Health Needs Assessment Reading
The key links between health issues in
Reading, Berkshire and the determinants of health.
Stevens and Raftery (1997) state that the health needs of a population are only worth assessing when something useful can be done about the results. A health needs assessment (HNA) is a systematic method for reviewing the health issues facing a population, leading to agreed priorities and resource allocation that will improve health and reduce inequalities. (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 2005)
This health needs assessment aims to establish how, by improving just two key determinants of health, it is possible to positively affect the population of Reading’s health and well-being.
The determinants of health focused on in this paper are, education and individual lifestyle factors - in particularly diet & exercise. By researching the common causes of the health issues raised in the Health summary of Reading (Department of Health (DoH) and Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) 2010) and using Dahlgren & Whitehead’s Social Model of Health (1991) (see appendix 1.1) it has been possible to establish links between both the health issues raised and their causes. By assigning each particular health issue to the appropriate category on the social model of health diagram, it becomes apparent that several of Reading’s health tribulations could be resolved by broadening the content of the national curriculum and also by enhancing the population’s knowledge and interest on the topic of diet and exercise. A valuable source of information used whilst compiling this health needs assessment was the ‘2010 Reading Health Profile’ published by the DoH and the APHO. The document compares 32 health indicators showing the gap between the Reading average and the England Average, allowing you to clearly see which health issues need addressing to improve the overall health and well being of Reading’s population.
With an estimated population
Reading, Berkshire and the determinants of health.
Stevens and Raftery (1997) state that the health needs of a population are only worth assessing when something useful can be done about the results. A health needs assessment (HNA) is a systematic method for reviewing the health issues facing a population, leading to agreed priorities and resource allocation that will improve health and reduce inequalities. (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 2005)
This health needs assessment aims to establish how, by improving just two key determinants of health, it is possible to positively affect the population of Reading’s health and well-being.
The determinants of health focused on in this paper are, education and individual lifestyle factors - in particularly diet & exercise. By researching the common causes of the health issues raised in the Health summary of Reading (Department of Health (DoH) and Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) 2010) and using Dahlgren & Whitehead’s Social Model of Health (1991) (see appendix 1.1) it has been possible to establish links between both the health issues raised and their causes. By assigning each particular health issue to the appropriate category on the social model of health diagram, it becomes apparent that several of Reading’s health tribulations could be resolved by broadening the content of the national curriculum and also by enhancing the population’s knowledge and interest on the topic of diet and exercise. A valuable source of information used whilst compiling this health needs assessment was the ‘2010 Reading Health Profile’ published by the DoH and the APHO. The document compares 32 health indicators showing the gap between the Reading average and the England Average, allowing you to clearly see which health issues need addressing to improve the overall health and well being of Reading’s population.
With an estimated population
References: Association of Public Health Observatories (2010) Health summary for Reading, England: HMSO Association of Public Health Observatories (2009) Health summary for Reading, England: HMSO The 2001 census: a measure of democracy in the UK. London: Bacoprint, 2001. Dahlgren and Whitehead (1991) Appendix 1.2 Ward map of Reading Reading Borough Council (2010) DoH and APHO (2010) DoH and APHO (2010)