The Pros And Cons Of Health Promotion

‘Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health’ (WHO, 1986). Health here is viewed as a resource and health promotion is aimed at increasing the control of people over this resource and improve equity for all. Over the years, health promotion campaigns have taken the individual and lifestyle approach and not considered the social determinants that could be the cause of people’s health status. The World Health Organisation’s Ottawa Charter and Durie’s Te Pae Mahutonga instead looks at the broader holistic picture and uses intersectoral collaboration. Using multiple health promotion strategies is more effective, achieving better and more sustainable population health outcomes. There
While smoking is a lifestyle choice, we also need to engage with communities to decrease the rates of smoking-related CVD cases in NZ. The rate of smoking amongst the population is approximately 25% (MoH, 2002b). However, amongst Maori it is much higher: 44% for men and 51% for women (MoH, 2002b). Society has changed its views on smoking in recent decades. In the 1980s, smoking was used as a social interaction and even doctors were seen in advertisements smoking. Doctors now strongly advise against smoking as they have better understanding of the many consequences for the population’s health. There have been many anti-smoking campaigns designed to raise awareness of this public health challenge and to try and make smokers think twice before taking their next cigarette. Other public health interventions include Quitline, a service providing professional advice to those who want to quit smoking, as well as the promotion of alternative therapies involving the use of cigarette replacements like e-cigarettes and vaping. Therefore, we can see that we need to tackle this challenge at a community and setting based as well as a structural
Their work reflects the Ministry of Health’s guidelines on food and nutrition. The HPA provides suggestions for individuals and families around healthier food options and ways to be more active. The HPA promotes drinking water, more movement in the workplaces, produces affordable and time-efficient meal plans for families, and has introduce the Health Star Ratings on products. The Health Promotion Agency is a great organisation that raises awareness amongst the population on nutrition and physical activity, two factors strongly linked to CVD. They are targeting individuals to make a difference in their lifestyle but it is also impacting on the community in a positive way because there is more engagement with one another (http://www.hpa.org.nz/what-we-do/nutrition-and-physical-activity