Health promotion
Encyclopedia
Health promotion has been defined by the World Health Organization
's 2005 Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World
as "the process of enabling people to increase control over their health
and its determinants, and thereby improve their health". The primary means of health promotion occur through developing healthy public policy
that addresses the prerequisites of health such as income, housing, food security, employment, and quality working conditions. There is a tendency among public health
officials and governments—and this is especially the case in liberal nations such as Canada and the USA—to reduce health promotion to health education and social marketing
focused on changing behavioral risk factors.
Recent work in the UK (Delphi consultation exercise due to be published late 2009 by Royal Society of Public Health and the National Social Marketing Centre) on relationship between health promotion and social marketing has highlighted and reinforce the potential integrative nature of the approaches. While an independent review (NCC 'It's Our Health!' 2006) identified that some social marketing has in past adopted a narrow or limited approach, the UK has increasingly taken a lead in the discussion and developed a much more integrative and strategic approach (see Strategic Social Marketing in 'Social Marketing and Public Health' 2009 Oxford Press) which adopts a whole-system and holistic approach, integrating the learning from effective health promotion approaches with relevant learning from social marketing and other disciplines. A key finding from the Delphi consultation was the need to avoid unnecessary and arbitrary 'methods wars' and instead focus on the issue of 'utility' and harnessing the potential of learning from multiple disciplines and sources. Such an approach is arguably how health promotion has developed over the years pulling in learning from different sectors and disciplines to enhance and develop.
from the Government of Canada, which contained a health promotion strategy "aimed at informing, influencing and assisting both individuals and organizations so that they will accept more responsibility and be more active in matters affecting mental and physical health". Another predecessor of the definition was the 1979 Healthy People report of the Surgeon General of the United States
, which noted that health promotion "seeks the development of community and individual measures which can help... [people] to develop lifestyles that can maintain and enhance the state of well-being".
At least two publications led to a "broad empowerment/environmental" definition of health promotion in the mid-1980s:
The WHO, in collaboration with other organizations, has subsequently co-sponsored international conferences on health promotion as follows:
Altogether, the documents produced by conference attendees emphasized "investing in health promotion beyond an individual, disease
-oriented, behaviour-change model".
, schools, and worksites. Worksite health promotion, also known by terms such as "workplace health promotion," has been defined as "the combined efforts of employers, employees and society to improve the health and well-being of people at work". WHO states that the workplace "has been established as one of the priority settings for health promotion into the 21st century" because it influences "physical, mental, economic and social well-being" and "offers an ideal setting and infrastructure to support the promotion of health of a large audience".
Worksite health promotion programs (also called "workplace health promotion programs," "worksite wellness programs," or "workplace wellness programs") include exercise, nutrition
, smoking cessation and stress management. Reviews and meta-analyses
published between 2005 and 2008 that examined the scientific literature on worksite health promotion programs include the following:
s) and non-governmental organization
s have substantial efforts in the area of health promotion. Some of these entities and projects are:
are influential in health promotion around the world. The International Union for Health Promotion and Education, based in France, holds international, regional, and national conferences.
, was incorporated in 1988. In November 2008, the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission released a paper recommending a national health promotion agency. ACT Health of the Australian Capital Territory supports health promotion with funding and information dissemination. The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth)
from the state of Victoria
is "the world’s first health promotion foundation to be funded by a tax on tobacco. ".
appointed a health promotion minister to lead its Ministry of Health Promotion
in 2005.
The Ministry’s vision is to enable Ontarians to lead healthy, active lives and make the province a healthy, prosperous place to live, work, play, learn and visit. Ministry of Health Promotion sees that its fundamental goals are to promote and encourage Ontarians to make healthier choices at all ages and stages of life, to create healthy and supportive environments, lead the development of healthy public policy, and assist with embedding behaviours that promote health.
The Canadian Health Network
was a "reliable, non-commercial source of online information about how to stay healthy and prevent disease" that was discontinued in 2007.
The BC Coalition for Health Promotion is "a grassroots, voluntary non-profit society dedicated to the advancement of health promotion in British Columbia
".
has been subjected to many challenges. Sri Lanka is already facing emerging challenges due to demographic, epidemiological, technological and socio-economic transitions. The disease burden has started to shift rapidly towards lifestyle and environmental related non-communicable disease
s. These are chronic and high cost and will cause more and perhaps unaffordable burden to the country’s health care expenditure, under the free of charge health services policy. The previous success of health development increased the life expectancy of Sri Lankan people to 72 for male and 76 for women but the estimated “healthy life expectancy” at birth of all Sri Lanka population is only 61.6
Health is affected by biological, psychological, chemical, physical, social, cultural and economic factors in people’s normal living environments and people’s lifestyles. With the current rapid changing demographic, social and economic context and the epidemiological pattern of diseases, the previous health promotion interventions which found to be effective in the past may not be effective enough now and the future to address all the important determinants that affect health. Promoting people’s health must be the joint responsibility of all the social actors. These challenges require significant changes in the national health system toward new effective health promotion which has been accepted worldwide as the most cost effective measure to reduce the disease burden of the people and the burden of the nation on the increasing cost for treatment of diseases.
The development of this National Health Promotion Policy is based on: (a) the evidences from Sri Lanka health promotion situation analysis,
(b) the international accepted concept, the WHO guiding principle for health promotion and the World Health Assembly resolutions and WHO South East Asia Regional Committee Resolution, and (c) the State Policy and Strategy for Health and the Health Master Plan 2007-2016.
The key strategies for health promotion are: advocacy and mediate between different interests in society for the pursuit of health; empower and enable individual and communities to take control over their own health and all determinants of health; improve the health promotion management, health promotion interventions, programs, plans and implementation; and partnership, networking, alliance building and integration of health promotion activities across sectors.
In Sri Lanka, other non health government sectors and NGOs are currently active implementing their community development projects with the community empowerment concept that resemble the healthy setting approach for health promotion. These projects are the high potential entry points and good opportunity for the formal commencement of the new effective setting approach health promotion and the holistic life course health promotion. It is also an opportunity for partnerships and alliance building for concerted action to promote health of the nation.
This policy is formulated to promote health and well-being of the people by enabling all people to be responsible for their own health and address the broad determinants of health through the concerted actions of health and all other sectors to make Sri Lanka a Health Promoting Nation where all the citizens actively participate in health promotion activities continuously for a healthy life expectancy.
The policy objectives are as follow :
Various strategies have been developed for the attainment of each objective focus on the multi-sectoral comprehensive approach and participation of all stakeholders and the people themselves. This National Health Promotion Policy will be monitored and evaluated at all levels. Participatory monitoring and evaluation will be encouraged at implementation level.The National Health Promotion Consortium and the National Health Council will be responsible for the regular monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of this National Health Promotion Policy. Implementation of this policy will also be monitored regularly as part of the overall process of monitoring the activities of the Government and Ministries and covering various sectors and levels of government.
In May 2009, James Morgan an IT Manager working in a GP surgery created www.HealthcarePromotions.co.uk to provide healthcare professionals with free and easy access to health promotion resources and news by listing all the useful websites which provided health promotion resources all in one place. The website has been dubbed by some as the Google of health promotion resources . As of January 2011 the website has over 100 different health categories and over 800 links to different resources.
Nongovernmental organizations in the U.S. concerned with health promotion include:
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
's 2005 Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World
Bangkok Charter
The Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World is the name of an international agreement reached among participants of the 6th Global Conference on Health Promotion held in Bangkok, Thailand in August 2005, convened by the World Health Organization...
as "the process of enabling people to increase control over their health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and its determinants, and thereby improve their health". The primary means of health promotion occur through developing healthy public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
that addresses the prerequisites of health such as income, housing, food security, employment, and quality working conditions. There is a tendency among public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
officials and governments—and this is especially the case in liberal nations such as Canada and the USA—to reduce health promotion to health education and social marketing
Social marketing
Social marketing is the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good. Social marketing can be applied to promote merit goods, or to make a society avoid demerit goods and thus to promote society's well being as...
focused on changing behavioral risk factors.
Recent work in the UK (Delphi consultation exercise due to be published late 2009 by Royal Society of Public Health and the National Social Marketing Centre) on relationship between health promotion and social marketing has highlighted and reinforce the potential integrative nature of the approaches. While an independent review (NCC 'It's Our Health!' 2006) identified that some social marketing has in past adopted a narrow or limited approach, the UK has increasingly taken a lead in the discussion and developed a much more integrative and strategic approach (see Strategic Social Marketing in 'Social Marketing and Public Health' 2009 Oxford Press) which adopts a whole-system and holistic approach, integrating the learning from effective health promotion approaches with relevant learning from social marketing and other disciplines. A key finding from the Delphi consultation was the need to avoid unnecessary and arbitrary 'methods wars' and instead focus on the issue of 'utility' and harnessing the potential of learning from multiple disciplines and sources. Such an approach is arguably how health promotion has developed over the years pulling in learning from different sectors and disciplines to enhance and develop.
History
The "first and best known" definition of health promotion, promulgated by the American Journal of Health Promotion since at least 1986, is "the science and art of helping people change their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health". This definition was derived from the 1974 Lalonde reportLaLonde report
The Lalonde Report is a 1974 report produced in Canada formally titled A new perspective on the health of Canadians. It proposed the concept of the "health field", identifying two main health-related objectives: the health care system; and prevention of health problems and promotion of good health...
from the Government of Canada, which contained a health promotion strategy "aimed at informing, influencing and assisting both individuals and organizations so that they will accept more responsibility and be more active in matters affecting mental and physical health". Another predecessor of the definition was the 1979 Healthy People report of the Surgeon General of the United States
Surgeon General of the United States
The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government...
, which noted that health promotion "seeks the development of community and individual measures which can help... [people] to develop lifestyles that can maintain and enhance the state of well-being".
At least two publications led to a "broad empowerment/environmental" definition of health promotion in the mid-1980s:
- In 1984 the World Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(WHO) Regional Office for Europe defined health promotion as "the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health". In addition to methods to change lifestyles, the WHO Regional Office advocated "legislation, fiscal measures, organisational change, community development and spontaneous local activities against health hazards" as health promotion methods. - In 1986, Jake Epp, Canadian Minister of National Health and WelfareMinister of Health (Canada)The Minister of Health is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's health department and the enforcing the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada Health Act, the law governing Medicare...
, released Achieving health for all: a framework for health promotion which also came to be known as the "Epp report". This report defined the three "mechanisms" of health promotion as "self-care"; "mutual aid, or the actions people take to help each other cope"; and "healthy environments".
The WHO, in collaboration with other organizations, has subsequently co-sponsored international conferences on health promotion as follows:
- 1st International Conference on Health Promotion, OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, 1986, which resulted in the "Ottawa Charter for Health PromotionOttawa Charter for Health PromotionThe Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion is the name of an international agreement signed at the First International Conference on Health Promotion, organized by the World Health Organization and held in Ottawa, Canada, in November 1986...
". According to the Ottawa Charter, health promotion:- "is not just the responsibility of the health sector, but goes beyond healthy life-styles to well-being"
- "aims at making... [political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, behavioural and biological factors] favourable through advocacy for health"
- "focuses on achieving equity in healthHealth equityHealth equity refers to the study of differences in the quality of health and health care across different populations....
" - "demands coordinated action by all concerned: by governments, by health and other social and economic sectors, by nongovernmental and voluntary organization, by local authorities, by industry and by the media"
- "should be adapted to the local needs and possibilities of individual countries and regions to take into account differing social, cultural and economic systems"
- In addition, the Ottawa Charter conceptualized "health promotion action" as "Build Healthy Public Policy," "Create Supportive Environments," "Strengthen Community Actions," "Develop Personal Skills," "Reorient Health Services" (i.e., "beyond its responsibility for providing clinical and curative services"), and "Moving into the Future."
- 2nd International Conference on Health Promotion, AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, 1988, which resulted in the "Adelaide Recommendations on Healthy Public Policy". - 3rd International Conference on Health Promotion, SundsvallSundsvall-External links:* - Official site from Nordisk Familjebok - Sundsvalls tourist information bureau. - The alternative guide to Sundsvall. - Blog with photos from Sundsvall....
, 1991, which resulted in the "Sundsvall Statement on Supportive Environments for Health". - 4th International Conference on Health Promotion, JakartaJakartaJakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, 1997, which resulted in the "Jakarta Declaration on Leading Health Promotion into the 21st CenturyJakarta DeclarationThe Jakarta Declaration on Leading Health Promotion into the 21st Century is the name of an international agreement that was signed at the World Health Organization's 1997 Fourth International Conference on Health Promotion held in Jakarta...
". - 5th Global Conference on Health Promotion, Mexico CityMexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, 2000, which resulted in the "Mexico Ministerial Statement for the Promotion of Health". - 6th Global Conference on Health Promotion, BangkokBangkokBangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, 2005, which resulted in the "Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized WorldBangkok CharterThe Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World is the name of an international agreement reached among participants of the 6th Global Conference on Health Promotion held in Bangkok, Thailand in August 2005, convened by the World Health Organization...
".
- 2nd International Conference on Health Promotion, Adelaide
Altogether, the documents produced by conference attendees emphasized "investing in health promotion beyond an individual, disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
-oriented, behaviour-change model".
Worksite health promotion
Health promotion can be performed in various locations. Among the settings that have received special attention are the community, health care facilitiesHealth care provider
A health care provider is an individual or an institution that provides preventive, curative, promotional or rehabilitative health care services in a systematic way to individuals, families or communities....
, schools, and worksites. Worksite health promotion, also known by terms such as "workplace health promotion," has been defined as "the combined efforts of employers, employees and society to improve the health and well-being of people at work". WHO states that the workplace "has been established as one of the priority settings for health promotion into the 21st century" because it influences "physical, mental, economic and social well-being" and "offers an ideal setting and infrastructure to support the promotion of health of a large audience".
Worksite health promotion programs (also called "workplace health promotion programs," "worksite wellness programs," or "workplace wellness programs") include exercise, nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
, smoking cessation and stress management. Reviews and meta-analyses
Meta-analysis
In statistics, a meta-analysis combines the results of several studies that address a set of related research hypotheses. In its simplest form, this is normally by identification of a common measure of effect size, for which a weighted average might be the output of a meta-analyses. Here the...
published between 2005 and 2008 that examined the scientific literature on worksite health promotion programs include the following:
- A review of 13 studies published through January 2004 showed "strong evidence... for an effect on dietary intake, inconclusive evidence for an effect on physical activity, and no evidence for an effect on health risk indicators".
- In the most recent of a series of updates to a review of "comprehensive health promotion and disease management programs at the worksite," Pelletier (2005) noted "positive clinical and cost outcomes" but also found declines in the number of relevant studies and their quality.
- A "meta-evaluation" of 56 studies published 1982-2005 found that worksite health promotion produced on average a decrease of 26.8% in sick leave absenteeism, a decrease of 26.1% in health costs, a decrease of 32% in workers’ compensation costs and disability management claims costs, and a cost-benefit ratio of 5.81.
- A meta-analysis of 46 studies published 1970-2005 found moderate, statistically significant effects of work health promotion, especially exercise, on "work ability" and "overall well-being"; furthermore, "sickness absences seem to be reduced by activities promoting healthy lifestyle".
- A meta-analysis of 22 studies published 1997-2007 determined that workplace health promotion interventions led to "small" reductions in depression and anxiety.
- A review of 119 studies suggested that successful work site health-promotion programs have attributes such as: assessing employees' health needs and tailoring programs to meet those needs; attaining high participation rates; promoting self care; targeting several health issues simultaneously; and offering different types of activities (e.g., group sessions as well as print materials).
Health promotion entities and projects by country
Worldwide, government agencies (such as health departmentHealth department
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their own...
s) and non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s have substantial efforts in the area of health promotion. Some of these entities and projects are:
International and multinational
The WHO and its Regional Offices such as the Pan American Health OrganizationPan American Health Organization
The Pan American Health Organization is an international public health agency with over 100 years of experience working to improve health and living standards of the people of the Americas...
are influential in health promotion around the world. The International Union for Health Promotion and Education, based in France, holds international, regional, and national conferences.
Australia
The Australian Health Promotion Association, a professional bodyProfessional body
A professional association is usually a nonprofit organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession, and the public interest.The roles of these professional associations have been variously defined: "A group of people in a...
, was incorporated in 1988. In November 2008, the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission released a paper recommending a national health promotion agency. ACT Health of the Australian Capital Territory supports health promotion with funding and information dissemination. The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth)
Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth)
The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation is a statutory authority in the Australian state of Victoria, originally funded by hypothecated taxation raised by the Victorian Tobacco Act 1987. It was the first health promotion body in the world to be funded by a tax on tobacco.Better known as...
from the state of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
is "the world’s first health promotion foundation to be funded by a tax on tobacco. ".
Canada
The province of OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
appointed a health promotion minister to lead its Ministry of Health Promotion
Ministry of Health Promotion (Ontario)
The Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport in the Canadian province of Ontario was responsible for the promotion of healthy living and disease prevention in the province. Between 2005 and July 2010, the organization's name was the Ministry of Health Promotion....
in 2005.
The Ministry’s vision is to enable Ontarians to lead healthy, active lives and make the province a healthy, prosperous place to live, work, play, learn and visit. Ministry of Health Promotion sees that its fundamental goals are to promote and encourage Ontarians to make healthier choices at all ages and stages of life, to create healthy and supportive environments, lead the development of healthy public policy, and assist with embedding behaviours that promote health.
The Canadian Health Network
Canadian Health Network
The Canadian Health Network was a national, bilingual health promotion service operated by the Public Health Agency of Canada and major health organizations across Canada...
was a "reliable, non-commercial source of online information about how to stay healthy and prevent disease" that was discontinued in 2007.
The BC Coalition for Health Promotion is "a grassroots, voluntary non-profit society dedicated to the advancement of health promotion in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
".
New Zealand
The Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand is the national umbrella organization of over 150 organisations committed to improving health.Norway
The Research Centre for Health Promotion and Resources HiST/NTNU (http://www.rchpr.org) was established in Trondheim 2010. The Centre takes part in the scientific exploration of what promotes, maintains and restores good health – both in healthy, vulnerable and diseased populations. The research group has a bio-psycho-social- existential health understanding. Health is understood as a positive resource which every person has more or less of. The Centre will contribute to new knowledge about the following:Factors that promote, sustain, and restore good health in healthy people, vulnerable or exposed groups, and those with health deficiencies.Factors that promote health (i.e., salutogenesis) as opposed to focusing on factors that generate illness and disease (i.e., pathogenesis).Sri Lanka
Health promotion in Sri Lanka has been very successful during recent decades as shown by the health indicators. Despite the numerous successes over the years, the integrity of the health systemHealth system
A health system can be defined as the structured and interrelated set of all actors and institutions contributing to health improvement. The health system boundaries could then be referred to the concept of health action, which is "any set of activities whose primary intent is to improve or...
has been subjected to many challenges. Sri Lanka is already facing emerging challenges due to demographic, epidemiological, technological and socio-economic transitions. The disease burden has started to shift rapidly towards lifestyle and environmental related non-communicable disease
Non-communicable disease
A non-communicable disease, or NCD, is a medical condition or disease which is non-infectious. NCDs are diseases of long duration and generally slow progression. They include heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and...
s. These are chronic and high cost and will cause more and perhaps unaffordable burden to the country’s health care expenditure, under the free of charge health services policy. The previous success of health development increased the life expectancy of Sri Lankan people to 72 for male and 76 for women but the estimated “healthy life expectancy” at birth of all Sri Lanka population is only 61.6
Health is affected by biological, psychological, chemical, physical, social, cultural and economic factors in people’s normal living environments and people’s lifestyles. With the current rapid changing demographic, social and economic context and the epidemiological pattern of diseases, the previous health promotion interventions which found to be effective in the past may not be effective enough now and the future to address all the important determinants that affect health. Promoting people’s health must be the joint responsibility of all the social actors. These challenges require significant changes in the national health system toward new effective health promotion which has been accepted worldwide as the most cost effective measure to reduce the disease burden of the people and the burden of the nation on the increasing cost for treatment of diseases.
The development of this National Health Promotion Policy is based on: (a) the evidences from Sri Lanka health promotion situation analysis,
(b) the international accepted concept, the WHO guiding principle for health promotion and the World Health Assembly resolutions and WHO South East Asia Regional Committee Resolution, and (c) the State Policy and Strategy for Health and the Health Master Plan 2007-2016.
The key strategies for health promotion are: advocacy and mediate between different interests in society for the pursuit of health; empower and enable individual and communities to take control over their own health and all determinants of health; improve the health promotion management, health promotion interventions, programs, plans and implementation; and partnership, networking, alliance building and integration of health promotion activities across sectors.
In Sri Lanka, other non health government sectors and NGOs are currently active implementing their community development projects with the community empowerment concept that resemble the healthy setting approach for health promotion. These projects are the high potential entry points and good opportunity for the formal commencement of the new effective setting approach health promotion and the holistic life course health promotion. It is also an opportunity for partnerships and alliance building for concerted action to promote health of the nation.
This policy is formulated to promote health and well-being of the people by enabling all people to be responsible for their own health and address the broad determinants of health through the concerted actions of health and all other sectors to make Sri Lanka a Health Promoting Nation where all the citizens actively participate in health promotion activities continuously for a healthy life expectancy.
The policy objectives are as follow :
-
- To strengthen leaderships for health promotion at all levels and all sectors through advocacy.
- To mobilize the society and create nationwide health promotion actions.
- To develop and implement effective comprehensive holistic and multisectoral approach health promotion interventions.
- To establish an effective system and mechanism for health promotion management and coordination at all levels.
- To build capacity for health promotion at all levels and across sectors.
- To improve financing and resources allocation and utilization for health promotion.
- To establish an evidence-base for health promotion effectiveness.
Various strategies have been developed for the attainment of each objective focus on the multi-sectoral comprehensive approach and participation of all stakeholders and the people themselves. This National Health Promotion Policy will be monitored and evaluated at all levels. Participatory monitoring and evaluation will be encouraged at implementation level.The National Health Promotion Consortium and the National Health Council will be responsible for the regular monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of this National Health Promotion Policy. Implementation of this policy will also be monitored regularly as part of the overall process of monitoring the activities of the Government and Ministries and covering various sectors and levels of government.
United Kingdom
In October 2008, the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health (also known as the Royal Society of Health or RSH) merged with the Royal Institute of Public Health (RIPH) to form the [Royal Society for Public Health]. Earlier, July 2005 saw the publication by the Department of Health and Welsh Assembly Government of Shaping the Future of Public Health: Promoting Health in the NHS. Following discussions with the Department of Health and Welsh Assembly Government officials, the Royal Society for Public Health and three national public health bodies agreed, in 2006, to work together to take forward the report's recommendations, working in partnership with other organisations. Accordingly: (1) the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) leads and hosts the collaboration, and focuses on advocacy for health promotion and its workforce; (2) The Institute of Health Promotion and Education (IHPE) works with the RSPH [Royal Society for Public Health] to give a voice to the workforce, (3) the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) focuses on professional standards, education and training; and (4) the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) is responsible for regulation of the workforce. In [Northern Ireland], the government's Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland "provide[s] leadership, strategic direction and support, where possible, to all those involved in promoting health in Northern Ireland".In May 2009, James Morgan an IT Manager working in a GP surgery created www.HealthcarePromotions.co.uk to provide healthcare professionals with free and easy access to health promotion resources and news by listing all the useful websites which provided health promotion resources all in one place. The website has been dubbed by some as the Google of health promotion resources . As of January 2011 the website has over 100 different health categories and over 800 links to different resources.
United States
Government agencies in the U.S. concerned with health promotion include:- The Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCenters for Disease Control and PreventionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
has a Coordinating Center for Health Promotion who mission is "Prevent disease, improve health, and enhance human potential through evidence based interventions and research in maternal and child health, chronic disease, disabilities, genomics, and hereditary disorders". - The United States Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive MedicineUnited States Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive MedicineThe United States Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine — known as USACHPPM or CHPPM — is a United States Army center headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, United States...
"provide[s] worldwide technical support for implementing preventive medicine, public health, and health promotion/wellness services into all aspects of America's Army and the Army Community".
Nongovernmental organizations in the U.S. concerned with health promotion include:
- The Public Health Education and Health Promotion SectionPublic Health Education and Health Promotion SectionThe Public Health Education and Health Promotion section is one of 25 primary sections and special interest groups within the American Public Health Association ....
is an active component of the American Public Health AssociationAmerican Public Health AssociationThe American Public Health Association is Washington, D.C.-based professional organization for public health professionals in the United States. Founded in 1872 by Dr. Stephen Smith, APHA has more than 30,000 members worldwide...
. - The Wellness Council of America is an industry trade groupIndustry trade groupA trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
that supports workplace health promotion programs. - URACUracURAC, formerly known as the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission, is a nonprofit organization promoting healthcare quality by accrediting healthcare organizations.- Mission :...
accredits comprehensive wellness programs "that focus on health promotion, chronic disease prevention and health risk reduction". - HPCareer.Net, llc. HPCareer.Net, llc founded by Michaela Conley is the Health Promotion Career Network and Health Promotion LIVE providing free career resources and professional continuing education opportunities in health promotion exclusively.
See also
- Health for allHealth For AllHealth For All is a programming goal of the World Health Organization , which envisions securing the health and well being of people around the world that has been popularized since the 1970s...
- Health 2.0Health 2.0Health 2.0 are terms representing the possibilities between health care, eHealth and Web 2.0, and has come into use after a recent spate of articles in newspapers, and by Physicians and Medical Librarians...
- Health 21Health 21Health 21 or Health21 is the name given to the World Health Organization European Region policy framework derived from the "health-for-all policy for the twenty-first century" passed by the World Health Assembly in 1998...
- Health disparitiesHealth disparitiesHealth equity refers to the study of differences in the quality of health and health care across different populations....
- Health foodHealth foodThe term health food is generally used to describe foods that are considered to be beneficial to health, beyond a normal healthy diet required for human nutrition. However, the term is not precisely defined by national regulatory agencies such as the U.S...
- Health literacyHealth literacyHealth literacy is an individual's ability to read, understand and use healthcare information to make decisions and follow instructions for treatment...
- Health marketingHealth marketingHealth marketing is an innovative approach to public health that applies traditional marketing principles and theories alongside science-based strategies to prevention, health promotion and health protection....
- Health policy
- Health promoting hospitalsHealth promoting hospitalsThe International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services is a network initiated by the World Health Organization - Regional Office for Europe...
- Health promotion in higher educationHealth Promotion in Higher EducationIn higher education, health promotion programs work to support students by creating healthy learning environments. Based on a public health/population health model, health promotion services often coordinate primary prevention and secondary prevention on campus. Health promotion in higher...
- Breastfeeding promotionBreastfeeding promotionBreastfeeding promotion refers to coordinated activities and policies to promote health among women, newborns and infants through breastfeeding....
- Development communicationDevelopment communicationDevelopment Communication, has been alternatively defined as a type of marketing and public opinion research that is used specifically to develop effective communication or as the use of communication to promote social development...
- Nutritional gatekeeperNutritional gatekeeperNutritional gatekeeper has been used to refer to the person in a household who typically makes the purchasing and preparation decisions related to food. Nutritional gatekeepers can be a parent, grandparent, sibling, or caregiver...
- Prevention (medical)
- Social determinants of healthSocial determinants of healthSocial determinants of health are the economic and social conditions under which people live which determine their health. They are "societal risk conditions", rather than individual risk factors that either increase or decrease the risk for a disease, for example for cardiovascular disease and...
- Social marketingSocial marketingSocial marketing is the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good. Social marketing can be applied to promote merit goods, or to make a society avoid demerit goods and thus to promote society's well being as...
- Transtheoretical modelTranstheoretical ModelThe Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change assesses an individual's readiness to act on a new healthier behavior, and provides strategies, or processes of change to guide the individual through the stages of change to action and maintenance....
- American Academy of Health BehaviorAmerican Academy of Health BehaviorThe American Academy of Health Behavior was founded in 1997 to “transform the health promotion and health education field from a teaching- and service-centered profession to one with a stronger research foundation in which discovery would be valued as a means of improving practice and enhancing...
, USA - Californian Journal of Health PromotionCalifornian Journal of Health PromotionThe Californian Journal of Health Promotion is a peer-reviewed medical journal focusing on health education and health promotion practice, teaching, research, and issues of interest to professionals in California and the surrounding Western United States. The journal publishes multimedia...
, USA - Health Promotion BoardHealth Promotion BoardThe Health Promotion Board is a statutory board under the Ministry of Health of Singapore. It was established in 2001 to act as the main driver for national health promotion and disease prevention programmes, "with a vision to build a nation of healthy and happy people".HPB undertakes the...
, Singapore - Research Centre for Health Promotion and Resources, Norway
Further reading
- Taylor RB, Ureda JR, Denham JW. Health promotion: principles and clinical applications. Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1982. ISBN 0838536700.
- Dychtwald K. Wellness and health promotion for the elderly. Rockville, MD: Aspen Systems Corp., 1986. ISBN 0871892383.
- Green LW, Lewis FM. Measurement and evaluation in health education and health promotion. Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield Pub. Co., 1986. ISBN 0874844819.
- Teague ML. Health promotion programs: achieving high-level wellness in the later years. Indianapolis: Benchmark Press, 1987. ISBN 0936157089.
- Heckheimer E. Health promotion of the elderly in the community. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, 1989. ISBN 0721621368.
- Fogel CI, Lauver D. Sexual health promotion. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, 1990. ISBN 072163799X.
- Hawe P, Degeling D, Hall J. Evaluating health promotion: a health worker's guide. Sydney & Philadelphia: MacLennan+Petty, 1990. ISBN 0864330677.
- Dines A, Cribb A. Health promotion: concepts and practice. Oxford, England & Cambridge, MA, USA: Blackwell Science, 1993. ISBN 0632035439.
- Downie RS, Tannahill C, Tannahill A. Health promotion: models and values. 2nd ed. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0192625926.
- Seedhouse, David. Health promotion: philosophy, practice, and prejudice. New York: J. Wiley, 1997. ISBN 0471939102.
- Bracht NF. Health promotion at the community level: new advances. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 1999. ISBN 0761918442.
- Green LW, Kreuter MW. Health promotion planning: an educational and ecological approach. 3rd ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Pub. Co., 1999. ISBN 0767405242.
- Mittelmark, M; Kickbusch, I; Rootman, I; Scriven, A and Tones, K. (2008) Health Promotion Encyclopedia of Public Health. London: Elsevier
- Naidoo J, Wills J. Health promotion: foundations for practice. 2nd ed. Edinburgh & New York: Baillière Tindall, 2000. ISBN 0702024481.
- DiClemente RJ, Crosby RA, Kegler MC. Emerging theories in health promotion practice and research: strategies for improving public health. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002. ISBN 0787955663.
- O'Donnell MP. Health promotion in the workplace. 3rd ed. Albany: Delmar Thomson Learning, 2002. ISBN 0766828662.
- Cox CC, American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM's worksite health promotion manual: a guide to building and sustaining healthy worksites. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2003. ISBN 0736046577.
- Lucas K, Lloyd BB. Health promotion: evidence and experience. London & Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005. ISBN 0761940057.
- Bartholomew LK, Parcel GS, Kok G, Gottlieb NH. Planning health promotion programs: an intervention mapping approach. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006. ISBN 078797899X.
- Edelman CL, Mandle CL. Health promotion throughout the life span. 6th ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier, 2006. ISBN 0323031285.
- Pender NJ, Murdaugh CL, Parsons MA. Health promotion in nursing practice. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006. ISBN 0131194364.
- Scriven, A and Garman, S(2007) Promoting Health: Global Perspectives. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN hardback 1-4039-2136-9 paperback 1-4039-2137-7.
- Scriven A (2007) Developing local alliance partnerships through community collaboration and participation. In Policy and Practice in Promoting Public Health (2006) edited by Handsley, S., Lloyd, C.E., Douglas, J., Earle, S. and Spurr, S. M. London: Sage.
- Scriven, A (ed) (2005) Health Promoting Practice: the contribution of nurses and Allied Health Professionals Basingstoke: Palgrave (xxxi + 300) ISBN paperback 1-4039-3411
- Scriven, A (2010) (6th ed)Promoting Health: a Practical Guide. Edinburgh: Balliere Tindall/ Elsivier ISBN 978 0 7020 3139 7.
- Leddy, Susan. Health promotion: mobilizing strengths to enhance health, wellness, and well-being. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis, 2006. ISBN 0803614055.
- Chenoweth DH. Worksite health promotion. 2nd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2007. ISBN 9780736060417.
- Cottrell RR, Girvan JT, McKenzie JF. Principles & foundations of health promotion and education. 4th ed. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings, 2008. ISBN 9780321532350.
- Murray RB, Zentner JP, Yakimo R. Health promotion strategies through the life span. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. ISBN 9780135138663.
- McKenzie JE, Thackeray R, Neiger BL. Planning, implementing, and evaluating health promotion programs: a primer. 5th ed. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings, 2009. ISBN 9780321495112.
External links
- Healthy Cities – WHO EURO Office
- HSE Health Promotion Website from the Health Service ExecutiveHealth Service ExecutiveThe Health Service Executive is responsible for the provision of healthcare providing health and personal social services for everyone living in Ireland, with public funds. The Executive was established by the Health Act, 2004 and came into official operation on January 1, 2005...
, Republic of IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... - Politics of Health Group
- Health-EU Portal Health Prevention and Promotion in the EU