi-structured interviews with the health centre nurses. The roles of CHWs in health promotion ranged from offering basic first aid and home-based care to increasing access to health care services by taking patients to the facilities and promoting behaviour change through health education. Their perceived successes included increased access to health care services and reduced mortality rates. CHW challenges involved their demotivation to carry out their work because of lack of or inconsistent financial incentives and supplies, work overload which compromises quality of their work and limited community involvement. This study concludes that CHWs are beneficial to health promotion and its various activities. They had a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, although they did not fully comprehend that what they were describing was, in fact, health promotion. When it came to advocacy, CHWs did not fully understand it, nor did they consider it as part of their roles, although they acknowledged its importance. Their role of increasing access to health care services by accompanying patients to the facilities has increased considerably because of changes in disease burden. This is affecting their ability to practise other health promotion activities which focus on disease prevention.

  17. An international Delphi study examining health promotion and health education in nursing practice, education and policy.

    PubMed

    Whitehead, Dean

    2008-04-01

    To arrive at an expert consensus in relation to health promotion and health education constructs as they apply to nursing practice, education and policy. Nursing has often been maligned and criticized, both inside and outside of the profession, for its ability to understand and conduct effective health promotion and health education-related activities. In the absence of an expert-based consensus, nurses may find it difficult to progress beyond the current situation. In the absence of any previously published nursing-related consensus research, this study seeks to fill that knowledge-gap. A two-round Delphi technique via email correspondence. A first-round qualitative questionnaire used open-ended questions for defining health promotion and health education. This was both in general terms and as participants believed these concepts related to the clinical, theoretical (academic/educational) and the policy (political) setting in nursing. Line-by-line qualitative content and thematic analysis of the first-round data generated 13 specific categories. These categories contained 134 statement items. The second-round questionnaire comprised the identified 134 statements. Using a five-point Likert scale (ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) participants scored and rated their level of agreement/disagreement against the listed items. Data from the second-round was descriptively analysed according to distribution and central tendency measures. An expert consensus was reached on 65 of the original 134 statements. While some minor contradiction was demonstrated, strong consensus emerged around the issues of defining health promotion and health education and the emergence of a wider health promotion and health education role for nursing. No consensus was reached on only one of the 13 identified topic categories - that of 'nurses working with other disciplines and agencies in a health education and health promotion role.' This study provides a hitherto previously absent expert consensus on the current position of health promotion and health education, in nursing and predictions for their future course. Its findings represent an important step for nurses as they seek to become increasingly active and influential within wider health promotion and health education arenas. Relevance to clinical practice. Delphi studies do not necessarily offer indisputable fact. This study, however, with its strong consensus on the majority of original statements is a good indicator as to how nursing experts currently view health promotion and health education constructs. Expert consensus offers a useful form of measure against current and future clinical practice and helps to build a firm foundation for change. Nurses, then, are advised here to refer to the findings presented, that they remain contextually and conceptually clear, as they embark on current and future health promotion-related activities.

  18. Analysis of health promotion and prevention financing mechanisms in Thailand

    PubMed Central

    Watabe, Akihito; Wongwatanakul, Weranuch; Thamarangsi, Thaksaphon; Prakongsai, Phusit; Yuasa, Motoyuki

    2017-01-01

    Summary In the transition to the post-2015 agenda, many countries are striving towards universal health coverage (UHC). Achieving this, governments need to shift from curative care to promotion and prevention services. This research analyses Thailand's financing system for health promotion and prevention, and assesses policy options for health financing reforms. The study employed a mixed-methods approach and integrates multiple sources of evidence, including scientific and grey literature, expenditure data, and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in Thailand. The analysis was underpinned by the use of a well-known health financing framework. In Thailand, three agencies plus local governments share major funding roles for health promotion and prevention services: the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), the National Health Security Office, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and Tambon Health Insurance Funds. The total expenditure on prevention and public health in 2010 was 10.8% of the total health expenditure, greater than many middle-income countries that average 7.0–9.2%. MOPH was the largest contributor at 32.9%, the Universal Coverage scheme was the second at 23.1%, followed by the local governments and ThaiHealth at 22.8 and 7.3%, respectively. Thailand's health financing system for promotion and prevention is strategic and innovative due to the three complementary mechanisms in operation. There are several methodological limitations to determine the adequate level of spending. The health financing reforms in Thailand could usefully inform policymakers on ways to increase spending on promotion and prevention. Further comparative policy research is needed to generate evidence to support efforts towards UHC. PMID:26989011

  19. Intentions of Chiropractic Interns Regarding use of Health Promotion in Practice: Applying Theory of Reasoned Action to Identify Attitudes, Beliefs, and Influencing Factors.

    PubMed

    Evans, Marion W; Ndetan, Harrison; Williams, Ronald D

    2009-01-01

    The theory of reasoned action is a health behavioral theory that has been used to predict personal health behaviors and intentions as well as those of providers delivering health care. The purpose of this study was to determine interns' future practices regarding the use of health promotion using this model to develop survey questions and to determine attitudes and perceived influences on their prospective behaviors in general, toward the use of health promotion once in practice. Across the course of one year, all graduating interns at a chiropractic college were queried with a 20 question survey designed using the theory of reasoned action. Frequencies and inferential statistics were performed including prediction modeling using logistic regression. A majority (>85%) of interns indicated they would use health promotion in practice. Differences were noted based on perceived skill levels, perception of educational emphasis, various normative beliefs, and gender. Most interns will use some form of health promotion in practice. Normative influences including those seen as key influencers are as powerful a predictor as perceived education or skill levels on future practice of health promotion.

  20. Developing Consensus on the CompHP Professional Standards for Health Promotion in Europe

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Speller, Viv; Parish, Richard; Davison, Heather; Zilnyk, Anna

    2012-01-01

    Building on the CompHP Core Competencies for health promotion the Professional Standards for Health Promotion have been developed and consulted on across Europe. The standards were formulated to fit within the complexity of professional, occupational and educational standards frameworks in Europe as learning outcome standards with performance…

  1. Managers' Understanding of Workplace Health Promotion within Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Phenomenological Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Ann; Parahoo, Kader; Fleming, Paul

    2011-01-01

    Objective: This study aimed at exploring managers' understanding of workplace health promotion and experiences of workplace health promotion activity within small and medium-sized enterprises. Design: A Heideggerian interpretive phenomenological methodology was adopted. Setting: This study was undertaken with small and medium-sized enterprise…

  2. Intentions of Chiropractic Interns Regarding use of Health Promotion in Practice: Applying Theory of Reasoned Action to Identify Attitudes, Beliefs, and Influencing Factors

    PubMed Central

    Evans, Marion W.; Ndetan, Harrison; Williams, Ronald D.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: The theory of reasoned action is a health behavioral theory that has been used to predict personal health behaviors and intentions as well as those of providers delivering health care. The purpose of this study was to determine interns' future practices regarding the use of health promotion using this model to develop survey questions and to determine attitudes and perceived influences on their prospective behaviors in general, toward the use of health promotion once in practice. Methods: Across the course of one year, all graduating interns at a chiropractic college were queried with a 20 question survey designed using the theory of reasoned action. Frequencies and inferential statistics were performed including prediction modeling using logistic regression. Results: A majority (>85%) of interns indicated they would use health promotion in practice. Differences were noted based on perceived skill levels, perception of educational emphasis, various normative beliefs, and gender. Conclusion: Most interns will use some form of health promotion in practice. Normative influences including those seen as key influencers are as powerful a predictor as perceived education or skill levels on future practice of health promotion. PMID:19390679

  3. [Efficacy of mental health prevention and promotion strategies in higher education].

    PubMed

    Martineau, Marc; Beauchamp, Guy; Marcotte, Diane

    Recent studies inform of increases in reported mental health problems in higher education students worldwide, with suicide and homicide being the most dramatic outcomes. Improving first-hand intervention and implementing mental health prevention and promotion strategies in colleges and universities are amongst the most commonly mentioned means of addressing these concerns. While institutions increasingly favor mental health promotion, most programs have not been properly evaluated and most strategies cannot be replicated. The article analyses results obtained from literature reviews and meta-analysis focusing on mental health prevention and promotion strategies targeting college and university students. Mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral and relaxation strategies, as well as social ability training, appeared to be the most effective if they were practiced under supervision. The implementation of supervised mental health prevention strategies within a setting-based systematic and multifactorial promotion frame could significantly decrease mental health problems in higher education students.

  4. [Municipal Health Promotion in Germany: Duties, Rights and Potential].

    PubMed

    Walter, U; Volkenand, K

    2017-04-01

    Municipalities have an overarching structure in health promotion. Due to the right to self-government, municipalities are in charge of both voluntary and obligatory tasks. Some of the original and fundamental tasks can be summarized as "services to the public". Current common definitions do not include the term "health promotion". In the present study, a sub-target of a joint project, legal acts, requirements and recommendations were researched and analyzed. The results show substantive cornerstones of health promotion in various regulations of different disciplines. Based on these findings, health promotion can be interpreted as being part of services to the public. Currently the regulations for education, social tasks, environmental and consumer protection constitute the legal framework for community health promotion, but also include constitutions. They range from public international law to municipal resolutions. Quality management and also quality development are already an integral part in some communal departments. The management of structures, processes and results arises from commitments or measurable targets. In contrast, quality management for health promotion is not based on binding requirements. Specifications of other neighboring sectors (e. g. education, social sector) demonstrate the potential and effectiveness of legal policy guidelines, seen as a frame. A transparent communication about the current regulations is indispensable for formulating future guidelines. The German National Prevention Act opens opportunities for municipalities. However, its interpretation and local engagement will still guide the practice of communal health promotion. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  5. Challenging Our Assumptions: The Role of Popular Education in Promoting Health. Proceedings of the Annual Health Promotion Workshop (5th, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 25, 1986 and October 9, 1986).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farlow, D'arcy, Ed.

    This document reports on a health promotion divisional workshop on popular education (PE) that was conducted to teach health promoters/educators to use PE methodology to analyze their educational work and role as health promoters and to learn to apply PE methodology during the health promotion activities. Information on the history and…

  6. Critical Health Promotion and Education--A New Research Challenge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simpson, Kirk; Freeman, Ruth

    2004-01-01

    In relation to health promotion and education, the use of post-positivist and constructivist approaches has been gathering strength in recent years. Despite this emerging tradition, little has been done to explore what this sort of approach actually represents, particularly in terms of health promotion in schools, professional organizations and…

  7. Obstacles and Future Prospects: Considerations on Health Promotion Activities for Older Workers in Europe.

    PubMed

    Magnavita, Nicola

    2018-05-28

    The ageing of workers is one of the most important issues for occupational health and safety in Europe. The ageing of the active population means that health promotion is a necessity rather than a mere option. This review considers barriers and perspectives for workplace health promotion for older workers. Lack of awareness on the part of management and inflexibility in the occupational health and safety system appear to be major barriers. To overcome these, it will be necessary to disseminate knowledge regarding the effectiveness of health promotion actions for older workers, encourage greater involvement on the part of social partners, recover resources by replacing medical consumerism and bureaucratic practices, adopt an integrated approach combining the prevention of occupational risks and the promotion of healthy lifestyles, and recognize subsidiarity and the ability of working communities to regulate themselves.

  8. Work-site health promotion: an economic model.

    PubMed

    Patton, J P

    1991-08-01

    Despite a burgeoning interest in and acceptance of corporate health promotion, the overall economic effects of these programs are not clear. Although ultimate resolution of this question awaits detailed empiric research, a theoretical approach can be useful in structuring the problem and understanding the critical issues. The financial model presented views the firm as a value-maximizing enterprise and evaluates health promotion as a use of corporate assets. The model projects the benefits and costs to the firm of a 7-year health promotion program under a variety of assumptions regarding the employee mix and the effects of the health promotion program on health and productivity. The analysis reveals that the base case assumptions result in a program that creates value for the firm when the cost is less than $193 per participating employee per year. Firms with a highly productive, difficult to replace, and older employee group are most likely to find health promotion to be a good investment. Productivity gains produce the majority of the economic benefits of the program. Effects on health care expense alone are projected to be relatively small. Gains from reduction in employee mortality or retiree health expense are found to be insignificant in this model.

  9. Health risks, social relations and class: an analysis of occupational health discourse in Finnish newspaper and women's magazine articles 1961-2008.

    PubMed

    Varje, Pekka; Väänänen, Ari

    2016-03-01

    In this article we examine the treatment of psychosocial risks in public occupational health discourse in Finnish newspaper and magazine articles between the 1960s and 2000s, using discourse analysis. Building on class theories, our aim is to investigate how class expectations have been linked with the redefinition of occupational health risks during this period. Our results suggest that as social relations at the workplace became problematised in the occupational health discussions after the 1970s, the image of the hierarchical and naturally conflictual organisation was replaced by idealised middle-class notions of smoothly functioning, harmonious organisations that offered rewarding work experiences. However, this same period since the late 1970s has also been characterised by increasing economic competition and neoliberal market ideology. We conclude that the concern about work-related psychosocial risks and health problems expressed in Finnish newspaper and magazine articles during the last three decades has been shaped in many respects by a collision between the dominant middle-class expectations of harmony and equality and the neoliberal production of competition and inequality. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

  10. The Transferability of Health Promotion and Education Approaches Between Non-communicable Diseases and Communicable Diseases—an Analysis of Evidence

    PubMed Central

    McQueen, David V.; Manoncourt, Erma; Cartier, Yuri N.; Dinca, Irina; Nurm, Ülla-Karin

    2014-01-01

    Background There is a seeming lack within the public health fields of both research and practice of information sharing across so-called “silos of work”. Many professionals in the public health fields dealing with infectious diseases (IDs) are unaware of the programs and approaches taken by their colleagues in the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) arena, and vice versa. A particular instance of this is in the understanding and application of health promotion approaches. This is a problem that needs to be addressed with the goal of producing the most efficient and effective health promotion approaches to the prevention and control of diseases in general. Objectives This project examined health promotion approaches to the prevention of NCDs that could be used in the prevention of IDs. Methods A knowledge synthesis and translation perspective was undertaken. We screened and analyzed a wide range of sources that were considered relevant, with particular emphasis on systematic reviews, published articles and the grey literature. Results The analysis revealed a diverse health promotion knowledge base for application to IDs. Comprehensive health promotion models were found to be useful. Findings suggest that there are profound similarities for health promotion approaches in both NCDs and IDs. Conclusions: This study revealed gaps in knowledge synthesis to translation. The need for development of intervention and implementation research is considered. PMID:29546085

  11. Methodology for social accountability: multiple methods and feminist, poststructural, psychoanalytic discourse analysis.

    PubMed

    Phillips, D A

    2001-06-01

    Bridging the gap between the individual and social context, methodology that aims to surface and explore the regulatory function of discourse on subjectivity production moves nursing research beyond the individual level in order to theorize social context and its influence on health and well-being. This article describes the feminist, poststructural, psychoanalytic discourse analysis and multiple methods used in a recent study exploring links between cultural discourses of masculinity, performativity of masculinity, and practices of male violence.

  12. The Promotion and Marketing of OxyContin: Commercial Triumph, Public Health Tragedy

    PubMed Central

    2009-01-01

    I focus on issues surrounding the promotion and marketing of controlled drugs and their regulatory oversight. Compared with noncontrolled drugs, controlled drugs, with their potential for abuse and diversion, pose different public health risks when they are overpromoted and highly prescribed. An in-depth analysis of the promotion and marketing of OxyContin illustrates some of the associated issues. Modifications of the promotion and marketing of controlled drugs by the pharmaceutical industry and an enhanced capacity of the Food and Drug Administration to regulate and monitor such promotion can have a positive impact on the public health. PMID:18799767

  13. The promotion and marketing of oxycontin: commercial triumph, public health tragedy.

    PubMed

    Van Zee, Art

    2009-02-01

    I focus on issues surrounding the promotion and marketing of controlled drugs and their regulatory oversight. Compared with noncontrolled drugs, controlled drugs, with their potential for abuse and diversion, pose different public health risks when they are overpromoted and highly prescribed. An in-depth analysis of the promotion and marketing of OxyContin illustrates some of the associated issues. Modifications of the promotion and marketing of controlled drugs by the pharmaceutical industry and an enhanced capacity of the Food and Drug Administration to regulate and monitor such promotion can have a positive impact on the public health.

  14. What Can Secondary School Students Teach Educators and School Nurses about Student Engagement in Health Promotion? A Scoping Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beck, Amy J.; Reilly, Sandra M.

    2017-01-01

    Student engagement represents a critical component of a comprehensive school health (CSH) approach to health promotion. Nevertheless, questions remain about its implementation. This scoping review updates the field of student engagement in health promotion. Of the 1,388 located articles, 14 qualify for inclusion in this study. An analysis reveals…

  15. The Value of College Health Promotion: A Critical Population and Setting for Improving the Public's Health

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lederer, Alyssa M.; Oswalt, Sara B.

    2017-01-01

    College students are an important priority population, and higher education is an opportune setting for chronic disease prevention and health promotion. Yet many people do not understand why enhancing the well-being of college students is of value. In this commentary, we address 3 common misperceptions about college health promotion: (1) College…

  16. Effect of school eye health promotion on children's eye health literacy in Vietnam.

    PubMed

    Paudel, Prakash; Yen, Phung Thi; Kovai, Vilas; Naduvilath, Thomas; Ho, Suit May; Giap, Nguyen Viet; Holden, Brien A

    2017-10-06

    Health promotion intervention in schools is a useful strategy to improve students' health awareness. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of eye health promotion interventions on eye health literacy in school children in Vietnam. A piloted questionnaire was administered to 300 children from five secondary schools in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Vietnam at baseline and re-administered after the eye health promotion interventions. McNemar chi-square and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. A total of 300 children aged 12-15 years (mean, 13.3 ± 1.3 years; 60% female) participated in the baseline survey. The participation rate in the post-health promotion survey was 94.7%. After the health promotion interventions, number of children who had correct eye health knowledge increased by 10-20% (60-75% to 70-95%), more children reported having had an eye examination (63.3% to 84.7%; p < 0.001) and more reported wearing spectacles (36.1% to 43.4%; p = 0.04). Children in urban schools were twice as likely to have improved knowledge of vision loss compared with children in rural schools (odds ratio, 2.1-4.1; p = 0.01 to p < 0.001). Children from rural schools had significantly higher odds of visiting doctor after the eye problems worsened (odds ratio, 4.5; p < 0.001). These results imply that eye health promotion interventions significantly improve eye health knowledge, attitudes and practices of school children. Additionally, participation of parents and teachers as change agents may further improve children's health literacy. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Developing European guidelines for training care professionals in mental health promotion.

    PubMed

    Greacen, Tim; Jouet, Emmanuelle; Ryan, Peter; Cserhati, Zoltan; Grebenc, Vera; Griffiths, Chris; Hansen, Bettina; Leahy, Eithne; da Silva, Ksenija Maravic; Sabić, Amra; De Marco, Angela; Flores, Paz

    2012-12-27

    Although mental health promotion is a priority mental health action area for all European countries, high level training resources and high quality skills acquisition in mental health promotion are still relatively rare. The aim of the current paper is to present the results of the DG SANCO-funded PROMISE project concerning the development of European guidelines for training social and health care professionals in mental health promotion. The PROMISE project brought together a multidisciplinary scientific committee from eight European sites representing a variety of institutions including universities, mental health service providers and public health organisations. The committee used thematic content analysis to filter and analyse European and international policy documents, scientific literature reviews on mental health promotion and existing mental health promotion programmes with regard to identifying quality criteria for training care professionals on this subject. The resulting PROMISE Guidelines quality criteria were then subjected to an iterative feedback procedure with local steering groups and training professionals at all sites with the aim of developing resource kits and evaluation tools for using the PROMISE Guidelines. Scientific committees also collected information from European, national and local stakeholder groups and professional organisations on existing training programmes, policies and projects. The process identified ten quality criteria for training care professionals in mental health promotion: embracing the principle of positive mental health; empowering community stakeholders; adopting an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach; including people with mental health problems; advocating; consulting the knowledge base; adapting interventions to local contexts; identifying and evaluating risks; using the media; evaluating training, implementation processes and outcomes. The iterative feedback process produced resource kits and evaluation checklists linked with each of these quality criteria in all PROMISE languages. The development of generic guidelines based on key quality criteria for training health and social care professionals in mental health promotion should contribute in a significant way to implementing policy in this important area.

  18. Nurses' discourse in contraceptive prescribing: an analysis using Foucault's 'procedures of exclusion'.

    PubMed

    Hayter, Mark

    2007-05-01

    This paper is a report of an analysis of the discourse about contraceptive efficacy and side effects used by nurses when prescribing contraception. All women seeking contraception should be informed of the efficacy and potential adverse effects of the particular method they are considering. This information facilitates an informed choice. Women also require this information in order to monitor for any side effects. Paradoxically, side effects are also a key factor in reducing adherence with contraceptive regimens. However, there is no literature that explores specifically how this issue is addressed in clinical consultations, or places these practices in a theoretical context. Forty-nine consultations between nurses and women in sexual health clinics were audio-recorded during 2002. Data were subject to a discourse analysis using Foucault's 'procedures of exclusion' to explore the discursive construction of contraceptive efficacy and side effects The nurses employed specific discursive strategies when discussing contraception. When addressing efficacy, discourse centred on medico-statistical facts, but side effects were described in lay terms that minimized their severity. Nurses contextualized contraceptive side effects within potential problems that women might experience in pregnancy, and also attempted to 'normalize' contraceptive-related problems. Discourse and its deployment play a key role in practitioner-client relationships that sexual health nurses need to become more aware of how they discuss clinical issues about contraception with women. Clinical data on contraceptive side-effects are present in the literature, and it is important that sexual health nurses use this to help women make truly informed decisions.

  19. The pursuit of political will: politicians' motivation and health promotion.

    PubMed

    Zalmanovitch, Yair; Cohen, Nissim

    2015-01-01

    The health promotion literature points out a significant gap between declared health promotion policy and practice. The common assumption is that one of the main obstacles to progress is "political will" and the intersectoral action necessary to create healthy environments. The concept of political will is most frequently invoked to explain a lack of action usually rooted in politicians' lack of personal courage or good sense. While stressing the fact that health and its promotion are profoundly political, we claim that the lack of political will is usually not because politicians have shown insufficient personal courage or good sense. Rather, we suggest that one of the reasons for the gap between the need for health promotion policies and political will derives from politicians' lack of attraction to several aspects associated with this policy area. In many cases, politicians are not attracted to the issue of health promotion because of the unique structural conditions usually associated with this policy domain. Using tools related to public policy theory, we suggest a conceptual framework that explains what those conditions are and answers the question of why politicians seem to lack the political will to undertake the design of health promotion policies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. Nursing diagnoses associated with the national policy for health promotion.

    PubMed

    Maciel Diniz, Camila; de Lima Ferreira, Gabriele; Cavalcante Martins, Mariana

    2017-01-01

    To identify the relationships between nursing diagnoses proposed by NANDA-I taxonomy II and the priority themes (PT) of the National Policy for Health Promotion (PNPS in Portuguse). An integrative literature review was carried out in the Scopus, Cinahl and SciELO databases, using the descriptors: health promotion, food habits, traffic accidents, drugs abuse, environment and public health. The search considered scientific articles published between 2000 and 2016. Twelve articles were selected to identify and explore nursing actions related to PT. It was identified that although the said taxonomy offers a Domain called Health promotion, there is a need to relate the diagnoses of other domains to include the health actions described in the aforementioned Policy. It was observed that there is an attention and concern of the nursing professionals to address topics such as the training of managers and the promotion of healthy eating. In relation to the priority themes promotion of safe mobility and sustainable development, no nursing diagnoses were identified due to the scarcity of diagnoses related to them in the mentioned taxonomy. Although the NANDA-I taxonomy presents a specific domain on health promotion, these are not sufficient to meet the needs of the priority themes proposed by PNPS. Copyright© by the Universidad de Antioquia.

  1. Integrating relationship- and research-based approaches in Australian health promotion practice.

    PubMed

    Klinner, Christiane; Carter, Stacy M; Rychetnik, Lucie; Li, Vincy; Daley, Michelle; Zask, Avigdor; Lloyd, Beverly

    2015-12-01

    We examine the perspectives of health promotion practitioners on their approaches to determining health promotion practice, in particular on the role of research and relationships in this process. Using Grounded Theory methods, we analysed 58 semi-structured interviews with 54 health promotion practitioners in New South Wales, Australia. Practitioners differentiated between relationship-based and research-based approaches as two sources of knowledge to guide health promotion practice. We identify several tensions in seeking to combine these approaches in practice and describe the strategies that participants adopted to manage these tensions. The strategies included working in an evidence-informed rather than evidence-based way, creating new evidence about relationship-based processes and outcomes, adopting 'relationship-based' research and evaluation methods, making research and evaluation useful for communities, building research and evaluation skills and improving collaboration between research and evaluation and programme implementation staff. We conclude by highlighting three systemic factors which could further support the integration of research-based and relationship-based health promotion practices: (i) expanding conceptions of health promotion evidence, (ii) developing 'relationship-based' research methods that enable practitioners to measure complex social processes and outcomes and to facilitate community participation and benefit, and (iii) developing organizational capacity. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. [Effects of community health promotion project for garlic cultivating farmers based on self-efficacy theory and community capacity building framework].

    PubMed

    Kim, Hyang-Sook; Gu, Mee Ock

    2011-02-01

    This study was conducted to test the effects of a community health promotion project for farmers cultivating garlic. Bandura's self-efficacy theory (1986) and Chaskin's community capacity framework (2001) were used as the theoretical framework. A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Study participants were 72 garlic farmers (intervention: 36, control: 36). The community health promotion project consisted of health promotion program and community capacity building strategies and was provided for 12 weeks (8 during farming off-season and 4 during farming season). Data were collected between February 23 and May 31, 2009 and were analyzed using chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, and repeated measure ANOVA using SPSS/WIN 12.0. For the experimental group, significant improvement was found for self-efficacy, farming related health behavior, physical fitness (muscle strength, muscle endurance, upper body flexibility, lower body flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, balance, agility), farmer's syndrome, and health related quality of life as compared to the control group. The findings of the study indicate that the community health promotion project for garlic farmers is effective and can be recommended as a nursing intervention for health promotion of garlic cultivating farmers.

  3. Towards evidence-based, quality-controlled health promotion: the Dutch recognition system for health promotion interventions

    PubMed Central

    Brug, Johannes; van Dale, Djoeke; Lanting, Loes; Kremers, Stef; Veenhof, Cindy; Leurs, Mariken; van Yperen, Tom; Kok, Gerjo

    2010-01-01

    Registration or recognition systems for best-practice health promotion interventions may contribute to better quality assurance and control in health promotion practice. In the Netherlands, such a system has been developed and is being implemented aiming to provide policy makers and professionals with more information on the quality and effectiveness of available health promotion interventions and to promote use of good-practice and evidence-based interventions by health promotion organizations. The quality assessments are supervised by the Netherlands Organization for Public Health and the Environment and the Netherlands Youth Institute and conducted by two committees, one for interventions aimed at youth and one for adults. These committees consist of experts in the fields of research, policy and practice. Four levels of recognition are distinguished inspired by the UK Medical Research Council's evaluation framework for complex interventions to improve health: (i) theoretically sound, (ii) probable effectiveness, (iii) established effectiveness, and (iv) established cost effectiveness. Specific criteria have been set for each level of recognition, except for Level 4 which will be included from 2011. This point of view article describes and discusses the rationale, organization and criteria of this Dutch recognition system and the first experiences with the system. PMID:20841318

  4. Usefulness of a Competency-Based Reflective Portfolio for Student Learning on a Masters Health Promotion Programme

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKenna, Verna; Connolly, Claire; Hodgins, Margaret

    2011-01-01

    Background: Efforts to identify core competencies within health promotion and health education have been on-going for a number of years. These efforts include work carried out by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) in drawing up a draft list of 11 core competencies which were incorporated into the practice module on…

  5. [Social participation and health promotion in Cotacachi: an experience in progress].

    PubMed

    Velasco, N

    1997-12-01

    Community participation in the origin, design, and application of health programs may be encouraged through health promotion. Health promotion is a political strategy in which the community becomes involved in processes of change through development of a broad-based consensus of the most important organizations to find solutions to health problems. Strategies of health promotion make individuals aware of their personal and community responsibilities for actions to reinforce healthy behaviors and modify unhealthy behaviors. The decision of political authorities to base their government on popular participation is one of the most important factors in community activation. Political will in the Ecuadorian community of Cotacachi allowed creation of mechanisms for achieving consensus that were consolidated into an intersectorial health committee. The committee carried out a participatory health diagnosis with community assistance to gain knowledge of the area and its problems. An IEC (information, education, and communication) program was created to promote health using the existing communication networks. Other organizations were gradually incorporated into the process of health promotion, with training sessions to convert members into a network for health communication.

  6. Prevalence of health promotion programs in primary health care units in Brazil

    PubMed Central

    Ramos, Luiz Roberto; Malta, Deborah Carvalho; Gomes, Grace Angélica de Oliveira; Bracco, Mário M; Florindo, Alex Antonio; Mielke, Gregore Iven; Parra, Diana C; Lobelo, Felipe; Simoes, Eduardo J; Hallal, Pedro Curi

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE Assessment of prevalence of health promotion programs in primary health care units within Brazil’s health system. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study based on telephone interviews with managers of primary care units. Of a total 42,486 primary health care units listed in the Brazilian Unified Health System directory, 1,600 were randomly selected. Care units from all five Brazilian macroregions were selected proportionally to the number of units in each region. We examined whether any of the following five different types of health promotion programs was available: physical activity; smoking cessation; cessation of alcohol and illicit drug use; healthy eating; and healthy environment. Information was collected on the kinds of activities offered and the status of implementation of the Family Health Strategy at the units. RESULTS Most units (62.0%) reported having in place three health promotion programs or more and only 3.0% reported having none. Healthy environment (77.0%) and healthy eating (72.0%) programs were the most widely available; smoking and alcohol use cessation were reported in 54.0% and 42.0% of the units. Physical activity programs were offered in less than 40.0% of the units and their availability varied greatly nationwide, from 51.0% in the Southeast to as low as 21.0% in the North. The Family Health Strategy was implemented in most units (61.0%); however, they did not offer more health promotion programs than others did. CONCLUSIONS Our study showed that most primary care units have in place health promotion programs. Public policies are needed to strengthen primary care services and improve training of health providers to meet the goals of the agenda for health promotion in Brazil. PMID:25372175

  7. Rights Language in the Sustainable Development Agenda: Has Right to Health Discourse and Norms Shaped Health Goals?

    PubMed Central

    Forman, Lisa; Ooms, Gorik; Brolan, Claire E.

    2015-01-01

    While the right to health is increasingly referenced in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) discussions, its contribution to global health and development remains subject to considerable debate. This hypothesis explores the potential influence of the right to health on the formulation of health goals in 4 major SDG reports. We analyse these reports through a social constructivist lens which views the use of rights rhetoric as an important indicator of the extent to which a norm is being adopted and/or internalized. Our analysis seeks to assess the influence of this language on goals chosen, and to consider accordingly the potential for rights discourse to promote more equitable global health policy in the future. PMID:26673463

  8. Making healthy behaviors the easy choice for employees: a review of the literature on environmental and policy changes in worksite health promotion.

    PubMed

    Kahn-Marshall, Jennifer L; Gallant, Mary P

    2012-12-01

    As employers look for ways to reduce rising health care costs, worksite health promotion interventions are increasingly being used to improve employee health behaviors. An alternative approach to traditional worksite health promotion programs is the implementation of environmental and/or policy changes to encourage employees to adopt healthier behaviors. This review examines the evidence for the effectiveness of worksite health promotion programs using environmental and/or policy changes either alone or in combination with individually focused health behavior change strategies. A review of the relevant literature, published between 1995 and 2010, identified 27 studies that met all inclusion criteria. Limited evidence was found for the effectiveness of environmental and/or policy changes alone (n = 11) to change employee behavior, but more promising results were identified with multicomponent interventions (n = 16). There is a strong need for improvement in the design and evaluation of future health promotion programs focusing solely on environmental and/or policy changes at the worksite.

  9. Preventing alcohol-related traffic injury: a health promotion approach.

    PubMed

    Howat, Peter; Sleet, David; Elder, Randy; Maycock, Bruce

    2004-09-01

    The conditions that give rise to drinking and driving are complex, with multiple and interrelated causes. Prevention efforts benefit from an approach that relies on the combination of multiple interventions. Health promotion provides a useful framework for conceptualizing and implementing actions to reduce drinking and driving since it involves a combination of educational, behavioral, environmental, and policy approaches. This review draws on data from a range of settings to characterize the effectiveness of various interventions embedded within the health promotion approach. Interventions considered part of the health promotion approach include: (1) economic interventions (2) organizational interventions, (3) policy interventions, and (4) health education interventions, including the use of media, school and community education, and public awareness programs. Effective health promotion strengthens the skills and capabilities of individuals to take action and the capacity of groups or communities to act collectively to exert control over the determinants of alcohol-impaired driving. There is strong evidence for the effectiveness of some components of health promotion, including economic and retailer interventions, alcohol taxation, reducing alcohol availability, legal and legislative strategies, and strategies addressing the servers of alcohol. There is also evidence for the effectiveness of sobriety checkpoints, lower BAC laws, minimum legal drinking age laws, and supportive media promotion programs. Other interventions with moderate evidence of effectiveness include restricting alcohol advertising and promotion, and actions involving counter advertising. Health education interventions alone that have insufficient evidence for effectiveness include passive server training programs, school drug and alcohol education programs, community mobilization efforts, and health warnings. Because each intervention builds on the strengths of every other one, ecological approaches to reducing alcohol-impaired driving using all four components of the health promotion model are likely to be the most effective. Settings such as schools, workplaces, cities, and communities offer practical opportunities to implement alcohol-impaired driving prevention programs within this framework.

  10. [Promotion of orodental health in adolescents in Africa].

    PubMed

    Tapsoba, H; Deschamps, J P

    1997-12-01

    Bad dental hygiene in adults is usually the result of bad care during childhood. Within the framework of Health for All, WHO and the International Dental Federation defined global objectives for dental health which allow for monitoring progress in different countries. The most common dental problems, such as dental cavities, can be prevented by simple and inexpensive methods. Dental health is based on dental hygiene, nutrition, fluoride intake and dental service utilisation. Dental health promotion aims to create an environment favourable to the adoption of these healthy behaviours. The principle recommended dental health measures are through fluoridation of water, salt, and milk, a low consumption of sweets, and modification of the amount of sugar in the diet; implementation of monitored dental hygiene activities in schools; the organisation of regular dental services in schools/workplaces; and adopting legislative texts or laws requiring certain measures of prevention. In the past several years, certain African countries have set up national dental health programmes (there were 12 in 1993), However, the implementation of dental health promotion generally doesn't result from a national initiative, but from a regional or local scale. This is largely due to the lack of integration of dental health in activities of education and health promotion in general. Programmes planned at a national level and then implemented at a local level on a multisectoral base have had more success. This article presents examples of dental health promotion activities in several African countries, mainly focusing on programmes aimed at 12-13 year olds in primary school. Programmes from Morocco, Kenya, Madagascar, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, and Tanzania are briefly presented and show that in Africa, dental health promotion has mostly consisted of the implementation of health education actions and that there are no consistent policies, unlike in other developing countries, for fluoridation of water, salt, and milk. In terms of dental health promotion, WHO recommends the promotion of traditional methods of dental hygiene (such as plants or sticks for cleaning), especially among adolescents living in rural and low income communities. In turn, the identification and promotion of the positive aspects of hygiene and traditional care will allow for the implementation of more culturally acceptable approaches.

  11. Health Promotion Behaviors and Chronic Diseases of Aging in the Elderly People of Iranshahr*- IR Iran.

    PubMed

    Pishkar Mofrad, Zahra; Jahantigh, Mozhgan; Arbabisarjou, Azizollah

    2015-07-13

    Aging is considered as the phenomenon of the day in the health arena of the world and Iran. It is anticipated that there will be an explosion of aging population in Iran in about 2031 and 20-25% of the population will be aged over 60 years. With aging, chronic diseases also increase and diminish the functional ability of older people. On the other hand, increased healthcare costs should be also added to this issue. Health promotion is a concept of process that continues throughout life. As much as health promotion is important in children and adults, it is equally important in older people. In fact, the elderlies, as a group, also acquire many benefits from health promotion behaviors. Due to the increasing elderly population, geriatric health promotion and enhancing the health level of older people is proposed as a health priority that should be properly planned. Hence, the present study has been conducted in this regard and aims to identify behaviors of health promotion and chronic diseases of aging in the elderly people of Iranshahr-Iran. The present research is a cross-sectional descriptive study whose population consists of 425 elderly people aged 60 years and over, who lived in the city of Iranshahr*, IR Iran. The random cluster sampling method has been used to select the research samples. The required information was collected using a questionnaire which was distributed among the older people through visiting their homes; then, the collected data was statistically analyzed using the statistical software of SPSS version 13. the research findings show that the mean age of older people is and the highest frequency belongs to the age group of 60 years and the maximum age is 92 years. 69.5% of the older people were in the age group of the young elderly (60-69 years) and 44% of them lived with their married children; also 55.8%, 81.9%, 70.5%, and 74.4% of them were respectively female, illiterate, married, and unemployed. The mean score of geriatric health promotion behaviors was in the range of 0-11 and 54.9% of them got the score of the inappropriate health promotion behavior. The most frequent chronic diseases of older people were respectively joint problems (78.9%), sensory problems (64.1%), and hypertension (56.6%). No significant relationship was observed between the score of health promotion behaviors and "the gender, lifestyle and marital status of the older people", but there was statistically a significant relationship between the score of health promotion behaviors and "the age, education, and job of the older people". Providing training programs for health promotion behaviors in elderly people can improve these behaviors and enhance their health and quality of life and reduce the incidence of chronic diseases in them. The goal of health promotion behaviors is to maintain performance, independence and quality of life; and many studies have demonstrated that the elderly people who aged 60 years and over benefit from health promotion behaviors more than middle-aged people.

  12. Potential challenges facing distributed leadership in health care: evidence from the UK National Health Service.

    PubMed

    Martin, Graeme; Beech, Nic; MacIntosh, Robert; Bushfield, Stacey

    2015-01-01

    The discourse of leaderism in health care has been a subject of much academic and practical debate. Recently, distributed leadership (DL) has been adopted as a key strand of policy in the UK National Health Service (NHS). However, there is some confusion over the meaning of DL and uncertainty over its application to clinical and non-clinical staff. This article examines the potential for DL in the NHS by drawing on qualitative data from three co-located health-care organisations that embraced DL as part of their organisational strategy. Recent theorising positions DL as a hybrid model combining focused and dispersed leadership; however, our data raise important challenges for policymakers and senior managers who are implementing such a leadership policy. We show that there are three distinct forms of disconnect and that these pose a significant problem for DL. However, we argue that instead of these disconnects posing a significant problem for the discourse of leaderism, they enable a fantasy of leadership that draws on and supports the discourse. © 2014 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2014 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Health promotion community development and the tyranny of individualism.

    PubMed

    Shiell, A; Hawe, P

    1996-01-01

    Economic evaluation of health promotion poses few major difficulties when the theoretical approach of the programme and the evaluation of cost and benefits are confined within the context of the individual. Methodological individualism has a long history in economics and the techniques of microeconomics are well suited to the examination of individually focused behaviour change programmes. However, new developments in community health promotion pose special challenges. These programmes have the community, not the individual, as the focus of programme theory and "community' means something completely different from the sum of individuals. Community empowerment and promotion of the community's capacity to deal with health issues are the goals of such programmes. To reflect these notions, sense of community and community competence should be considered as "functionings', an extra-welfarist constituent of well-being. Their inclusion as outcomes of community health promotion requires a shift from individualist utilitarian economics into a communitarian framework which respects the programme's notion of community. If health economics fails to develop new constructs to deal with these new approaches in health promotion, the application of existing techniques to community programmes will mislead health decision makers about their value and potential.

  14. Health promotion in Australian multi-disciplinary primary health care services: case studies from South Australia and the Northern Territory.

    PubMed

    Baum, Fran; Freeman, Toby; Jolley, Gwyn; Lawless, Angela; Bentley, Michael; Värttö, Kaisu; Boffa, John; Labonte, Ronald; Sanders, David

    2014-12-01

    This paper reports on the health promotion and disease prevention conducted at Australian multi-disciplinary primary health care (PHC) services and considers the ways in which the organizational environment affects the extent and type of health promotion and disease prevention activity. The study involves five PHC services in Adelaide and one in Alice Springs. Four are managed by a state health department and two by boards of governance. The study is based on an audit of activities and on 68 interviews conducted with staff. All the sites undertake health promotion and recognize its importance but all report that this activity is under constant pressure resulting from the need to provide services to people who have health problems. We also found an increased focus on chronic disease management and prevention which prioritized individuals and behavioural change strategies rather than addressing social determinants affecting whole communities. There was little health promotion work that reflected a salutogenic approach to the creation of health. Most activity falls under three types: parenting and child development, chronic disease prevention and mental health. Only the non-government organizations reported advocacy on broader policy issues. Health reform and consequent reorganizations were seen to reduce the ability of some services to undertake health promotion. The paper concludes that PHC in Australia plays an important role in disease prevention, but that there is considerable scope to increase the amount of community-based health promotion which focuses on a salutogenic view of health and which engages in community partnerships. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. [Addressing the Sexual Health of Severe Mentally Ill People in Residential Facilities: A Pilot Study on the Perspective of Professionals].

    PubMed

    Höfle, Mariana Carreiro da Costa Faria e Melo; Kieser, Luciana Degano

    2016-01-01

    The study explores the perspectives of Mental Health Care Professionals on the importance of Sexual Health promotion of severe mentally ill people in Mental Health Care. A qualitative approach was used. Eight semi-structured Problem Centred Interviews were conducted in August 2012 in two residential facilities in Berlin. Participants are aware of the importance of Sexual Health in the psychosocial rehabilitation process. However, they believe Sexual Health Promotion is yet to be acknowledged as a legitimate Mental Health care issue. Sexual Health Promotion is poorly integrated in Mental Health Care practice. However, sexuality contributes strongly to the health and quality of life of users. Adequate guidelines on Sexual Health Promotion are not available and are urgently needed. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  16. Defining sustainable practice in community-based health promotion: a Delphi study of practitioner perspectives.

    PubMed

    Harris, Neil; Sandor, Maria

    2013-04-01

    Sustainability of practice must be a central imperative in the practice of community-based health promotion to achieve population health and attract a greater share of public health spending. Although there has been some consideration of sustainability at the project or program levels, often understood as intervention longevity, very limited attention has been given to understanding sustainable practice. The present study develops a definition and features of sustainable practice in community-based health promotion through a Delphi method with health promotion practitioners in Queensland, Australia. The study presents a consensus definition and features of sustainable practice. The definition highlights the importance of collaboration, health determinants and aspirations, processes and outcomes. The four features of sustainable practice identified in the study are: (1) effective relationships and partnerships; (2) evidence-based decision making and practice; (3) emphasis on building community capacity; and (4) supportive context for practice. The definition and features are, to a large extent, consistent with the limited literature around sustainability at the project and program levels of health promotion. Together, they provide insight into a form of community-based health promotion that will be both viable and productive. So what? This consensus understanding of sustainable practice articulates the foundations of working effectively with local communities in achieving improved population health within global limits.

  17. Evaluation in Health Promotion: Principles and Perspectives. WHO Regional Publications, European Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rootman, Irving, Ed.; Goodstadt, Michael, Ed.; Hyndman, Brian, Ed.; McQueen, David V., Ed.; Potvin, Louise, Ed.; Springett, Jane, Ed.; Ziglio, Erio, Ed.

    This book includes a collection of papers on the theories, methodologies, and practice of health promotion initiatives in Europe and the Americas. The 23 chapters are: (1) "A Framework for Health Promotion Evaluation" (Irving Rootman, Michael Goodstadt, Louise Potvin, and Jane Springett); (2) "Beyond Process and Outcome Evaluation:…

  18. 77 FR 74099 - Reestablishment of Advisory Group

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-12

    ..., Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. The Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health (Advisory Group), as set forth under the provisions of Executive...

  19. Developing a Competency-Based Pan-European Accreditation Framework for Health Promotion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Battel-Kirk, Barbara; Van der Zanden, Gerard; Schipperen, Marielle; Contu, Paolo; Gallardo, Carmen; Martinez, Ana; Garcia de Sola, Silvia; Sotgiu, Alessandra; Zaagsma, Miriam; Barry, Margaret M.

    2012-01-01

    Background: The CompHP Pan-European Accreditation Framework for Health Promotion was developed as part of the CompHP Project that aimed to develop competency-based standards and an accreditation system for health promotion practice, education, and training in Europe. Method: A phased, multiple-method approach was employed to facilitate consensus…

  20. Comprehensive assessment of health education and health promotion in five non-communicable disease demonstration districts in China: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Xu, Qiaohua; Huang, Yuelong; Chen, Biyun

    2017-12-26

    This study aims to develop assessment indicators of health education and promotion for non-communicable disease (NCD) demonstration districts in China and to identify significant factors associated with NCD health education and promotion work. Three complementary techniques were used to conduct this study in Hunan Province, China, between late 2013 and 2015. The Delphi technique was used to develop weighted assessment indicators, followed by the rank sum ratio (RSR) to normalise the weights through rank conversion. Lastly, the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution was conducted to assess five randomly selected NCD demonstration districts representing five different orientations in the province. A total of 24 assessment indicators were constructed covering the following sections: organisational management, fund support, personnel supplies, health education and promotion, people's awareness of NCDs, management and control of patients with NCD, satisfaction with health education and promotion and health literacy of residents. Five districts were selected as samples for evaluation (Furong District, Ziyang District, Shaodong County, Shuangfeng County and Luxi County). Performance varied among the sites, with Furong District greatly surpassing the other sites, especially in fund support, media promotion, technical support for publicity materials, community promotion and supportive environment supplies. The latter four factors were also much greater in the second-ranked Luxi County site than those in the other sites (except Furong District). There were gaps in health education and promotion work in NCD demonstration districts in Hunan Province. The districts that performed better had obvious advantages in fund support, media promotion, technical support, community promotion and supportive environment supplies. Our study provided both a methodological reference and an assessment indicator framework for similar future studies. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  1. Health promotion practices of restaurants and cafés in Australia: changes from 1997 to 2000 using an annual telemarketing intervention.

    PubMed

    Licata, Milly; Gillham, Karen; Campbell, Elizabeth

    2002-09-01

    This study looked at whether rates of health promotion practices among restaurants and cafés in the Hunter Region of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, increased between 1997 and 2000. During the project period all restaurants and cafés in the region were offered an annual direct marketing telephone interview (1997, 1998 and 1999), during which resources were offered to assist in the adoption of health promotion practices. Owners or managers of restaurants and cafés completed phone interviews that assessed 18 health promotion practices relating to: environmental tobacco smoke (two practices); responsible service of alcohol (five practices); healthy food choices (one practice); food safety (four practices); occupational health and safety (three practices); and the prevention of infectious diseases (three practices). Changes in practices were examined by comparing data from cross-sectional samples in 1997 (before any offers of resources) and 2000 (after up to three annual telemarketing calls), and among a cohort interviewed in both 1997 and 2000. Ninety-one per cent of restaurants and cafés (321) participated in the 1997 survey and 239 (81%) participated in the 2000 survey. A cohort of 122 restaurants and cafés participated in both surveys. Significant increases were present for 14 of the 18 health promotion initiatives in the cross-sectional sample and for 10 of the 18 health promotion initiatives in the cohort. For both cross-sectional and cohort samples, a change in at least one practice in each area was evident, with the exception of nutrition. The proportion of restaurants and cafés in the project region that undertake health promotion initiatives is increasing. A telephone-based intervention may contribute to such an increase. The suggestion that the prevalence of health promotion initiatives in restaurants and cafés can be increased highlights the potential for health promotion to be more actively involved in this setting.

  2. An investigation of strategies used in alcohol brand marketing and alcohol-related health promotion on Facebook.

    PubMed

    Lim, Megan Sc; Hare, James D; Carrotte, Elise R; Dietze, Paul M

    2016-01-01

    Alcohol brands are incorporating social networking sites (SNS) into their marketing programmes. SNS are also being used to reduce alcohol consumption and harms by health promotion organisations. Marketing via SNS can attempt to influence consumers using a range of strategies from traditional marketing, social media, and behaviour change theory. This study systematically quantifies marketing strategies used by alcohol brands and health promoters on Facebook. We identified the 10 most popular alcohol brands and health promotion organisations in Australia on Facebook and extracted all posts from April 2014. A framework was developed, listing 33 SNS marketing strategies. The frequency of use of each strategy in posts was counted for all profiles. The median number of fans of alcohol brands was 189,290 compared with 7562 for health promotion pages. A total of 210 Facebook posts were analysed. Popular marketing strategies included visual attraction, connecting with other organisations, and links to culture and events. Time-specific and day-specific posts and tweets were used more regularly by alcohol brands than health promotion agencies. Alcohol brands remain substantially more popular than health promotion organisations, and this difference is likely driven by offline factors rather than specific use of marketing strategies. However, health promotion organisations can learn from the strategies used by popular brands, particularly in the use of time and day-specific content.

  3. Promoting exercise behaviour in a secure mental health setting: Healthcare assistant perspectives.

    PubMed

    Kinnafick, Florence-Emilie; Papathomas, Anthony; Regoczi, Dora

    2018-05-30

    Individuals with severe mental illness engage in significantly less amounts of physical activity than the general population. A secure mental health setting can exacerbate barriers to exercise, and facilitate physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour. Healthcare assistants are intimately involved in the daily lives of patients and, therefore, should be considered integral to exercise promotion in secure mental health settings. Our aim was to explore healthcare assistants' perceptions of exercise and their attitudes to exercise promotion for adult patients in a secure mental health hospital. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 healthcare assistants from a large UK-based secure mental health hospital. Topics included healthcare assistants' personal experiences of exercise within a secure facility, their perceptions of exercise as an effective treatment tool for mental health, and their perceived roles and responsibilities for exercise promotion. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Three main themes were identified: (i) exercise is multi-beneficial to patients, (ii) perceived barriers to effective exercise promotion, and (iii) strategies for effectives exercise promotion. Healthcare assistants considered exercise to hold patient benefits. However, core organizational and individual barriers limited healthcare assistants' exercise promotion efforts. An informal approach to exercise promotion was deemed most effective to some, whereas others committed to more formal strategies including compulsory sessions. With education and organizational support, we propose healthcare assistants are well placed to identify individual needs for exercise promotion. Their consultation could lead to more efficacious, person-sensitive interventions. © 2018 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

  4. Health promotion and intellectual disability: listening to men.

    PubMed

    Bollard, Martin

    2017-01-01

    Taking responsibility for your own health has been a central tenet of public health policy internationally for a number of decades. Governments in the UK and internationally continue to promote a plethora of health promotion strategies, encouraging individuals and communities to adopt healthy lifestyle choices. Although it is widely recognised that men are not as proactive in seeking out medical help or taking on health promotion advice as women, limited gender-sensitive research exists in the field of intellectual disability. Despite many health promotion policy and practice strategies targeted at this population, little research exists exploring whether men with intellectual disability acknowledge health promotion advice. The study aimed to explore how men with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability understood and perceived their health and what health promotion messages they acted upon. The study was based on a participatory approach which enabled 11 men with intellectual disability to contribute as steering group members and as participants through one-to-one interviews. Data were collected between September 2011 and July 2012. Thematic analysis was undertaken. The participants demonstrated a capacity to understand their own health. This was inclusive of a concern about associating being obese with being unhealthy. The participants reported good relationships with their general practitioners (GPs) and felt valued, in particular when the GP was prepared to offer specific intellectual disability and health promotion advice. More gendered research inclusive of the views of this male population is required and the study reiterates the importance of promoting the health of men and women with intellectual disability. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Gender and Evolutionary Theory in Workplace Health Promotion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Björklund, Erika; Wright, Jan

    2017-01-01

    Objective: Ideas from evolutionary theories are increasingly taken up in health promotion. This article seeks to demonstrate how such a trend has the potential to embed essentialist and limiting stereotypes of women and men in health promotion practice. Design: We draw on material gathered for a larger ethnographic study that examined how…

  6. [Workplace health promotion in public health policies in Poland].

    PubMed

    Puchalski, Krzysztof; Korzeniowska, Elzbieta

    2008-01-01

    In this paper the author analyses how far in Poland the idea of workplace health promotion (WHP) does exist in the area of public health understood in its broadest sense. The analysis encapsulates the following issues: (a) the national legislative policy, (b) strategies, programs and projects concerning health issues launched or coordinated by the state or local administration, (c) grassroots initiatives for health promotion supported by local and regional administration, (d) civic projects or business strategies for health. In addition, the author emphasizes the marginalization of workplace health promotion and lack of cohesive policy in this field as well as, the fact that health problems of the working population arising from current demographic, technological, economic and social changes that could be dealt with through developing and implementing WHP projects are not yet fully perceived by public health policy makers.

  7. Applying usability testing techniques to improve a health promotion website.

    PubMed

    Hinchliffe, Anetta; Mummery, W Kerry

    2008-04-01

    Use of the Internet for health promotion is increasing; however, the lack of published research regarding website usability suggests that health promotion websites are being developed without consultation with their users or formal evaluation. This study conducted usability testing of an existing health promotion website to inform modifications and to identify common usability themes that should be addressed by organisations developing or maintaining a health promotion website. A combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques were implemented during the usability testing sessions to gather data from users while completing tasks on the website. Techniques included performance measures (time taken), direct observation (participant observation) and subjective user preferences (questionnaire and interview). Improvements to the website were measured in terms of reduced problems reported, reduced time taken to complete tasks and increased subjective reports. Seven usability themes emerged from the data: design, feedback, format, instructions, navigation, terminology and learnability. This study demonstrates the application of usability testing to the design and modification of a health promotion website and illustrates the areas or themes that can be used as a framework for testing and modification.

  8. Students' Experiences in Interdisciplinary Problembased Learning: A Discourse Analysis of Group Interaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Imafuku, Rintaro; Kataoka, Ryuta; Mayahara, Mitsuori; Suzuki, Hisayoshi; Saiki, Takuya

    2014-01-01

    Interdisciplinary problem-based learning (PBL) aims to provide students with opportunities to develop the necessary skills to work with different health professionals in a collaborative manner. This discourse study examined the processes of collective knowledge construction in Japanese students in the tutorials. Analyses of video-recorded data…

  9. Theorizing healthy settings: a critical discussion with reference to Healthy Universities.

    PubMed

    Dooris, Mark; Wills, Jane; Newton, Joanne

    2014-11-01

    The settings approach appreciates that health determinants operate in settings of everyday life. Whilst subject to conceptual development, we argue that the approach lacks a clear and coherent theoretical framework to steer policy, practice and research. To identify what theories and conceptual models have been used in relation to the implementation and evaluation of Healthy Universities. A scoping literature review was undertaken between 2010 and 2013, identifying 26 papers that met inclusion criteria. Seven theoretical perspectives or conceptual frameworks were identified: the Ottawa Charter; a socio-ecological approach (which implicitly drew on sociological theories concerning structure and agency); salutogenesis; systems thinking; whole system change; organizational development; and a framework proposed by Dooris. These were used to address interrelated questions on the nature of a setting, how health is created in a setting, why the settings approach is a useful means of promoting health, and how health promotion can be introduced into and embedded within a setting. Although distinctive, the example of healthy universities drew on common theoretical perspectives that have infused the settings discourse more generally this engagement with theory was at times well-developed and at other times a passing reference the paper concludes by pointing to other theories that offer value to healthy settings practice and research and by arguing that theorization has a key role to play in understanding the complexity of settings and guiding the planning, implementation and evaluation of programmes. © 2014 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

  10. Milestones in Nordic Health Promotion research.

    PubMed

    Haglund, Bo J A; Tillgren, Per

    2018-02-01

    Based on the storytelling tradition and analyses of conference material, this article provides an overview of the evolving Nordic Health Promotion Research Network (NHPRN) and its conferences over the last 20 years. The story goes from the planning of the first conference in Bergen, Norway, back in 1996 to the eighth conference in Jyväskylä, Finland, in 2016. There have been three phases of development. During the first phase, 1996-2007, the five first conferences were initiated and implemented by departments of public health in the Nordic countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) collaborative centres of Health Promotion in Bergen University and a group at Karolinska Institute, Department of Social Medicine, creating supportive environments for health in Stockholm played key roles in initiating and supporting NHPRN. During the second phase, 2007-2014, the network was strengthened and supported by the Nordic School of Public Health (NHV) in Gothenburg. The third phase started when NHV closed down in 2015 and networking activities were transferred to the European Office of WHO in Copenhagen. The Nordic Health Promotion Research Conference series has served several purposes and will continue to do so. They are important Nordic meeting places, stimulating Health Promotion research, as well as explicitly managing ongoing concerns in the international Health Promotion community. This is reflected in the shift of foci over time. The content of the conferences has been highly responsive to whatever challenges are particularly relevant at different points in time, while also contributing to developing Health Promotion as a discipline, given that every conference has built on the previous ones.

  11. Initial Teacher Education for School Health Promotion in Austria: Does It Support the Implementation of the Health-Promoting School Approach?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flaschberger, Edith

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: School health promotion is said to be most effective when implemented through a comprehensive, settings-based, whole-school approach. The purpose of this paper is to address the current lack of knowledge about the current state of teacher education for health promotion and its potential to further the development of settings-based…

  12. Health promotion financing with Mongolia's social health insurance.

    PubMed

    Bayarsaikhan, Dorjsuren; Nakamura, Keiko

    2015-03-01

    Health promotion is receiving more attention in Mongolia. A survey is undertaken to examine health promotion in terms of health-related information, education, counseling, screening, preventive and medical checkups. Almost all (97.5%) of the subjects feel that access to reliable and systematically organized health-related information is important. About 60% of the subjects expressed that the amount of currently available information is inadequate. There are several factors that limit the implementation of public health programs. These include inadequate focus on promoting health at individual level, lack of funds, and limited incentives to promote health. This article examined social health insurance as an option to address these issues. Three hypothetical benefits package options expanded to health promotion were developed and simulated by a computerized tool. The simulations show that all 3 options are financially sustainable at the existing level of contribution if Mongolia will gain near universal health insurance coverage and improve revenue collection practices. © 2009 APJPH.

  13. A case of standardization? Implementing health promotion guidelines in Denmark.

    PubMed

    Rod, Morten Hulvej; Høybye, Mette Terp

    2016-09-01

    Guidelines are increasingly used in an effort to standardize and systematize health practices at the local level and to promote evidence-based practice. The implementation of guidelines frequently faces problems, however, and standardization processes may in general have other outcomes than the ones envisioned by the makers of standards. In 2012, the Danish National Health Authorities introduced a set of health promotion guidelines that were meant to guide the decision making and priority setting of Denmark's 98 local governments. The guidelines provided recommendations for health promotion policies and interventions and were structured according to risk factors such as alcohol, smoking and physical activity. This article examines the process of implementation of the new Danish health promotion guidelines. The article is based on qualitative interviews and participant observation, focusing on the professional practices of health promotion officers in four local governments as well as the field of Danish health promotion more generally. The analysis highlights practices and episodes related to the implementation of the guidelines and takes inspiration from Timmermans and Epstein's sociology of standards and standardization. It remains an open question whether or not the guidelines lead to more standardized policies and interventions, but we suggest that the guidelines promote a risk factor-oriented approach as the dominant frame for knowledge, reasoning, decision making and priority setting in health promotion. We describe this process as a case of epistemic standardization. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Ethics, equality and evidence in health promotion Danish guidelines for municipalities.

    PubMed

    Vallgårda, Signild

    2014-06-01

    The Danish National Board of Health has expressed its commitment to social equality in health, evidence-informed health promotion and public health ethics, and has issued guidelines for municipalities on health promotion, in Danish named prevention packages. The aim of this article is to analyse whether the Board of Health adheres to ideals of equality, evidence and ethics in these guidelines. An analysis to detect statements about equity, evidence and ethics in 10 health promotion packages directed at municipalities with the aim of guiding the municipalities towards evidence-informed disease prevention and health promotion. Despite declared intentions of prioritizing social equality in health, these intentions are largely absent from most of the packages. When health inequalities are mentioned, focus is on the disadvantaged or the marginalized. Several interventions are recommended, where there is no evidence to support them, notwithstanding the ambition of interventions being evidence-informed. Ethical considerations are scanty, scattered and unsystematically integrated. Further, although some packages mention the importance of avoiding stigmatization, there is little indicating how this could be done. Including reduction of health inequalities and evidence-informed and ethically defendable interventions in health promotion is a challenge, which is not yet fully met by the National Board of Health. When judged from liberal ethical principles, only few of the suggested interventions are acceptable, i.e., those concerning information, but from a paternalistic view, all interventions that may actually benefit the citizens are justified. © 2014 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

  15. The FAA Health Awareness Program: Results of the 1998 Customer Service Assessment Survey

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2000-02-01

    pp. 131-45). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers. Baun, W., Bernacki, E., & Tsai, S. (1986). A prelimi- nary investigation: Effect of a...of health promotion. In R. L. Kaman (Ed.), "Worksite health promotion economic: Consensus and analy- sis: (pp. 33-54). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers...measuring health in dol- lars. In J.P. Opatz (Ed.), Economic impact of worksite health promotion^. 52-64). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers. 16

  16. In Defense of the Randomized Controlled Trial for Health Promotion Research

    PubMed Central

    Rosen, Laura; Manor, Orly; Engelhard, Dan; Zucker, David

    2006-01-01

    The overwhelming evidence about the role lifestyle plays in mortality, morbidity, and quality of life has pushed the young field of modern health promotion to center stage. The field is beset with intense debate about appropriate evaluation methodologies. Increasingly, randomized designs are considered inappropriate for health promotion research. We have reviewed criticisms against randomized trials that raise philosophical and practical issues, and we will show how most of these criticisms can be overcome with minor design modifications. By providing rebuttal to arguments against randomized trials, our work contributes to building a sound methodological base for health promotion research. PMID:16735622

  17. Worksite health promotion: some important questions.

    PubMed

    Matteson, M T; Ivancevich, J M

    1988-01-01

    Recent years have seen a rapid growth in the number of worksite health promotion programs being offered. While the potential benefits to employers of such programs are many, a variety of issues influence to what extent these benefits are obtained. This article identifies several such issues in the form of questions which need to be addressed by organizations engaged in health promotion activities. Questions relating to program needs and objectives identification, program introduction strategies, costs, legal issues, and ethical considerations are discussed. It is suggested that continued growth and success in worksite health promotion activities is in part dependent upon thoughtful consideration of such questions.

  18. Measuring the effect of workplace health promotion interventions on "presenteeism": a potential role for biomarkers.

    PubMed

    Yamamoto, Shelby; Loerbroks, Adrian; Terris, Darcey D

    2009-05-01

    Health promotion activities to improve employee health to reduce health care costs and increase productivity are of particular importance for organizations and society. The evaluation of employee health and health promotion programs has typically focused on absenteeism, disability and increasingly, "presenteeism", which refers to an employee's presence at work with reduced performance due to illness. Existing psychometric measures of presenteeism may be subject to the effects of recall bias as they typically rely on questionnaires. Biomarkers such as heart rate variability and salivary cortisol can provide additional objective measures of illness and stress. Combining such physiologic measures of stress with assessments of presenteeism may offer a more comprehensive way to assess workplace productivity when developing health promotion programs.

  19. The Implementation and Evaluation of Health Promotion Services and Programs to Improve Cultural Competency: A Systematic Scoping Review.

    PubMed

    Jongen, Crystal Sky; McCalman, Janya; Bainbridge, Roxanne Gwendalyn

    2017-01-01

    Cultural competency is a multifaceted intervention approach, which needs to be implemented at various levels of health-care systems to improve quality of care for culturally and ethnically diverse populations. One level of health care where cultural competency is required is in the provision of health promotion services and programs targeted to diverse patient groups who experience health-care and health inequalities. To inform the implementation and evaluation of health promotion programs and services to improve cultural competency, research must assess both intervention strategies and intervention outcomes. This scoping review was completed as part of a larger systematic literature search conducted on evaluations of cultural competence interventions in health care in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Seventeen peer-reviewed databases, 13 websites and clearinghouses, and 11 literature reviews were searched. Overall, 64 studies on cultural competency interventions were found, with 22 being health promotion programs and services. A process of thematic analysis was utilized to identify key intervention strategies and outcomes reported in the literature. The review identified three overarching strategies utilized in health promotion services and programs to improve cultural competency: community-focused strategies, culturally focused strategies, and language-focused strategies. Studies took different approaches to delivering culturally competent health interventions, with the majority incorporating multiple strategies from each overarching category. There were various intermediate health-care and health outcomes reported across the included studies. Most commonly reported were positive reports of patient satisfaction, patient/participant service access, and program/study retention rates. The health outcome results indicate positive potential of health promotion services and programs to improve cultural competency to impact cardiovascular disease and mental health outcomes. However, due to measurement and study quality issues, it is difficult to determine the extent of the impacts. Examined together, these intervention strategies and outcomes provide a framework that can be used by service providers and researchers in the implementation and evaluation of health promotion services and programs to improve cultural competency. While there is evidence indicating the effectiveness of such health promotion interventions in improving intermediate and health outcomes, further attention is needed to issues of measurement and study quality.

  20. Youth and Tobacco

    MedlinePlus

    ... National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2014. 2. Substance ... National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2014. 4. U.S. ...

  1. Reorienting health services in the Northern Territory of Australia: a conceptual model for building health promotion capacity in the workforce.

    PubMed

    Judd, Jenni; Keleher, Helen

    2013-06-01

    Reorienting work practices to include health promotion and prevention is complex and requires specific strategies and interventions. This paper presents original research that used 'real-world' practice to demonstrate that knowledge gathered from practice is relevant for the development of practice-based evidence. The paper shows how practitioners can inform and influence improvements in health promotion practice. Practitioner-informed evidence necessarily incorporates qualitative research to capture the richness of their reflective experiences. Using a participatory action research (PAR) approach, the research question asked 'what are the core dimensions of building health promotion capacity in a primary health care workforce in a real-world setting?' PAR is a method in which the researcher operates in full collaboration with members of the organisation being studied for the purposes of achieving some kind of change, in this case to increase the amount of health promotion and prevention practice within this community health setting. The PAR process involved six reflection and action cycles over two years. Data collection processes included: survey; in-depth interviews; a training intervention; observations of practice; workplace diaries; and two nominal groups. The listen/reflect/act process enabled lessons from practice to inform future capacity-building processes. This research strengthened and supported the development of health promotion to inform 'better health' practices through respectful change processes based on research, practitioner-informed evidence, and capacity-building strategies. A conceptual model for building health promotion capacity in the primary health care workforce was informed by the PAR processes and recognised the importance of the determinants approach. Practitioner-informed evidence is the missing link in the evidence debate and provides the links between evidence and its translation to practice. New models of health promotion service delivery can be developed in community settings recognising the importance of involving practitioners themselves in these processes.

  2. Effects of a community health promotion program on social factors in a vulnerable older adult population residing in social housing.

    PubMed

    Agarwal, Gina; Brydges, Madison

    2018-04-16

    Supporting older adults' health and wellbeing in the community is an important policy goal that can be supported by health promotion. Despite widespread acceptance of the biopsychosocial model of health and its relation to health, many health promotion programs fail to realize this model in program design. Further, there is limited evidence to support program design targeting social determinants of health such as social isolation or connectedness. To fill this gap, we aimed to understand older adult's experiences participating in cardiovascular health promotion program in a subsidized residential building to capture unintended 'spin-off' psychosocial effects. This study took a constructivist, ethnographic approach utilizing participant observation and semi-structured interviews with participants of the program to understand participant's lived experiences of a health promotion program. In total, we conducted eighty hours of field work and fifteen semi-structured interviews with participants of the program. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Four themes emerged. First, the health promotion program filled a perceived gap caused by a constrained and impersonal health care system. Secondly, the program connected older adults with resources and provided regular and secure access to health information and support. Third, for some residents, the program facilitated social relationships between older adults, leaving participants feeling more socially connected to other residents. Lastly, a paradox of loneliness emerged where older adults talked openly about feelings of loneliness, however not in relation to themselves, but rather regarding their peers. Psychosocial aspects of health, such as loneliness, social connectedness, and social support may be of equal value as the physical health benefits to the older adults who participate in health promotion programs. Incorporating these elements into programming is a complex goal, and the complexity of targeting social determinants of health such as social loneliness or connectedness should not be under-estimated. Given the benefits of targeting social determinants of health, future research should be considered that measure both the objective and subjective aspects of social isolation, loneliness and connectedness in health promotion programming.

  3. Health promotion and sustainability programmes in Australia: barriers and enablers to evaluation.

    PubMed

    Patrick, Rebecca; Kingsley, Jonathan

    2017-08-01

    In an era characterised by the adverse impacts of climate change and environmental degradation, health promotion programmes are beginning to actively link human health with environmental sustainability imperatives. This paper draws on a study of health promotion and sustainability programmes in Australia, providing insights to evaluation approaches being used and barriers and enablers to these evaluations. The study was based on a multi-strategy research involving both quantitative and qualitative methods. Health promotion practitioners explained through surveys and semi-structured interviews that they focused on five overarching health and sustainability programme types (healthy and sustainable food, active transport, energy efficiency, contact with nature, and capacity building). Various evaluation methods and indicators (health, social, environmental, economic and demographic) were identified as being valuable for monitoring and evaluating health and sustainability programmes. Findings identified several evaluation enablers such as successful community engagement, knowledge of health and sustainability issues and programme champions, whereas barriers included resource constraints and competing interests. This paper highlights the need for ecological models and evaluation tools to support the design and monitoring of health promotion and sustainability programmes.

  4. Evaluation of health promotion effectiveness: a political debate and/or a technical exercise?

    PubMed

    Akerman, Marco; Arroyo, Hiram; Jones, Catherine M; O'Neil, Michel; Roca, Angel; Wallerstein, Nina

    2007-01-01

    This article summarizes the points of view of professionals from different nationalities, working in diverse organizations and dealing with concepts and activities related to health promotion effectiveness evaluation. This collection of views came from a panel presentation and dialogue held during the First Brazilian Seminar on Effectiveness in Health Promotion. Four professionals working in evaluation and health promotion--two from the United States, one from French Canada and another representing an international professional organization--facilitated by one Brazilian and one Puerto Rican moderator, had an informal dialogue with the audience. Four questions about how these professionals perceive evaluation in health promotion were asked to initiate the dialogue. The panelists deliberated five aspects of health promotion evaluation, asking: "how", "how much", "what for", "with whom" and "why". Professionals working in developing countries (in this case, Brazil) and those dealing with indigenous communities (in developed countries) tended to put more emphasis on "what for?", "with whom?" and "why?" regarding initiatives to evaluate effectiveness of health promotion. Questions associated with "how?" and "how much?" were more often mentioned by professionals working for international or governmental agencies. A 90-minute dialogue among panelists with a clearly Brazilian bias, was not sufficient to produce conclusions on the predominant character of international evaluation efforts of effectiveness. Nevertheless, this debate framed the five aspects of evaluation into a value perspective. The questions, "what for?", "with whom?", "why?", "how?" and "how much?" are linked to a political or technical presumptions that could be orchestrated in evaluations of health promotion effectiveness.

  5. Childhood nutrition education in health promotion and disease prevention.

    PubMed Central

    Olson, C. M.

    1989-01-01

    In the last 10 to 15 years, nutrition has become a major component of health promotion and chronic disease prevention. Two widely recommended strategies for incorporating nutrition education directed toward children and youth into health promotion and disease prevention efforts are school-based nutrition education and the integration of nutritional care into health care. School-based nutrition education programs targeted toward very specific eating behaviors are showing very promising results in regard to behavior and attitude change of children and adolescents. Substantial changes in health care providers' attitudes and practices and in the funding and financing of health care will be needed if nutrition education delivered in the context of routine health care is to be a major force in health promotion and disease prevention for youth. PMID:2629968

  6. Group purchasing of workplace health promotion services for small employers.

    PubMed

    Harris, Jeffrey R; Hammerback, Kristen R; Hannon, Peggy A; McDowell, Julie; Katzman, Avi; Clegg-Thorp, Catherine; Gallagher, John

    2014-07-01

    Small employers are underserved with workplace health promotion services, so we explored the potential for group purchasing of these services. We conducted semistructured telephone interviews of member organizations serving small employers, as well as workplace health promotion vendors, in Washington State. We interviewed 22 employer organizations (chambers of commerce, trade associations, and an insurance trust) and vendors (of fitness facilities, healthy vending machines, fresh produce delivery, weight management services, and tobacco cessation quitlines). Both cautiously supported the idea of group purchasing but felt that small employers' workplace health promotion demand must increase first. Vendors providing off-site services, for example, quitline, found group purchasing more feasible than vendors providing on-site services, for example, produce delivery. Employer member organizations are well-positioned to group purchase workplace health promotion services; vendors are receptive if there is potential profit.

  7. Health promotion financing with Mongolia's social health insurance.

    PubMed

    Bayarsaikhan, Dorjsuren; Nakamura, Keiko

    2009-10-01

    Health promotion is receiving more attention in Mongolia. A survey is undertaken to examine health promotion in terms of health-related information, education, counseling, screening, and preventive and medical checkups. Almost all (97.5%) the participants feel that access to reliable and systematically organized health-related information is important. About 60% of the participants said that the amount of currently available information is inadequate. There are several factors that limit the implementation of public health programs. These include inadequate focus on promoting health at the individual level, lack of funds, and limited incentives to promote health. This article examines social health insurance as an option to address these issues. Three hypothetical benefits package options expanded to health promotion were developed and simulated by a computerized tool. The simulations show that all 3 options are financially sustainable at the existing level of contribution if Mongolia will gain near universal health insurance coverage and improve revenue collection practices.

  8. Breast cancer health promotion in Qatar: a survey of community pharmacists' interests and needs.

    PubMed

    El Hajj, Maguy Saffouh; Hamid, Yousra

    2013-06-01

    Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Qatar. Despite the sustained efforts to increase breast cancer public awareness via campaigns and public screening programmes, breast cancer screening rate remains low. The involvement of community pharmacists in the communication and distribution of breast cancer screening information should have a significant positive impact. The objectives of this study were to determine the degree of community pharmacists' involvement in breast cancer health promotion activities in Qatar, to explore their attitudes towards the involvement in breast cancer health promotion, to assess their breast cancer knowledge, to gauge their interest in receiving breast cancer continuous education and to list their perceived barriers for including breast cancer health promotion activities into their daily practice. Community pharmacies in Qatar. The study objectives were addressed in a cross-sectional survey of all community pharmacists in Qatar. The extent of community pharmacists' involvement in breast cancer health promotion activities, the community pharmacists' interest and comfort in providing breast cancer health promotion, their breast cancer knowledge, their interest in receiving breast cancer continuous education, their attitudes and beliefs towards breast cancer health promotion and their perceived barriers for integrating breast cancer heath promotion activities into their daily practice. Over a 12-week period, we collected 195 surveys (60% response rate). Eighty-eight percent indicated that they never invited healthcare professionals to provide breast cancer education in the pharmacy, 78% said that they never distributed breast cancer educational materials, and 58% reported that they never counseled patients about breast cancer. Nevertheless, more than 60% were highly interested in being engaged in breast cancer health promotion activities. In addition, 87% believed that discussing breast cancer awareness with female patients in the pharmacy was beneficial to patients. Yet pharmacists perceived many barriers for integrating breast cancer health promotion into their daily practice including lack of educational materials (79%) and lack of public recognition (61%). Moreover, their breast cancer knowledge mean score was 63% with 77% expressing a high interest in receiving breast cancer continuous education. Despite their low involvement in breast cancer health promotion, the majority of pharmacists were interested in educating patients about breast cancer. However, low breast cancer knowledge and other barriers can prevent actualizing this role. Further work should focus on providing these pharmacists with breast cancer continuous education and overcoming all stated barriers.

  9. Going for gold: the health promoting general practice.

    PubMed

    Watson, Michael

    2008-01-01

    The World Health Organization's Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion has been influential in guiding the development of 'settings' based health promotion. Over the past decade, settings such as schools have flourished and there has been a considerable amount of academic literature produced, including theoretical papers, descriptive studies and evaluations. However, despite its central importance, the health-promoting general practice has received little attention. This paper discusses: the significance of this setting for health promotion; how a health promoting general practice can be created; effective health promotion approaches; the nursing contribution; and some challenges that need to be resolved. In order to become a health promoting general practice, the staff must undertake a commitment to fulfil the following conditions: create a healthy working environment; integrate health promotion into practice activities; and establish alliances with other relevant institutions and groups within the community. The health promoting general practice is the gold standard for health promotion. Settings that have developed have had the support of local, national and European networks. Similar assistance and advocacy will be needed in general practice. This paper recommends that a series of rigorously evaluated, high-quality pilot sites need to be established to identify and address potential difficulties, and to ensure that this innovative approach yields tangible health benefits for local communities. It also suggests that government support is critical to the future development of health promoting general practices. This will be needed both directly and in relation to the capacity and resourcing of public health in general.

  10. Health Promotion at the Ballpark.

    PubMed

    Hodges, Bonni C

    2017-03-01

    The arrival of a new summer collegiate baseball league franchise to a small central New York city was seen as an opportunity for health promotion. The initiative was set up to explore two overarching questions: (1) Are summer collegiate baseball events acceptable to local public health organizations as viable places for health promotion activities addressing local health issues? (2) Are summer collegiate baseball organizations amenable to health promotion activities built in to their fan and/or player experiences? Planning and implementation were guided by precede-proceed, social cognitive theory, social marketing, and diffusion of innovations constructs. Environmental changes were implemented to support healthy eating and nontobacco use by players and fans; four health awareness nights were implemented at home games corresponding to local public health priorities and included public service announcements, between inning quizzes, information dissemination at concession and team market locations, and special guests. Sales and fan feedback support mostly healthy concession offerings and a tobacco-free ballpark; postseason evaluations from team staff and public health partners support continuing the trials of this sports event as a venue for health promotion.

  11. Building expert agreement on the importance and feasibility of workplace health promotion interventions for nurses and midwives: A modified Delphi consultation.

    PubMed

    Perry, Lin; Nicholls, Rachel; Duffield, Christine; Gallagher, Robyn

    2017-11-01

    To use a Delphi panel to determine the relative importance and feasibility of workplace health promotion interventions to promote and support the health of the Australian nursing and midwifery workforce. The nursing workforce experiences rates of ill health above that of other workforces, yet there is little investment in workplace health promotion. The study used a modified Delphi design conducted between September and November 2015. Eleven of 19 purposively selected expert panellists discussed, rated and provided feedback through two rounds of an electronic questionnaire about the relative importance and feasibility of 46 workplace health promotion interventions and processes for nurses and midwives. Scores for importance and feasibility were calculated and ranked and a composite score of importance multiplied by feasibility. Mental health strategies were prioritized as the most important and feasible of the intervention topics, followed closely by healthy eating and physical activity interventions; smoking cessation ranked lowest. The most highly ranked interventions targeted healthy eating, stress management and resilience training. Highest ranked processes to support development of a healthy work environment included intersectoral collaboration and employee wellness groups. Study findings prompt consideration of health promotion opportunities to support nurses' health and well-being. Findings identified key workplace health promotion priorities and provide direction for policy makers and managers to promote nursing and midwifery workforce health. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Evaluating an Online Family Assessment Activity: A Focus on Diversity and Health Promotion.

    PubMed

    Smith, Paul S; Jones, Melissa

    2016-07-01

    A lack of exposure to diverse families and family interactions created a need to identify effective teaching strategies that emphasized diversity and health promotion in a Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing online transition course. A family assessment activity was designed to emphasize diversity and health promotion utilizing the Family Health Systems approach to family assessment and Healthy People 2020 as a framework for family health promotion. The activity was evaluated through faculty observation and student feedback, which is discussed in the article. Evaluation data indicated that students believed the activity provided a safe environment to practice assessment skills for working with diverse families, pushed them out of their comfort zones, enhanced their awareness of the need for health promotion, extended their definition of diversity, increased their cultural knowledge, expanded their personal perspectives on families, and provided them with a broader scope of nursing practice in the community. Using constructivist strategies that emphasize active learning and the use of cinema to teach family assessment results in increased awareness of diversity and increased knowledge of opportunities for health promotion in families. Smith Jones. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Establishing a health promotion and development foundation in South Africa.

    PubMed

    Perez, A M; Ayo-Yusuf, O A; Hofman, K; Kalideen, S; Maker, A; Mokonoto, D; Morojele, N; Naidoo, P; Parry, C D H; Rendall-Mkosi, K; Saloojee, Y

    2013-01-14

    South Africa has a 'quadruple burden of disease'. One way to reduce this burden, and address the social determinants of health and social inequity, could be through health promotion interventions driven by an independent Health Promotion and Development Foundation (HPDF). This could provide a framework to integrate health promotion and social development into all government and civil society programmes. On priority issues, the HPDF would mobilise resources, allocate funding, develop capacity, and monitor and evaluate health promotion and development work. Emphasis would be on reducing the effects of poverty, inequity and unequal development on disease rates and wellbeing. The HPDF could also decrease the burden on the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) system. We reflect on such foundations in other countries, and propose a structure for South Africa's HPDF and a dedicated funding stream to support its activities. In particular, an additional 2% levy on alcohol and tobacco products is proposed to be utilised to fund the HPDF.

  14. Review of mental health promotion interventions in schools.

    PubMed

    O'Reilly, Michelle; Svirydzenka, Nadzeya; Adams, Sarah; Dogra, Nisha

    2018-05-11

    The prevalence of mental disorders amongst children and adolescents is an increasing global problem. Schools have been positioned at the forefront of promoting positive mental health and well-being through implementing evidence-based interventions. The aim of this paper is to review current evidence-based research of mental health promotion interventions in schools and examine the reported effectiveness to identify those interventions that can support current policy and ensure that limited resources are appropriately used. The authors reviewed the current state of knowledge on school mental health promotion interventions globally. Two major databases, SCOPUS and ERIC were utilised to capture the social science, health, arts and humanities, and education literature. Initial searches identified 25 articles reporting on mental health promotion interventions in schools. When mapped against the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 studies were included and explored. Three of these were qualitative and seven were quantitative. A range of interventions have been tested for mental health promotion in schools in the last decade with variable degrees of success. Our review demonstrates that there is still a need for a stronger and broader evidence base in the field of mental health promotion, which should focus on both universal work and targeted approaches to fully address mental health in our young populations.

  15. Health promotion, environmental health and Agenda 21.

    PubMed

    Scriven, A; Young, S

    1998-04-01

    In 1992, at the Rio Earth Summit, many governments, including our own, committed themselves to developing local strategies for sustainable development in the form of Local Agenda 21. Sustainable development is discussed, as is the philosophy and practice of health promotion and environmental health. Common approaches are identified and the links in relation to key areas of activities, strategies, values and principles are outlined. Finally, recommendations are made and conclusions drawn in relation to the overlap between environmental health action, Agenda 21 strategies and health promotion practice.

  16. Cardiovascular health promotion in aging women: validating a population health approach.

    PubMed

    Sawatzky, Jo-Ann V; Naimark, Barbara J

    2005-01-01

    Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in North American women, most cardiovascular research has focused on men. In addition, while there has been a recent trend toward population health promotion (PHP) and a consequent focus on the broad determinants of health, there is still a dearth of research evidence related to the promotion of cardiovascular health within this context. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the interrelationships between the determinants of health and individual cardiovascular health/risk behaviors in healthy women, within the context of a framework for PHP. A comprehensive inventory of factors affecting the cardiovascular health of women was operationalized in a survey questionnaire, the Cardiovascular Health Promotion Profile. Physical measures were also taken on each participant (n = 206). The multivariate analyses support significant interrelationships between the population health determinants and multiple individual cardiovascular health/risk behaviors in this cohort (p < 0.05). The evidence from this study provides foundational validation for a population health approach and population-based strategies for cardiovascular health promotion in women. Further research, within the context of a PHP framework, is central to building on the body of knowledge in this area.

  17. Empowerment in the field of health promotion: recognizing challenges in working toward equity.

    PubMed

    Berry, Nicole S; Murphy, Jill; Coser, Larissa

    2014-12-01

    Over the last 25 years, the language of empowerment has been woven into the guiding missions and descriptions of institutions, funding and projects globally. Although theoretical understandings of empowerment within the domain of health promotion remain contentious, we have little idea of how a shift toward an empowerment agenda has affected the daily work of those in the field of health promotion. A systematic examination of the implementation of the empowerment agenda is important as it can help us understand how redistributive agendas are received within the multiple institutional contexts in which health promotion work is carried out. The goal of this study, therefore, was to try to understand the empowerment agenda within the context of everyday health promotion. We conducted semi-structured interviews with health promoters from a variety of geographical regions, institutional backgrounds, and job capacities. Essentially we found that empowerment remains conceptually dear to health promoters' understanding of their work, yet at the same time, mainstreaming empowerment is at odds with central trends and initiatives that govern this work. We argue that many of the stumbling blocks that have hindered this specific agenda are actually central stumbling blocks for the wider field of health promotion. We examine some of the barriers to implementing transformational change. Overcoming the primary limitations uncovered in this exploration of empowerment is actually crucial to progressive work in health promotion in general, particularly work that would seek to lessen inequities. © The Author(s) 2014.

  18. Best practices for online Canadian prenatal health promotion: A public health approach.

    PubMed

    Chedid, Rebecca A; Terrell, Rowan M; Phillips, Karen P

    2017-11-04

    Prenatal health promotion provides information regarding pregnancy risks, protective behaviours and clinical and community resources. Typically, women obtain prenatal health information from health care providers, prenatal classes, peers/family, media and increasingly, Internet sites and mobile apps. Barriers to prenatal health promotion and related services include language, rural/remote location, citizenship and disability. Online public health platforms represent the capacity to reach underserved women and can be customised to address the needs of a heterogeneous population of pregnant women. Canadian government-hosted websites and online prenatal e-classes were evaluated to determine if accessible, inclusive, comprehensive and evidence-based prenatal health promotion was provided. Using a multijurisdictional approach, federal, provincial/territorial, municipal and public health region-hosted websites, along with affiliated prenatal e-classes, were evaluated based on four criteria: comprehensiveness, evidence-based information, accessibility and inclusivity. Online prenatal e-classes, federal, provincial/territorial and public health-hosted websites generally provided comprehensive and evidence-based promotion of essential prenatal topics, in contrast to municipal-hosted websites which provided very limited prenatal health information. Gaps in online prenatal health promotion were identified as lack of French and multilingual content, targeted information and representations of Indigenous peoples, immigrants and women with disabilities. Canadian online prenatal health promotion is broadly comprehensive and evidence-based, but fails to address the needs of non-Anglophones and represent the diverse population of Canadian pregnant women. It is recommended that agencies enhance the organisation of website pregnancy portals/pages and collaborate with other jurisdictions and community groups to ensure linguistically accessible, culturally-competent and inclusive prenatal online resources. Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Midwives. All rights reserved.

  19. Influence of health promotion bureaucracy on community participation: a Canadian case study.

    PubMed

    Boyce, William F

    2002-03-01

    The purpose of this paper is to illustrate, through a Canadian case study, the bureaucratic support and obstacles for community participation in health promotion. The paper begins with a brief history of the development of a participatory health promotion programme in Canada. The role of bureaucracies on participation of communities is highlighted. Secondly, the paper describes how a variety of bureaucratic factors affected grassroots community participation efforts of local projects in one province. Finally, discussion focuses on how community participation is constrained in a bureau-cratically mediated activity such as health promotion.

  20. Public discourse on mental health and psychiatry: Representations in Swedish newspapers.

    PubMed

    Ohlsson, Robert

    2018-05-01

    Mass media plays a central role in shaping public discourse on health and illness. In order to examine media representations of mental health and expert knowledge in this field, two major Swedish daily newspapers from the year 2009 were qualitatively analysed. Drawing on the theory of social representations, the analysis focused on how issues concerning mental health and different perspectives are represented. The results show how the concept of mental illness is used in different and often taken-for-granted ways and how the distinction between normal and pathological is a central underlying question. Laypersons' perspectives are supplemented by views of professionals in the newspapers, where signs of confidence and dependence on expert knowledge are juxtaposed with critique and expressions of distrust. The newspaper discourse thus has salient argumentative features and the way that conflicts are made explicit and issues concerning authoritative knowledge are addressed indicates ambivalence towards the authoritative role of expert knowledge concerning mental health. In this way, the newspapers provide a complex epistemic context for everyday sense-making that can be assumed to have implications for relations between laypersons and professionals in the field of mental health.

  1. Organizational factors and the attitude toward health promotion in German ICT-companies.

    PubMed

    Jung, Julia; Nitzsche, Anika; Ansmann, Lena; Ernstmann, Nicole; Ommen, Oliver; Stieler-Lorenz, Brigitte; Wasem, Jürgen; Pfaff, Holger

    2012-09-01

    This study takes a first step toward examining the relationship between organizational characteristics and the perceived attitude toward health promotion in companies from the perspective of chief executive officers (CEOs). Data for the cross-sectional study were collected through telephone interviews with one CEO from randomly selected companies within the German information and communication technology (ICT) sector. Multivariate logistic regression analysis (LRA) was performed, and further LRA was conducted after stratifying on company size. LRA of data from a total of n = 522 interviews found significant associations between the attitude toward health promotion and the company's market position, its number of hierarchical levels, the percentage of permanent positions and the percentage of employees with an academic education. After stratification on company size, the association between the attitude toward health promotion and both market position and the percentage of employees with an academic education was still present in small companies. There were no significant relationships between the attitude toward health promotion and the structural characteristics of medium-sized and large companies. The preliminary results of the study indicate that a perceived attitude toward health promotion in companies can be explained, to a certain degree, by the intraorganizational characteristics analyzed. Our key findings highlight that efforts toward establishing a positive attitude toward health promotion should focus on small companies with a lower market position and a greater number of employees with a lower education level.

  2. Design, Implementation, and Lessons Learned from a Digital Storytelling Project in an Undergraduate Health Promotion Theory Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rimando, Marylen; Smalley, K. Bryant; Warren, Jacob C.

    2015-01-01

    This article describes the design, implementation and lessons learned from a digital storytelling project in a health promotion theory course. From 2011-2012, 195 health promotion majors completed a digital storytelling project at a Midwestern university. The instructor observed students' understanding of theories and models. This article adds to…

  3. Health Promotion Practices and Attitudes among Nurses in Special Education Schools in Greece

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alexandropoulou, Marianthi; Sourtzi, Panayota; Kalokerinou, Athena

    2010-01-01

    Published research concerning health promotion in Greek schools is limited. The aim of the study was to evaluate special education school nurses' involvement in health promotion activities, examine their attitudes toward it, and to explore the factors influencing their practices. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2005 by mailed…

  4. Health promotion implementation capacities in hospitals matter: results from the PRICES-HPH study.

    PubMed

    Röthlin, Florian; Schmied, Hermann; Dietscher, Christina

    2017-06-01

    In this article, organizational implementation capacities are discussed as facilitators for hospital health promotion (HP) activities, based on data from 159 sampled hospitals of the PRICES-HPH study. PRICES-HPH is a cross-sectional evaluation study of the International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services (HPH-Network) and was conducted from 2008 to 2012. Hospitals applying elaborated HP implementation capacities such as 'regular health promotion projects and organization-wide programs', 'established health promotion management systems' or the 'integration of health promotion in existing quality management systems' have better HP activity scores as compared with hospitals that implement HP on the basis of occasional projects only. Organizational capacities are associated with considerably higher chances for the successful implementation of a multiplicity of different HP activities in hospitals. The results add further evidence to the importance of capacity building in hospital HP. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. What did the Go4Health policy research project contribute to the policy discourse on the sustainable development goals? A reflexive review.

    PubMed

    Te, Vannarath; Floden, Nadia; Hussain, Sameera; Brolan, Claire E; Hill, Peter S

    2018-05-16

    In 2012, the European Commission funded Go4Health-Goals and Governance for Global Health, a consortium of 13 academic research and human rights institutions from both Global North and South-to track the evolution of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and provide ongoing policy advice. This paper reviews the research outputs published between 2012 and 2016, analyzing the thematic content of the publications, and the influence on global health and development discourse through citation metrics. Analysis of the 54 published papers showed 6 dominant themes related to the SDGs: the formulation process for the SDG health goal; the right to health; Universal Health Coverage; voices of marginalized peoples; global health governance; and the integration of health across the other SDGs. The papers combined advocacy---particularly for the right to health and its potential embodiment in Universal Health Coverage-with qualitative research and analysis of policy and stakeholders. Go4Health's publications on the right to health, global health governance and the voices of marginalized peoples in relation to the SDGs represented a substantial proportion of papers published for these topics. Go4Health analysis of the right to health clarified its elements and their application to Universal Health Coverage, global health governance, financing the SDGs and access to medicines. Qualitative research identified correspondence between perceptions of marginalized peoples and right to health principles, and reluctance among multilateral organizations to explicitly represent the right to health in the goals, despite their acknowledgement of their importance. Citation metrics analysis confirmed an average of 5.5 citations per paper, with a field-weighted citation impact of 2.24 for the 43 peer reviewed publications. Citations in the academic literature and UN policy documents confirmed the impact of Go4Health on the global discourse around the SDGs, but within the Go4Health consortium there was also evidence of two epistemological frames of analysis-normative legal analysis and empirical research-that created productive synergies in unpacking the health SDG and the right to health. The analysis offers clear evidence for the contribution of funded programmatic research-such as the Go4Health project-to the global health discourse.

  6. Mobilisation, politics, investment and constant adaptation: lessons from the Australian health-promotion response to HIV.

    PubMed

    Brown, Graham; O'Donnell, Daryl; Crooks, Levinia; Lake, Rob

    2014-04-01

    The Australian response to HIV oversaw one of the most rapid and sustained changes in community behaviour in Australia's health-promotion history. The combined action of communities of gay men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, people living with HIV and clinicians working in partnership with government, public health and research has been recognised for many years as highly successful in minimising the HIV epidemic. This article will show how the Australian HIV partnership response moved from a crisis response to a constant and continuously adapting response, with challenges in sustaining the partnership. Drawing on key themes, lessons for broader health promotion are identified. The Australian HIV response has shown that a partnership that is engaged, politically active, adaptive and resourced to work across multiple social, structural, behavioural and health-service levels can reduce the transmission and impact of HIV. The experience of the response to HIV, including its successes and failures, has lessons applicable across health promotion. This includes the need to harness community mobilisation and action; sustain participation, investment and leadership across the partnership; commit to social, political and structural approaches; and build and use evidence from multiple sources to continuously adapt and evolve. So what? The Australian HIV response was one of the first health issues to have the Ottawa Charter embedded from the beginning, and has many lessons to offer broader health promotion and common challenges. As a profession and a movement, health promotion needs to engage with the interactions and synergies across the promotion of health, learn from our evidence, and resist the siloing of our responses.

  7. Physical therapists' health promotion activities for older adults.

    PubMed

    Healey, William E; Broers, K Blaire; Nelson, Julie; Huber, Gail

    2012-01-01

    It is not known to what extent and how effectively physical therapists working with older adults are promoting health with their patients. The purpose of this study was to describe what physical therapists in a midwestern urban area do with older adults (65 years and older) for health and wellness promotion in the clinical setting. A total of 65 physical therapists were invited to participate in the study. Of them, 24 respondents met the inclusion criteria and 14 were able to attend 1 of 3 focus group interviews held at the investigators' university location. Participants were female physical therapists mostly in their 30s who worked with older adults greater than 60% of the time in inpatient, outpatient, or home care settings. Focus group interviews were tape-recorded and field notes were taken. Data were transcribed, coded individually, and underwent member-checking and peer review to ensure trustworthiness of the study's findings. Three major themes emerged. First, participants believed health promotion is a part of physical therapist practice. Second, participants described the health promotion benefits of more one-on-one time with patients. Third, these physical therapists acknowledged several factors that impact their delivery of health promotion. We found that these experienced physical therapists from a variety of practice settings were consistently practicing health promotion while treating older adults. Participants reported the one-on-one time spent that helped build relationships as the main facilitator of practicing health promotion. Although there were no objective measures of the effectiveness of their health-promoting efforts, subjectively all felt confident in their ability to promote health with their older patients.

  8. Social media and mobile apps for health promotion in Australian Indigenous populations: scoping review.

    PubMed

    Brusse, Carl; Gardner, Karen; McAullay, Daniel; Dowden, Michelle

    2014-12-10

    Health promotion organizations are increasingly embracing social media technologies to engage end users in a more interactive way and to widely disseminate their messages with the aim of improving health outcomes. However, such technologies are still in their early stages of development and, thus, evidence of their efficacy is limited. The study aimed to provide a current overview of the evidence surrounding consumer-use social media and mobile software apps for health promotion interventions, with a particular focus on the Australian context and on health promotion targeted toward an Indigenous audience. Specifically, our research questions were: (1) What is the peer-reviewed evidence of benefit for social media and mobile technologies used in health promotion, intervention, self-management, and health service delivery, with regard to smoking cessation, sexual health, and otitis media? and (2) What social media and mobile software have been used in Indigenous-focused health promotion interventions in Australia with respect to smoking cessation, sexual health, or otitis media, and what is the evidence of their effectiveness and benefit? We conducted a scoping study of peer-reviewed evidence for the effectiveness of social media and mobile technologies in health promotion (globally) with respect to smoking cessation, sexual health, and otitis media. A scoping review was also conducted for Australian uses of social media to reach Indigenous Australians and mobile apps produced by Australian health bodies, again with respect to these three areas. The review identified 17 intervention studies and seven systematic reviews that met inclusion criteria, which showed limited evidence of benefit from these interventions. We also found five Australian projects with significant social media health components targeting the Indigenous Australian population for health promotion purposes, and four mobile software apps that met inclusion criteria. No evidence of benefit was found for these projects. Although social media technologies have the unique capacity to reach Indigenous Australians as well as other underserved populations because of their wide and instant disseminability, evidence of their capacity to do so is limited. Current interventions are neither evidence-based nor widely adopted. Health promotion organizations need to gain a more thorough understanding of their technologies, who engages with them, why they engage with them, and how, in order to be able to create successful social media projects.

  9. Social Media and Mobile Apps for Health Promotion in Australian Indigenous Populations: Scoping Review

    PubMed Central

    Brusse, Carl; McAullay, Daniel; Dowden, Michelle

    2014-01-01

    Background Health promotion organizations are increasingly embracing social media technologies to engage end users in a more interactive way and to widely disseminate their messages with the aim of improving health outcomes. However, such technologies are still in their early stages of development and, thus, evidence of their efficacy is limited. Objective The study aimed to provide a current overview of the evidence surrounding consumer-use social media and mobile software apps for health promotion interventions, with a particular focus on the Australian context and on health promotion targeted toward an Indigenous audience. Specifically, our research questions were: (1) What is the peer-reviewed evidence of benefit for social media and mobile technologies used in health promotion, intervention, self-management, and health service delivery, with regard to smoking cessation, sexual health, and otitis media? and (2) What social media and mobile software have been used in Indigenous-focused health promotion interventions in Australia with respect to smoking cessation, sexual health, or otitis media, and what is the evidence of their effectiveness and benefit? Methods We conducted a scoping study of peer-reviewed evidence for the effectiveness of social media and mobile technologies in health promotion (globally) with respect to smoking cessation, sexual health, and otitis media. A scoping review was also conducted for Australian uses of social media to reach Indigenous Australians and mobile apps produced by Australian health bodies, again with respect to these three areas. Results The review identified 17 intervention studies and seven systematic reviews that met inclusion criteria, which showed limited evidence of benefit from these interventions. We also found five Australian projects with significant social media health components targeting the Indigenous Australian population for health promotion purposes, and four mobile software apps that met inclusion criteria. No evidence of benefit was found for these projects. Conclusions Although social media technologies have the unique capacity to reach Indigenous Australians as well as other underserved populations because of their wide and instant disseminability, evidence of their capacity to do so is limited. Current interventions are neither evidence-based nor widely adopted. Health promotion organizations need to gain a more thorough understanding of their technologies, who engages with them, why they engage with them, and how, in order to be able to create successful social media projects. PMID:25498835

  10. Promoting health, promoting women: the construction of female and professional identities in the discourse of community health workers.

    PubMed

    Ramirez-Valles, J

    1998-12-01

    Community health worker (CHW) programs are implemented in the third world and among racial minorities in the U.S. by public health professionals with the goal of improving people's access to basic health services. There is a shared view that women's roles as mothers make them effective CHWs because most health practices are located within the realm of the family. The objective of this paper is to inquire how and what concepts of woman are constructed and promoted in CHW programs. Viewing CHW as a discourse, I examine literature on CHWs using a critical feminist perspective and insights from narrative and rhetorical analyses. I argue that CHW positions women living in the third world and non-white Hispanic women in the U.S. as the "other" woman. The natural attributes of this other woman include mother, care giver, oppressed, child-like, and victim of patriarchy, religion, poverty, and diseases. These attributes are used to define categories of the female such as "the third world woman" and "Hispanic woman". These categories, in turn, define two unnamed opposite categories: "the first world woman" and "the public health professional". I conclude that CHW is a colonizing discourse and that public health professionals and feminists need to practice reflexivity.

  11. Promoting Breast Cancer Screening in Rural, African American Communities: The "Science and Art" of Community Health Promotion.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Altpeter, Mary; Earp, Jo Anne L.; Shopler, Janice H.

    1998-01-01

    Social ecological theory, social-work community organization models, and health-promotion models are brought together to address ways to generate change at the individual and policy levels, and to provide guidance for community health-promotion programs. An eight-year cancer-prevention project is presented as a case study. (EMK)

  12. [Health promotion in gas industrial workers].

    PubMed

    Volodina, E P; Tiagnenko, V A; Novikov, I V

    2004-01-01

    Health promotion in the workers of the limited liability company "Astrakhangazprom" in their working places (without discontinuing work) with the complexes of nutrients (including omega-3) enriched with vitamins, macro- and microelements, made in Russia yielded a positive therapeutic effect in improving the health status, in normalizing and improving laboratory and instrumental data, and in reducing sick cases with temporary disability. The duration of a health promotion course was 2 months.

  13. Improving the Validity and Reliability of a Health Promotion Survey for Physical Therapists

    PubMed Central

    Stephens, Jaca L.; Lowman, John D.; Graham, Cecilia L.; Morris, David M.; Kohler, Connie L.; Waugh, Jonathan B.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose Physical therapists (PTs) have a unique opportunity to intervene in the area of health promotion. However, no instrument has been validated to measure PTs’ views on health promotion in physical therapy practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the content validity and test-retest reliability of a health promotion survey designed for PTs. Methods An expert panel of PTs assessed the content validity of “The Role of Health Promotion in Physical Therapy Survey” and provided suggestions for revision. Item content validity was assessed using the content validity ratio (CVR) as well as the modified kappa statistic. Therapists then participated in the test-retest reliability assessment of the revised health promotion survey, which was assessed using a weighted kappa statistic. Results Based on feedback from the expert panelists, significant revisions were made to the original survey. The expert panel reached at least a majority consensus agreement for all items in the revised survey and the survey-CVR improved from 0.44 to 0.66. Only one item on the revised survey had substantial test-retest agreement, with 55% of the items having moderate agreement and 43% poor agreement. Conclusions All items on the revised health promotion survey demonstrated at least fair validity, but few items had reasonable test-retest reliability. Further modifications should be made to strengthen the validity and improve the reliability of this survey. PMID:23754935

  14. Concepts in health promotion: the notion of relativism.

    PubMed

    de Leeuw, E

    1989-01-01

    'Health promotion' is a new and powerful concept. By some professionals in the field as well as by actors in the policy making spheres, though, the notion may be received with considerable scepticism. We have attributed this scepticism, as well as barriers to include notions of health promotion in day-to-day work, to a lack of knowledge of essential concepts in the health promotion context. In this article we first explore the quintessential nature of 'health' (a capacity of people, rather than an end product of medical care) before we set out to analyze some crucial components of health promotion: integral-ness, intersectorality, holism, and ecology. Integral intervention mixes appear to have synergetic, and therefore cost-effective, results. An intersectoral approach will be necessary to address all determinants of health in an adequate way. Alas, neither integral, nor intersectoral health programs have been documented in depth. The notions of holism and ecology seem to suffer from obscurantism and esoteric elitism, though commendable in their scope. Here, we introduce 'relativism' to combine various valuable approaches into one more comprehensive scheme. Moreover, a 'relativist' approach to health promotion might induce better and more fruitful cooperation among professions. Finally, some research gaps have been identified. Policy development studies remain to have top priority in development of health promotion. Better documentation of efforts in this field will be of crucial importance. Further development of, and research on how to apply relativist approaches may be recommended. Cooperation, and opening up a dialogue between different professions and actors is of great importance in this field.

  15. The effectiveness of the Omaha System intervention on the women's health promotion lifestyle profile and quality of life.

    PubMed

    Erci, Behice

    2012-04-01

    This article is a report of a quasi-experimental study of the effectiveness of the Omaha System intervention on the women's health promotion lifestyle profile and the quality of life. The Omaha System is a model for organizing, documenting and evaluating the outcomes of comprehensive, community-based, client-centred care. Therefore, the Omaha System is important for public health nurses whose aim is to protect and promote health. However, few studies addressed the influence of the Omaha System on health promotion activities or quality of life in adult population. The design of the study was one-group pre-test and post-test. The study took place in Turkey in 2007; the sample comprised 76 women from an urban primary healthcare centre. The women completed questionnaires consisting of demographical characteristics, the health promotion lifestyle profile scale developed by Walker and colleagues and the quality of life scale developed by Burckhardt and colleagues. The researcher then visited selected women in their home weekly or biweekly for a 4-month period. At the end of intervention, the scales were applied to the women as the post-test. The mean scores of self-actualization, health responsibility, interpersonal support, stress management subscales of the health promotion lifestyle profile and the total score increased in post-test, except for nutrition subscale. There were statistically significant differences between pre- and post-test scores. This study demonstrated that the Omaha System intervention increases health promotion lifestyle profile of the women. It is recommended as a nursing care to health promotion. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  16. The Class and Cultural Functions of Obesity Discourse: Our Latter Day Child Saving Movement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, John; Davies, Brian; Rich, Emma

    2008-01-01

    This paper examines the inexorable rise of "health" as regulative discourse, highlighting its class and cultural dimensions. With reference to the policy content of recent obesity reports, analysis suggests that contemporary concerns around obesity are but a modern variant of earlier eighteenth and nineteenth century child saving crusades whose…

  17. The use of Goal Attainment Scaling in a community health promotion initiative with seniors.

    PubMed

    Kloseck, Marita

    2007-07-03

    Evaluating collaborative community health promotion initiatives presents unique challenges, including engaging community members and other stakeholders in the evaluation process, and measuring the attainment of goals at the collective community level. Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) is a versatile, under-utilized evaluation tool adaptable to a wide range of situations. GAS actively involves all partners in the evaluation process and has many benefits when used in community health settings. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of GAS as a potential means of measuring progress and outcomes in community health promotion and community development projects. GAS methodology was used in a local community of seniors (n = 2500; mean age = 76 +/- 8.06 SD; 77% female, 23% male) to a) collaboratively set health promotion and community partnership goals and b) objectively measure the degree of achievement, over- or under-achievement of the established health promotion goals. Goal attainment was measured in a variety of areas including operationalizing a health promotion centre in a local mall, developing a sustainable mechanism for recruiting and training volunteers to operate the health promotion centre, and developing and implementing community health education programs. Goal attainment was evaluated at 3 monthly intervals for one year, then re-evaluated again at year 2. GAS was found to be a feasible and responsive method of measuring community health promotion and community development progress. All project goals were achieved at one year or sooner. The overall GAS score for the total health promotion project increased from 16.02 at baseline (sum of scale scores = -30, average scale score = -2) to 54.53 at one year (sum of scale scores = +4, average scale score = +0.27) showing project goals were achieved above the expected level. With GAS methodology an amalgamated score of 50 represents the achievement of goals at the expected level. GAS provides a "participatory", flexible evaluation approach that involves community members, research partners and other stakeholders in the evaluation process. GAS was found to be "user-friendly" and readily understandable by seniors and other community partners not familiar with program evaluation.

  18. Use of social media for sexual health promotion: a scoping review.

    PubMed

    Gabarron, Elia; Wynn, Rolf

    2016-01-01

    In order to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the World Health Organization recommends educating people on sexual health. With more than 2 billion active users worldwide, online social media potentially represent powerful channels for health promotion, including sexual health. To review the scientific literature on the use of online social media for sexual health promotion. A search was conducted of scientific and medical databases, and grey literature was also included. The selected publications were classified according to their study designs, sexual health promotion main subject, target audience age, and social media use. Fifty-one publications were included; 4 publications presenting randomized intervention studies, 39 non-randomized intervention studies, and 8 observational studies. In 29 publications (56.9%), the main subject of the sexual health promotion was 'general' or to increase STI testing. Thirty publications (58.8%) specifically focused on youth or young people (aged 11-29 years). Fourteen publications that used social media either as unique channels for sexual health promotion interventions or as a tool supporting the sexual health promotion reported an effect on behavior (27%), and two of those studies found a reduction in the number of positive chlamydia and gonorrhea cases linked to social media intervention. Forty-four publications (86.3%) involved Facebook in some way. Although billions of people worldwide actively use social media, we identified only 51 publications on the use of social media for promoting sexual health. About a quarter of the publications have identified promising results, and the evidence for positive effects of social media interventions for promoting sexual health is increasing. There is a need for more studies that explicitly discuss their theoretical framework, and that have strong research designs, in order to further increase the evidence base of the field.

  19. Learning what matters for patients: qualitative evaluation of a health promotion program for those with serious mental illness

    PubMed Central

    Shiner, Brian; Whitley, Rob; Van Citters, Aricca D.; Pratt, Sarah I.; Bartels, Stephen J.

    2008-01-01

    Sedentary lifestyle, poor dietary behaviors and metabolic alterations associated with psychiatric medications contribute to poor health and high rates of obesity among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Interventions that increase engagement in physical exercise, dietary modifications, lifestyle changes and preventive health care can provide health benefits across the lifespan. These interventions have led to substantial physical improvements in some persons with SMI, while others have not improved or have experienced worsening physical health. We set out to identify characteristics of a health promotion program that persons with SMI associated with physical health improvements. Interviews were conducted with eight participants from the In SHAPE health-promotion program who lost at least 10 pounds or diminished their waist circumference by at least 10 cm. Interviews aimed to determine which aspects of the program were perceived to be most helpful in promoting physical health improvement. Among successful participants, three themes emerged, highlighting the importance of: (i) individualized interventions promoting engagement in the program; (ii) relationships with health-promotion program employees and (iii) self-confidence resulting from program participation. Health-promotion programs that target these areas may have better success in achieving health benefits for persons with SMI. PMID:18552363

  20. Food marketing targeting children: unveiling the ethical perspectives in the discourse on self-regulation.

    PubMed

    Silva, Dillian Adelaine Cesar da; Cunha, Antonio Carlos Rodrigues da; Cunha, Thiago Rocha da; Rosaneli, Caroline Filla

    2017-07-01

    When it comes to food marketing, children are one of the major targets. Regulatory actions can play a strategic role in health protection. The objective of this research was to characterize the ethical perspective in the discourse against state regulatory actions on food marketing directed at children, aiming to understand the context of the discourse's production and how it creates meaning. The methodology adopted was qualitative, with documentary analysis and use of concepts and procedures from Discourse Analysis. The work of Hans Jonas, specifically his Responsibility Principle, and Garrafa and Port's Intervention Bioethics oriented the analysis. The self-regulation discourse analysis showed an ethical perspective in which relations of consumption predominate over the children´s vulnerability. The rhetorical excess is constant, as well as the use of resources like naturalization, untruthfulness, ideological dissimulation and euphemism. An erasure of social conflicts takes place, and an ahistorical perspective is present. The discourse does not align with Jonas´ Responsibility Principle, nor those of Intervention Bioethics. Lastly, the ethical perspective of the discourse represents a double paradox, because it is a business discourse that hides its competitive roots and metamorphoses into an ethical one.

  1. The economic impact of adolescent health promotion policies and programs.

    PubMed

    Aratani, Yumiko; Schwarz, Susan Wile; Skinner, Curtis

    2011-12-01

    Adolescence is a critical period in the human lifecycle, a time of rapid physical and socioemotional growth and a time when individuals establish lifestyle habits and health behaviors that often endure into and have lasting effects in adulthood. Adolescent health promotion programs play a critical role in helping youth establish healthy lifestyles. In this article, we present a socio-ecological model as a framework for identifying effective policy and program areas that have a positive impact on adolescent health behaviors. Our discussion focuses on 4 key areas: reproductive health; obesity prevention; mental health and substance use, including smoking; and injury and violence prevention. We proceed with an overview of the current status of state-led adolescent health promotion policies and programs from a newly created policy database and then examine the evidence on the cost of preventable adolescent health problems and the cost-effectiveness of health promotion programs and policies. We conclude by discussing the threat posed to adolescent health promotion services and state-led policy initiatives by proposed and implemented federal and state-level budget cuts and examine the possible health and economic repercussions of reducing or eliminating these programs.

  2. Do targeted child health promotion services meet the needs of the most disadvantaged? A qualitative study of the views of health visitors working in inner-city and urban areas in England.

    PubMed

    Condon, Louise

    2011-10-01

    The aim of this study was to explore health visitors' views on the effects of policy change on the services they offer to preschool children in areas of high health inequalities in England. Child health promotion services are offered throughout the world to maintain and improve children's health. It is not known how the policy shift to a more overtly targeted service, which has occurred in some countries, has affected child health promotion practice in areas of deprivation. An in-depth telephone interview study was conducted between October 2006 and January 2007. All participants (n = 25) were registered health visitors who had taken part in a 2005 National Survey of Child Health Promotion Practice in England and were delivering health promotion services to preschool children in inner-city and urban areas. Despite high levels of need, some children who would have benefited from an enhanced health visiting service were offered only the core programme. Local interpretation of national policy is a key factor in determining the level of service offered, and the extent of targeting. This study illustrates the importance, in any country, of exploring the effects of national policy change from the perspective of practitioners, to identify unintended outcomes. Reductions in the core child health promotion programme can lead to difficulties in monitoring and improving children's health outcomes in areas of deprivation. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  3. Do nurses' personal health behaviours impact on their health promotion practice? A systematic review.

    PubMed

    Kelly, Muireann; Wills, Jane; Sykes, Susie

    2017-11-01

    There is a growing expectation in national and international policy and from professional bodies that nurses be role models for healthy behaviours, the rationale being that there is a relationship between nurses' personal health and the adoption of healthier behaviours by patients. This may be from patients being motivated by, and modelling, the visible healthy lifestyle of the nurse or that nurses are more willing to promote the health of their patients by offering public health or health promotion advice and referring the patient to support services. An integrated systematic review was conducted to determine if nurses' personal health behaviour impacted on (1) their health promotion practices, and (2) patient responses to a health promotion message. Medline, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and PsycINFO databases were searched. A narrative synthesis was conducted. 31 studies were included in the review. No consistent associations were noted between nurses' weight, alcohol use, or physical activity level and their health promotion practice, although smoking appeared to negatively impact on the likelihood of discussing and engaging in cessation counselling. Nurses who reported confidence and skills around health promotion practice were more likely to raise lifestyle issues with patients, irrespective of their own personal health behaviours. The two studies included in the review that examined patient responses noted that the perceived credibility of a public health message was not enhanced by being delivered by a nurse who reported adopting healthy behaviours. Although it is assumed that nurses' personal health behaviour influences their health promotion practice, there is little evidence to support this. The assertion in health care policy that nurses should be role models for healthy behaviours assumes a causal relationship between their health behaviours and the patient response and adoption of public health messages that is not borne out by the research evidence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Health promotion in young adults at a university in Korea

    PubMed Central

    Joh, Hee-Kyung; Kim, Hyun-Ji; Kim, Young-Oh; Lee, Jae-Young; Cho, BeLong; Lim, Chun Soo; Jung, Sung-Eun

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Young adulthood is a critical developmental period for establishing life-long health behaviors. However, too little attention has been paid to young adult health promotion. The purpose of this study was to describe the processes of development and implementation involved in a collaborative university-wide health promotion program and to evaluate the achievements of the program. A 3-day university-wide health promotion program was developed and implemented in the nation's largest public university in South Korea in September 2013. Its objectives were to heighten health awareness, to promote healthy behaviors, especially active lifestyle and healthy diet, and to disseminate health knowledge, skills, and access to health resources among young people. The program comprised 14 health lectures, 12 events, and 25 booths. To monitor and evaluate the program, a cross-sectional postevent survey was conducted. A convenience sample of 625 university members who participated in the program was used. The statistics were analyzed with a general linear model and paired t test. The program evaluation demonstrated that this university-wide program effectively provided opportunities for students to access health information, knowledge, skills, self-confidence, and available health services and resources. Participants positively evaluated most of the processes of the program activities and services. Participants’ overall evaluation score (83% rated “excellent” or “good”) and reparticipation intention (86%) were high. The majority of participants reported increased awareness of health (80%) and the need for a university health promotion program (87%) after the program. Most of the evaluation scores were similarly high for health lectures and booths/events. In conclusion, the university-wide health promotion program was effective in improving university members’ health awareness and providing opportunities for students to access various health information and resources. We believe that our results would be useful for sharing information on the planning and implementation of future university health promotion programs. PMID:28207551

  5. Huge "wellness incentives" are more about health plan benefit design than health promotion.

    PubMed

    O'Donnell, Michael P

    2014-01-01

    Regulations governing employers' use of financial incentives for employees who participate in health promotion programs or are successful in achieving health goals go into effect today (January 1, 2014). It is important to recognize that huge incentives have more to do with health plan design and less to do with effective strategies to improve health. Comprehensive health promotion programs need to increase awareness of the link between lifestyle and health, enhance motivation to improve health, build the skills important for a healthy lifestyle, and provide an abundance of opportunities to practice a healthy lifestyle.

  6. ACCULTURATION AS A PREDICTOR OF HEALTH PROMOTING AND LIFESTYLE PRACTICES OF ARAB AMERICANS: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY.

    PubMed

    Jadalla, Ahlam A; Hattar, Marianne; Schubert, Christiane C

    2015-01-01

    A cross-sectional descriptive study was done using the Acculturation Rating scale of Arab Americans-II, and the Health Promotion and Lifestyle Profile II to assess the relationship between acculturation and health promotion practices among Arab Americans. Findings showed that attraction to American culture was the most important predictor of physical activity; whereas attraction to Arabic culture was the most important predictor of stress management and nutritional practices. Results suggest that, when demographics are controlled, acculturation predicts various health promotion practices in different patterns among members of this group. These findings contribute to a better understanding of acculturation's influence on immigrants' health promotion practices.

  7. Use of social media for sexual health promotion: a scoping review

    PubMed Central

    Gabarron, Elia; Wynn, Rolf

    2016-01-01

    Background In order to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the World Health Organization recommends educating people on sexual health. With more than 2 billion active users worldwide, online social media potentially represent powerful channels for health promotion, including sexual health. Objective To review the scientific literature on the use of online social media for sexual health promotion. Design A search was conducted of scientific and medical databases, and grey literature was also included. The selected publications were classified according to their study designs, sexual health promotion main subject, target audience age, and social media use. Results Fifty-one publications were included; 4 publications presenting randomized intervention studies, 39 non-randomized intervention studies, and 8 observational studies. In 29 publications (56.9%), the main subject of the sexual health promotion was ‘general’ or to increase STI testing. Thirty publications (58.8%) specifically focused on youth or young people (aged 11–29 years). Fourteen publications that used social media either as unique channels for sexual health promotion interventions or as a tool supporting the sexual health promotion reported an effect on behavior (27%), and two of those studies found a reduction in the number of positive chlamydia and gonorrhea cases linked to social media intervention. Forty-four publications (86.3%) involved Facebook in some way. Conclusions Although billions of people worldwide actively use social media, we identified only 51 publications on the use of social media for promoting sexual health. About a quarter of the publications have identified promising results, and the evidence for positive effects of social media interventions for promoting sexual health is increasing. There is a need for more studies that explicitly discuss their theoretical framework, and that have strong research designs, in order to further increase the evidence base of the field. PMID:27649758

  8. Drivers and challenges of personal health systems in workplace health promotion.

    PubMed

    Ilvesmäki, Antti

    2007-01-01

    Novel technologies such as wearable sensors, electronic health diaries and personalized web services are thought to have the potential to improve population health in a cost- efficient manner. The use of personal health systems in workplace health promotion is of particular interest, since the workplace often provides an excellent setting and infrastructure to support health- related interventions. Compared to the elderly or those already debilitated by disease, working people are also generally more capable of taking advantage of information technology. Extant research on the use of ICT in health promotion has recognized several functional and technological requirements, but relatively little is known about other factors that affect the commercialization and adoption of such systems. This paper attempts to identify some economic and structural drivers and challenges that may be relevant to the success of personal health systems in workplace health promotion.

  9. Medication communication during ward rounds on medical wards: Power relations and spatial practices.

    PubMed

    Liu, Wei; Manias, Elizabeth; Gerdtz, Marie

    2013-03-01

    Communication plays a crucial role in the management of medications. Ward rounds are sites where health professionals from different disciplines and patients come together to exchange medication information and make treatment decisions. This article examines power relations and spatial practices surrounding medication communication between patients and health professionals including doctors, nurses and pharmacists during ward rounds. Data were collected in two medical wards of a metropolitan teaching hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Data collection methods involved participant observations, field interviews, video-recordings, together with individual and group reflexive interviews. A critical discourse analysis was undertaken to identify the location sites where power relations were reproduced or challenged in ward rounds. Findings demonstrated that traditional medical hierarchies constructed the ways in which doctors communicated about medications during ward rounds. Nurses and pharmacists ventured into the ward round space by using the discourse of preparation and occupying a peripheral physical position. Doctors privileged the discourse of medication rationalization in their ward round discussions, competing with the discourse of inquiry taken up by patients and families. Ward rounds need to be restructured to provide opportunities for nurses and pharmacists to speak at dedicated times and in strategic locations. By critically reflecting upon the complex process of medication communication during ward rounds, greater opportunities exist for enhanced team communication among health professionals.

  10. Mental health promotion competencies in the health sector in Finland: a qualitative study of the views of professionals.

    PubMed

    Tamminen, Nina; Solin, Pia; Stengård, Eija; Kannas, Lasse; Kettunen, Tarja

    2017-07-01

    In this study, we aimed to investigate what competencies are needed for mental health promotion in health sector practice in Finland. A qualitative study was carried out to seek the views of mental health professionals regarding mental health promotion-related competencies. The data were collected via two focus groups and a questionnaire survey of professionals working in the health sector in Finland. The focus groups consisted of a total of 13 professionals. Further, 20 questionnaires were received from the questionnaire survey. The data were analysed using the qualitative data analysis software ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin. A content analysis was carried out. In total, 23 competencies were identified and clustered under the categories of theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and personal attitudes and values. In order to promote mental health, it is necessary to have a knowledge of the principles and concepts of mental health promotion, including methods and tools for effective practices. Furthermore, a variety of skills-based competencies such as communication and collaboration skills were described. Personal attitudes and values included a holistic approach and respect for human rights, among others. The study provides new information on what competencies are needed to plan, implement and evaluate mental health promotion in health sector practice, with the aim of contributing to a more effective workforce. The competencies provide aid in planning training programmes and qualifications, as well as job descriptions and roles in health sector workplaces related to mental health promotion.

  11. Holistic and sustainable health improvement: the contribution of the settings-based approach to health promotion.

    PubMed

    Dooris, Mark

    2009-01-01

    Highlighting the need for holistic and sustainable health improvement, this paper starts by reviewing the origins, history and conceptualization of the settings approach to health promotion. It then takes stock of current practice both internationally and nationally, noting its continuing importance worldwide and its inconsistent profile and utilization across the four UK countries. It goes on to explore the applicability and future development of settings-based health promotion in relation to three key issues: inequalities and inclusion; place-shaping and systems-based responses to complex problems. Concluding that the settings approach remains highly relevant to 21st century public health, the paper calls on the new "Royal" to provide much-needed leadership, thereby placing settings-based health promotion firmly on the national agenda across the whole of the UK.

  12. The Galway Consensus Conference: international collaboration on the development of core competencies for health promotion and health education.

    PubMed

    Barry, Margaret M; Allegrante, John P; Lamarre, Marie-Claude; Auld, M Elaine; Taub, Alyson

    2009-06-01

    Developing a competent health promotion workforce is a key component of capacity building for the future and is critical to delivering on the vision, values and commitments of global health promotion. This paper reports on an international consensus meeting to identify core competencies, jointly organized by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE), the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with participation from international leaders in the field, that took place at the National University of Ireland, Galway, in June 2008. The purpose of the meeting is outlined and the outcomes in terms of strengthening global exchange, collaboration and common approaches to capacity building and workforce development are discussed. The Consensus Statement, based on the proceedings of the meeting, outlines core values and principles, a common definition and eight domains of core competency that are required to engage in effective health promotion practice. The core domains of competency agreed to at the meeting are: catalysing change, leadership, assessment, planning, impementation, evaluation, advocacy and partnerships. A summary of the Consensus Statement is presented and further dialogue and discussion are invited in order to continue the process of building international consensus with regard to health promotion core competencies.

  13. Health promotion in young adults at a university in Korea: A cross-sectional study of 625 participants in a university.

    PubMed

    Joh, Hee-Kyung; Kim, Hyun-Ji; Kim, Young-Oh; Lee, Jae-Young; Cho, BeLong; Lim, Chun Soo; Jung, Sung-Eun

    2017-02-01

    Young adulthood is a critical developmental period for establishing life-long health behaviors. However, too little attention has been paid to young adult health promotion. The purpose of this study was to describe the processes of development and implementation involved in a collaborative university-wide health promotion program and to evaluate the achievements of the program.A 3-day university-wide health promotion program was developed and implemented in the nation's largest public university in South Korea in September 2013. Its objectives were to heighten health awareness, to promote healthy behaviors, especially active lifestyle and healthy diet, and to disseminate health knowledge, skills, and access to health resources among young people. The program comprised 14 health lectures, 12 events, and 25 booths. To monitor and evaluate the program, a cross-sectional postevent survey was conducted. A convenience sample of 625 university members who participated in the program was used. The statistics were analyzed with a general linear model and paired t test.The program evaluation demonstrated that this university-wide program effectively provided opportunities for students to access health information, knowledge, skills, self-confidence, and available health services and resources. Participants positively evaluated most of the processes of the program activities and services. Participants' overall evaluation score (83% rated "excellent" or "good") and reparticipation intention (86%) were high. The majority of participants reported increased awareness of health (80%) and the need for a university health promotion program (87%) after the program. Most of the evaluation scores were similarly high for health lectures and booths/events.In conclusion, the university-wide health promotion program was effective in improving university members' health awareness and providing opportunities for students to access various health information and resources. We believe that our results would be useful for sharing information on the planning and implementation of future university health promotion programs.

  14. Queer as F**k: reaching and engaging gay men in sexual health promotion through social networking sites.

    PubMed

    Pedrana, Alisa; Hellard, Margaret; Gold, Judy; Ata, Nadine; Chang, Shanton; Howard, Steve; Asselin, Jason; Ilic, Olivia; Batrouney, Colin; Stoove, Mark

    2013-02-07

    A growing number of health promotion interventions are taking advantage of the popularity and interactivity of new social media platforms to foster and engage communities for health promotion. However, few health promotion interventions using social networking sites (SNS) have been rigorously evaluated. "Queer as F**k"(QAF) began as pilot project in 2010 to deliver sexual health promotion via short "webisodes" on SNS to gay men. Now in its fifth season, QAF is among the few published examples internationally to demonstrate the sexual health promotion potential of SNS. The objective of this evaluation is to assess reach, interactivity, and engagement generated by QAF to inform future health interventions and evaluations using SNS. We undertook a mixed method process evaluation using an uncontrolled longitudinal study design that compared multiple measurements over time to assess changes in reach and engagement. We adapted evaluation methods from the health promotion, information systems, and creative spheres. We incorporated online usage statistics, interviews informed by user diary-scrapbooks, and user focus groups to assess intervention reach and engagement. During Series 1-3 (April 2010 to April 2011), 32 webisodes were posted on the QAF Facebook and YouTube pages. These webisodes attracted over 30,000 views; ranging from 124-3092 views per individual episode. By April 2011, the QAF Facebook page had 2929 predominantly male fans. Interview and focus group participants supported the balance of education and entertainment. They endorsed the narrative "soap opera" format as an effective way to deliver sexual health messages in an engaging, informative, and accessible manner that encouraged online peer discussion of sexual health and promoted community engagement. QAF offers a successful example of exploiting the reach, interactivity, and engagement potential of SNS; findings from this process evaluation provide a model to inform the delivery and evaluation of future health promotion interventions on SNS.

  15. Queer as F**k: Reaching and Engaging Gay Men in Sexual Health Promotion through Social Networking Sites

    PubMed Central

    Hellard, Margaret; Gold, Judy; Ata, Nadine; Chang, Shanton; Howard, Steve; Asselin, Jason; Ilic, Olivia; Batrouney, Colin; Stoove, Mark

    2013-01-01

    Background A growing number of health promotion interventions are taking advantage of the popularity and interactivity of new social media platforms to foster and engage communities for health promotion. However, few health promotion interventions using social networking sites (SNS) have been rigorously evaluated. "Queer as F**k"(QAF) began as pilot project in 2010 to deliver sexual health promotion via short "webisodes" on SNS to gay men. Now in its fifth season, QAF is among the few published examples internationally to demonstrate the sexual health promotion potential of SNS. Objective The objective of this evaluation is to assess reach, interactivity, and engagement generated by QAF to inform future health interventions and evaluations using SNS. Methods We undertook a mixed method process evaluation using an uncontrolled longitudinal study design that compared multiple measurements over time to assess changes in reach and engagement. We adapted evaluation methods from the health promotion, information systems, and creative spheres. We incorporated online usage statistics, interviews informed by user diary-scrapbooks, and user focus groups to assess intervention reach and engagement. Results During Series 1-3 (April 2010 to April 2011), 32 webisodes were posted on the QAF Facebook and YouTube pages. These webisodes attracted over 30,000 views; ranging from 124-3092 views per individual episode. By April 2011, the QAF Facebook page had 2929 predominantly male fans. Interview and focus group participants supported the balance of education and entertainment. They endorsed the narrative "soap opera" format as an effective way to deliver sexual health messages in an engaging, informative, and accessible manner that encouraged online peer discussion of sexual health and promoted community engagement. Conclusions QAF offers a successful example of exploiting the reach, interactivity, and engagement potential of SNS; findings from this process evaluation provide a model to inform the delivery and evaluation of future health promotion interventions on SNS. PMID:23391459

  16. Classroom Discourse in Problem-Based Learning Classrooms in the Health Sciences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woodward-Kron, Robyn; Remedios, Louisa

    2007-01-01

    Classroom discourse analysis has contributed to understandings of the nature of student-teacher interactions, and how learning takes place in the classroom; however, much of this work has been undertaken in teacher-directed learning contexts. Student-centred classrooms such as problem-based learning (PBL) approaches are increasingly common in…

  17. Developing a promotion plan for health care marketing.

    PubMed

    Hallums, A

    1994-07-01

    Promotion of a health care provider's services is essential for communication with its customers and consumers. It is relevant to an organization's marketing strategy and is an element of what is described as the marketing mix. This paper considers the relationship of promotion to the marketing of services and proposes a plan for the promotion of the organization as a whole which can also be applied to an individual service or specialty. Whilst specific reference is made to an National Health Service (NHS) Trust it is also relevant to a Directly Managed Unit.

  18. Essential Resources for Implementation and Sustainability of Evidence-Based Health Promotion Programs: A Mixed Methods Multi-Site Case Study.

    PubMed

    Dattalo, M; Wise, M; Ford Ii, J H; Abramson, B; Mahoney, J

    2017-04-01

    As of October 2016, use of federal Older Americans Act funds for health promotion and disease prevention will be restricted to the Administration on Aging's criteria for high-level evidence-based health promotion programs. Dissemination of these programs to rural communities remains limited. Therefore a strong need exists to identify strategies that facilitate program implementation and sustainability. The objective of this study was to compare organizational readiness and implementation strategies used by rural communities that achieved varying levels of success in sustaining evidence-based health promotion programs for older adults. We utilized a qualitative multi-site case study design to analyze the longitudinal experiences of eight rural sites working to implement evidence-based health promotion program over 3 years (8/2012-7/2015). Multiple sources of data (interviews, documents, reports, surveys) from each site informed the analysis. We used conventional content analysis to conduct a cross-case comparison to identify common features of rural counties that successfully implemented and sustained their target evidence-based health promotion program. Readiness to implement evidence-based programs as low at baseline as all site leaders described needing to secure additional resources for program implementation. Sites that successfully utilized six essential resources implemented and sustained greater numbers of workshops: (1) External Partnerships, (2) Agency Leadership Commitment, (3) Ongoing Source of Workshop Leaders, (4) Health Promotion Coordination Tasks Assigned to Specific Staff, (5) Organizational Stability, and (6) Change Team Engagement. The six essential resources described in this study can help rural communities assess their readiness to implement health promotion programs and work secure the resources necessary for successful implementation.

  19. Nursing professional identity: an infant or one with Alzheimer

    PubMed Central

    Yazdannik, Ahmadreza; Yekta, Zohreh Parsa; Soltani, Aliasghar

    2012-01-01

    Background: Each group or profession has its own discourse. Discourses create identity, support institutions and reproduce power relationships. Professional identity of Iranian nurses, which has recently had the opportunity to represent itself in social arena, needs investigation. This study aimed to make internal aspect of this identity clear. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted by discourse analysis, using data of 23 semi-structured individual interviews and 4 focus group interviews with nurses and senior nursing students of Tehran and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, to evaluate their professional identity. Findings: In professional self-concept, elements like spirituality value and low financial benefits were identified as well as conflicting features of holiness and humility, identity emerging, identity escape, low professional self-confidence and justice seeking, lost professional authority and pride. Conclusions: Nursing professional identity has been formed based on cultural social structure, values and beliefs governing health system. This is a spectrum of a growing and emerging identity to a developed but forgotten identity. Although nursing discourse is subordinate in health system discourse, signs of moving toward professional maturity have emerged. PMID:23833602

  20. Developing Health Promotion Interventions on Social Networking Sites: Recommendations from The FaceSpace Project

    PubMed Central

    Pedrana, Alisa E; Stoove, Mark A; Chang, Shanton; Howard, Steve; Asselin, Jason; Ilic, Olivia; Batrouney, Colin; Hellard, Margaret E

    2012-01-01

    Online social networking sites offer a novel setting for the delivery of health promotion interventions due to their potential to reach a large population and the possibility for two-way engagement. However, few have attempted to host interventions on these sites, or to use the range of interactive functions available to enhance the delivery of health-related messages. This paper presents lessons learnt from “The FaceSpace Project”, a sexual health promotion intervention using social networking sites targeting two key at-risk groups. Based on our experience, we make recommendations for developing and implementing health promotion interventions on these sites. Elements crucial for developing interventions include establishing a multidisciplinary team, allowing adequate time for obtaining approvals, securing sufficient resources for building and maintaining an online presence, and developing an integrated process and impact evaluation framework. With two-way interaction an important and novel feature of health promotion interventions in this medium, we also present strategies trialled to generate interest and engagement in our intervention. Social networking sites are now an established part of the online environment; our experience in developing and implementing a health promotion intervention using this medium are of direct relevance and utility for all health organizations creating a presence in this new environment. PMID:22374589

  1. Exploring the Use of Experiential Learning Workshops and Reflective Practice within Professional Practice Development for Post-Graduate Health Promotion Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cronin, Mary; Connolly, Claire

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To explore and evaluate the use of two methods (1) experiential learning workshops and (2) reflective practice within post-graduate health promotion education, with a view to providing a foundation in professional practice based on health promotion principles and critical thinking. Design: This is an empirical study exploring the…

  2. Implementing a Mentally Healthy Schools Framework Based on the Population Wide Act-Belong-Commit Mental Health Promotion Campaign: A Process Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anwar-McHenry, Julia; Donovan, Robert John; Nicholas, Amberlee; Kerrigan, Simone; Francas, Stephanie; Phan, Tina

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Mentally Healthy WA developed and implemented the Mentally Healthy Schools Framework in 2010 in response to demand from schools wanting to promote the community-based Act-Belong-Commit mental health promotion message within a school setting. Schools are an important setting for mental health promotion, therefore, the Framework encourages…

  3. An evaluation of factors which can affect the implementation of a health promotion programme under the Schools for Health in Europe framework.

    PubMed

    Bennett, Annemarie E; Cunningham, Cara; Johnston Molloy, Charlotte

    2016-08-01

    The Health Promoting Schools concept helps schools to promote health in a sustainable and long-term fashion. However, developing the capacity to promote health in this way can be challenging when a busy teaching curriculum must be fulfilled. This study aimed to identify factors which affect the acceptability of health promotion programmes to the everyday school environment. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were audio-taped with primary school teachers in one Irish county and transcribed verbatim. The resulting transcripts were analysed using content analysis. Thirty-one teachers were interviewed. The factors which may adversely affect the acceptability of health promotion programmes include the: attitude of teachers towards an additional extra-curricular workload; lack of confidence amongst teachers to lead health promotion; and different organisational cultures between schools. When health promotion programmes under the Health Promoting Schools concept are being implemented, it's important to consider: the readiness for change amongst teachers; the resources available to increase staff capacity to promote health; and the ability of a programme to adapt to the different organisational cultures between schools. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Marketing health promotion: hitting or missing the target in occupational health.

    PubMed

    Fontana, S A

    1993-10-01

    1. Occupational health nurses can use marketing strategies to plan, offer, and manage health promotion programs; and to conduct research aimed at better understanding the health needs of workers. 2. By applying a social marketing orientation to health promotion planning, occupational health nurses can tailor programs to fit employees' needs, and deliver health messages that are readily understandable to worker groups. 3. A priority in implementing any occupational health program or service is learning about the needs, desires, and health habits of employees. 4. Greater benefits to employee health may occur by targeting change in structures and systems at the workplace rather than solely focusing on lifestyle issues.

  5. Research on workplace health promotion in the Nordic countries: a literature review, 1986-2008.

    PubMed

    Torp, Steffen; Eklund, Leena; Thorpenberg, Stefan

    2011-09-01

    Workplace health promotion may include approaches focusing on behavioral change among employees and approaches with a holistic system-oriented thinking aiming at changing the physical, social and organizational factors of a setting. This literature review aimed to identify studies on workplace health promotion in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), to describe when, where and how the studies were performed and to further analyze the use of settings approaches and empowerment processes. Using scientific literature databases, we found 1809 hits when searching for Nordic studies published from 1986 to 2008 with the search term health promotion. Of these, 116 studies were related to workplace health promotion and 33 included interventions. We used content analysis to analyze the abstracts of all articles and the full articles of the intervention studies. Most studies were performed in Sweden and Finland. The focus was mainly on behavioral change rather than on holistic health promotion as defined by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. This was especially obvious for the intervention studies. In addition to the intervention studies using non-settings approaches with top-down driven behavioral change, we identified studies with participatory settings approaches aimed at changing the setting. We categorized relatively few studies as having a non-participatory settings approach. The studies aiming specifically at improving employees' empowerment were evenly distributed between the categories market-oriented persuasion of empowerment, therapeutic empowerment and empowerment as a liberal management strategy. More studies on workplace health promotion using empowering and participatory settings approaches are needed in the Nordic countries, and a more theory-based approach towards this research field is needed.

  6. Faith-based initiatives in health promotion: history, challenges, and current partnerships.

    PubMed

    Levin, Jeff

    2014-01-01

    Faith-based institutions and organizations represent a longstanding yet underutilized resource for health promotion and disease prevention efforts. The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and its affiliated office within the Department of Health and Human Services, are the highest-profile markers of federal efforts, but most faith-health partnerships are not federally funded and date back many decades. Formal partnerships between the faith-based and public health sectors encompass activities in the fields of health behavior and health education, health policy and management, epidemiology and biostatistics, and environmental health. These partnerships are instrumental for achieving both domestic and global health promotion priorities.

  7. Nursing professional identity: an infant or one with Alzheimer.

    PubMed

    Yazdannik, Ahmadreza; Yekta, Zohreh Parsa; Soltani, Aliasghar

    2012-02-01

    Each group or profession has its own discourse. Discourses create identity, support institutions and reproduce power relationships. Professional identity of Iranian nurses, which has recently had the opportunity to represent itself in social arena, needs investigation. This study aimed to make internal aspect of this identity clear. This study was conducted by discourse analysis, using data of 23 semi-structured individual interviews and 4 focus group interviews with nurses and senior nursing students of Tehran and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, to evaluate their professional identity. In professional self-concept, elements like spirituality value and low financial benefits were identified as well as conflicting features of holiness and humility, identity emerging, identity escape, low professional self-confidence and justice seeking, lost professional authority and pride. Nursing professional identity has been formed based on cultural social structure, values and beliefs governing health system. This is a spectrum of a growing and emerging identity to a developed but forgotten identity. Although nursing discourse is subordinate in health system discourse, signs of moving toward professional maturity have emerged.

  8. Strategies for strengthening the evidence base for employee health promotion programs.

    PubMed

    Goetzel, Ron Z; Schoenman, Julie A; Chapman, Larry S; Anderson, David R; Ozminkowski, Ronald J; Lindsay, Garry M

    2011-01-01

    Employee health promotion programs have been a visible facet of the American workplace for more than 30 years. During that time, a substantial amount of research on best practices has been conducted, but because of a lack of significant public investment in research funding there is still much to be done. Most researchers and practitioners familiar with the literature recognize the need to strengthen the evidence base for the field. In this edition of The Art of Health Promotion we examine the primary recommendations emerging from a recent federally sponsored effort to identify strategies for strengthening the evidence base for employee health promotion.

  9. MindMatters, a whole-school approach promoting mental health and wellbeing.

    PubMed

    Wyn, J; Cahill, H; Holdsworth, R; Rowling, L; Carson, S

    2000-08-01

    MindMatters is an innovative, national mental health promotion program which provides a framework for mental health promotion in Australian schools. Its objectives are to facilitate exemplary practice in the promotion of whole-school approaches to mental health promotion; develop mental health education resources, curriculum and professional development programs which are appropriate to a wide range of schools, students and learning areas; trial guidelines on mental health and suicide prevention and to encourage the development of partnerships between schools, parents, and community support agencies to promote the mental wellbeing of young people. A team of academics and health education professionals, supported by a reference group of mental health experts, developed MindMatters. The program was piloted in 24 secondary schools, drawn from all educational systems and each State and Territory in Australia. The pilot program was amended and prepared for dissemination nationally. The program provides a framework for mental health promotion in widely differing school settings. The teacher professional development dimension of the program is central to enhancing the role of schools in broad population mental health promotion. Promoting the mental health and wellbeing of all young people is a vital part of the core business of teachers by creating a supportive school environment that is conducive to learning. Teachers need to be comfortable and confident in promoting and teaching for mental health. Specific, targeted interventions, provided within a whole-school framework, address the needs of the minority of students who require additional support.

  10. Personal health promotion at US medical schools: a quantitative study and qualitative description of deans' and students' perceptions

    PubMed Central

    Frank, Erica; Hedgecock, Joan; Elon, Lisa K

    2004-01-01

    Background Prior literature has shown that physicians with healthy personal habits are more likely to encourage patients to adopt similar habits. However, despite the possibility that promoting medical student health might therefore efficiently improve patient outcomes, no one has studied whether such promotion happens in medical school. We therefore wished to describe both typical and outstanding personal health promotion environments experienced by students in U.S. medical schools. Methods We collected information through four different modalities: a literature review, written surveys of medical school deans and students, student and dean focus groups, and site visits at and interviews with medical schools with reportedly outstanding student health promotion programs. Results We found strong correlations between deans' and students' perceptions of their schools' health promotion environments, including consistent support of the idea of schools' encouraging healthy student behaviors, with less consistent follow-through by schools on this concept. Though students seemed to have thought little about the relationships between their own personal and clinical health promotion practices, deans felt strongly that faculty members should model healthy behaviors. Conclusions Deans' support of the relationship between physicians' personal and clinical health practices, and concern about their institutions' acting on this relationship augurs well for the role of student health promotion in the future of medical education. Deans seem to understand their students' health environment, and believe it could and should be improved; if this is acted on, it could create important positive changes in medical education and in disease prevention. PMID:15581424

  11. Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy/Fabricated and Induced Illness: does the diagnosis serve economic vested interests, rather than the interests of children?

    PubMed

    Wrennall, Lynne

    2007-01-01

    The discourse of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy/Fabricated and Induced Illness posits the widespread incidence of a highly dangerous form of child abuse in which illness and developmental delay in children, is caused by their parents or carers. The discourse has been linked to false allegations of child abuse, hostile adoptions and miscarriages of justice. It has also stimulated concerns that the children's real medical and developmental needs are neglected when their conditions are misdiagnosed as child abuse. This study examines the critical claims that have been levelled against the Munchausen discourse. They provide explanations of the children's problems that compete with the discourse. The claim of the discourse to scientific validity is thereby shown to be questionable. The explanations have been distilled into specific hypotheses, to stimulate further research. The literature from which the hypotheses were derived, identifies problems in the MSbP/FII discourse in five broad areas of science, regarding: the test validity of techniques; construct validity; statistical methods; evidentiary standards and adverse impacts. The main conclusion is that the detailed critical hypotheses, cohere around the central claim that the discourse of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy/Fabricated and Induced Illness serves economic vested interests, rather than the interests of children. The hypotheses predict adverse health and social outcomes, as a result of the discourse. Consequently, the continued deployment of the discourse would probably be "unsafe and therefore unwise".

  12. Health promotion in context: A reflective-analytical model.

    PubMed

    Liveng, Anne; Andersen, Heidi Myglegård; Lehn-Christiansen, Sine

    2018-02-01

    Health promotion constitutes a complex field of study, as it addresses multifaceted problems and involves a range of methods and theories. Students in the field of health promotion can find this challenging. To raise their level of reflexivity and support learning we have developed the "context model," which is presented in this article. The model provides a framework for the analysis of health-promotion initiatives, employing eight perspectives each intertwined with the others. It is based on the assumption that health and health inequities are contextual and that the theoretically inspired understanding of contexts is central for health promoters. Contexts for health are seen as more than the local setting; they are embedded in societal and global conditions-which, vice versa, influence the local setting. A Danish community health project is used to exemplify how the model can be used in relation to educational purposes.

  13. Rights Language in the Sustainable Development Agenda: Has Right to Health Discourse and Norms Shaped Health Goals?

    PubMed

    Forman, Lisa; Ooms, Gorik; Brolan, Claire E

    2015-09-29

    While the right to health is increasingly referenced in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) discussions, its contribution to global health and development remains subject to considerable debate. This hypothesis explores the potential influence of the right to health on the formulation of health goals in 4 major SDG reports. We analyse these reports through a social constructivist lens which views the use of rights rhetoric as an important indicator of the extent to which a norm is being adopted and/or internalized. Our analysis seeks to assess the influence of this language on goals chosen, and to consider accordingly the potential for rights discourse to promote more equitable global health policy in the future. © 2015 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  14. Health promotion and cardiovascular disease prevention in sub-Saharan Africa.

    PubMed

    Sampson, Uchechukwu K A; Amuyunzu-Nyamongo, Mary; Mensah, George A

    2013-01-01

    Recent population studies demonstrate an increasing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related risk factors in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The mitigation or reversal of this trend calls for effective health promotion and preventive interventions. In this article, we review the core principles, challenges, and progress in promoting cardiovascular health with special emphasis on interventions to address physical inactivity, poor diet, tobacco use, and adverse cardiometabolic risk factor trends in SSA. We focus on the five essential strategies of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Successes highlighted include community-based interventions in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and Mauritius and school-based programs in Kenya, Namibia, and Swaziland. We address the major challenge of developing integrated interventions, and showcase partnerships opportunities. We conclude by calling for intersectoral partnerships for effective and sustainable intervention strategies to advance cardiovascular health promotion and close the implementation gap in accordance with the 2009 Nairobi Call to Action on Health Promotion. © 2013.

  15. The Face of Wellness: aspirational vision of health, renewing health behavior change process and balanced portfolio approach to planning change strategies.

    PubMed

    O'Donnell, Michael P

    2008-01-01

    Health promotion needs to be made more practical and more memorable so that practitioners are not confused or overwhelmed by the theoretical and technical aspects of assuring the effectiveness of programming efforts. In this edition of The Art of Health Promotion the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Health Promotion presents a planning strategy consisting of an aspirational model of health, a renewing behavior change process and a portfolio balancing approach to strategy planning.

  16. Promoting employee health by integrating health protection, health promotion, and continuous improvement: a longitudinal quasi-experimental intervention study.

    PubMed

    von Thiele Schwarz, Ulrica; Augustsson, Hanna; Hasson, Henna; Stenfors-Hayes, Terese

    2015-02-01

    To test the effects of integrating health protection and health promotion with a continuous improvement system (Kaizen) on proximal employee outcomes (health promotion, integration, and Kaizen) and distal outcomes (workability, productivity, self-rated health and self-rated sickness absence). Twelve units in a county hospital in Sweden were randomized to control or intervention groups using a quasiexperimental study design. All staff (approximately 500) provided self-ratings in questionnaires at baseline, and a 12- and 24-month follow-up (response rate, 79% to 87.5%). There was a significant increase in the proximal outcomes over time in the intervention group compared with the control group, and a trend toward improvement in the distal outcomes workability and productivity. Integration seems to promote staff engagement in health protection and promotion, as well as to improve their understanding of the link between work and health.

  17. [Health promotion based on assets: how to work with this perspective in local interventions?

    PubMed

    Cofiño, Rafael; Aviñó, Dory; Benedé, Carmen Belén; Botello, Blanca; Cubillo, Jara; Morgan, Antony; Paredes-Carbonell, Joan Josep; Hernán, Mariano

    2016-11-01

    An asset-based approach could be useful to revitalise health promotion or community health interventions combining work with multiple partnerships, positive health, community engagement, equity and orientation of health determinants. We set some recommendations about how to incorporate the assets model in programmes, projects and interventions in health promotion. Some techniques are described for assets mapping and some experiences with this methodology being developed in different regions are systematised. We propose the term "Asset-based Health Promotion/Community Health" as an operational definition to work at the local level with a community engagement and participatory approach, building alliances between different institutions at the state-regional level and trying to create a framework for action with the generation of evaluations and evidence to work on population interventions from the perspective of positive health. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. All rights reserved.

  18. Reliability assessments in qualitative health promotion research.

    PubMed

    Cook, Kay E

    2012-03-01

    This article contributes to the debate about the use of reliability assessments in qualitative research in general, and health promotion research in particular. In this article, I examine the use of reliability assessments in qualitative health promotion research in response to health promotion researchers' commonly held misconception that reliability assessments improve the rigor of qualitative research. All qualitative articles published in the journal Health Promotion International from 2003 to 2009 employing reliability assessments were examined. In total, 31.3% (20/64) articles employed some form of reliability assessment. The use of reliability assessments increased over the study period, ranging from <20% in 2003/2004 to 50% and above in 2008/2009, while at the same time the total number of qualitative articles decreased. The articles were then classified into four types of reliability assessments, including the verification of thematic codes, the use of inter-rater reliability statistics, congruence in team coding and congruence in coding across sites. The merits of each type were discussed, with the subsequent discussion focusing on the deductive nature of reliable thematic coding, the limited depth of immediately verifiable data and the usefulness of such studies to health promotion and the advancement of the qualitative paradigm.

  19. "Do it All by Myself": A Salutogenic Approach of Masculine Health Practice Among Farming Men Coping With Stress.

    PubMed

    Roy, Philippe; Tremblay, Gilles; Robertson, Steven; Houle, Janie

    2017-09-01

    Farming is often considered one of the most stressful occupations. At the same time, farming men symbolically represent a strong, traditional, or hegemonic form of masculinity based on stoicism, resourcefulness, and resilience to adversity. A contrast is observed between this social representation and their health status, marked by higher levels of stress, social isolation, psychological distress, and suicide than many other subgroups of men. A salutogenic approach was taken in this study to enable the investigation of the social contexts in which farming men positively engage in health-promoting behaviors that may prevent or ameliorate mental health problems. A focus was placed on how farming men cope with stress on their own, and the relationship of this to their popular image of being resourceful and resilient. Thirty-two individual in-depth interviews with farming men and a focus group with five key informants working in rural areas within the Province of Quebec, Canada, were carried out. Self-distraction and cognitive strategies emerged as the most relevant for participants. Notably, taking work breaks conflicted with the discourse of the "relentless worker" that farmers are expected to be. Pathways to positive coping and recovery implied an ambivalence between contemplation of strategies aligned with negative aspects of traditional masculinity norms in North America and strategies aligned with more positive, progressive aspects of these norms based on the importance of family and work life balance. Health promotion and future research should investigate how various positive masculine practices can be aligned with farmers' health and well-being and that of their family.

  20. Maintaining evaluation designs in long term community based health promotion programmes: Heartbeat Wales case study.

    PubMed Central

    Nutbeam, D; Smith, C; Murphy, S; Catford, J

    1993-01-01

    STUDY OBJECTIVE--To examine the difficulties of developing and maintaining outcome evaluation designs in long term, community based health promotion programmes. DESIGN--Semistructured interviews of health promotion managers. SETTING--Wales and two reference health regions in England. PARTICIPANTS--Nine health promotion managers in Wales and 18 in England. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--Information on selected heart health promotion activity undertaken or coordinated by health authorities from 1985-90 was collected. The Heartbeat Wales coronary heart disease prevention programme was set up in 1985, and a research and evaluation strategy was established to complement the intervention. A substantial increase in the budget occurred over the period. In the reference health regions in England this initiative was noted and rapidly taken up, thus compromising their use as control areas. CONCLUSION--Information on large scale, community based health promotion programmes can disseminate quickly and interfere with classic intervention/evaluation control designs through contamination. Alternative experimental designs for assessing the effectiveness of long term intervention programmes need to be considered. These should not rely solely on the use of reference populations, but should balance the measurement of outcome with an assessment of the process of change in communities. The development and use of intervention exposure measures together with well structured and comprehensive process evaluation in both the intervention and reference areas is recommended. PMID:8326270

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