Health promotion is an area important in promoting the health of family members and children’s wellbeing. This essay will analyze issues concerning the health models of health promotion and the socio-economic influences on individuals’ health and their well being. The essay will also analyze the historical background of health education and some theories relating to health and wellbeing of individuals and children.

Health promotion

Health Promotion is the act of improving the health status of individuals and the population as a whole, which enables people to increase control over and improve their health. Health promotion can also be the process of enabling individuals to increase control over their health and its determinants improving their health and wellbeing. The health promotion areas include Physical, wellbeing, diet, hygiene, skin care, mobility, vaccinations, screening and many more. Health has five main dimensions namely the physical dimension that relates to the body functions, the emotional relating to feelings such as anxiety, and intellectual that defines a person’s ability to think. The other dimensions are sexual relating to intimate relations and spiritual that gives somebody the peace of mind.

Health education

Health education is the combination of learning experiences designed to help people and communities improve their health by increasing their knowledge and or influencing their attitudes.

Differences between health promotion and health education

.h promotion is self-care and mutual aid, while that of health education is a healthy environment.

Historical development of health education

Health education is an old practice since the dawn of the human era through health education as a profession is about 100 years old. To back the idea that education was there since the begging of the human era, we consider a case where somebody possibly consumed a wild fruit and got ill. The person warned the other people no to eat the fruit, which is health education. Somebody may have consumed a plant and recovered from an illness, and he encouraged or educated others to take it. The Alma Ata Declaration of Primary Health Care in 1978 put health as one of the components of PHC and a fundamental tool for attaining health for all. The origin of sanitary science and education through hygiene developed in the 18^th century through the discovery of vaccinations. Edward Jenner published the vaccinations of the smallpox in the mid-1890s .Between the 17^th and the 18^th century, public health and medicine were progressing at a high rate with people studying anatomy and researching on diagnosis. Public acts and interventions were common during this era, and hospitals began to emerge in 7120 by voluntary organizations. Since then many health Acts emerged to improve the health and the wellbeing of children and adults, such as the children’s’ Act in 1908 to improve their welfare. So far, there are many programs, such as the public health program to address health inequalities, reduce infant mortality rate, and improve life expectancy. Others are the consultative green paper that created a patient led NHS defining the patients’ ^st century.

socio-economic influences on and the Measurement of health.

Social-economic factors are markers that represent the conditions, which either improve or exacerbate social and economic deprivation influencing population health in children and adults. There are various social, economic factors, such as unemployment, poverty, urban population, insurance cover, and income.

Unemployment rates

Rate of unemployment refers to the number of people actively looking for work per the total number of people in the civilian labor force. High rates of unemployment have adverse effects on public health, especially that of children. Unemployment leads to economic hardships that limit the lifestyle of several individuals, as well as access to better medical resources. People with no employment cannot afford a good diet, medication, or the basic commodities, such as food and clothing. Areas with high unemployment levels experience low levels of social infrastructure development, such as development of health centers, playgrounds, and any plays, where people go for recreation activities. Employed people have a good lifestyle and can afford most of the required needs leading to better health and wellbeing of individuals.

Income

Family income is the sum of income earned by all family members in a household. The level of family income influences the kind of life the family lives, such as the type of housing, their diet, and their general health. People with high incomes can maintain a healthy living by having a good diet and insurance cover for their families. The family can also access high-quality health services and high quality of life increasing their wellbeing.

Percentage urban population

Percent urban population reflects the general distribution of local populations within countries’ rural areas and urban centers. In places, where percent urban population is low, many people are distributed in relatively isolated rural areas. These people will not access the social economic and public health resources, such as good hospitals, recreation centers, and clinics than people living in the urban centers. Some infrastructures, such as good transport and communications systems are mostly in the urban centers, and they facilitate access to medical facilities and information to the urban dwellers.

Percentage of people without insurance cover

Health insurance is very important, especially, where the medical care costs are very high for both preventive care and treatment for injuries and diseases. People with no insurance covers will have a limited access to the primary preventive care that increases the risks of acquiring diseases leading to bad health.

 

Models and approaches to health promotion

Models and approaches to health assist in creating order out of the chaos of practice and help in promoting health of vulnerable families and children by designing interventions based on the commonalities observed in the experiences of others. The main models and approaches to health care medical, social, community action, empowerment, and integrated.

Medical model

Medical approach aims at reducing disease rates and mortality due to curable illnesses in human beings through medical care. There are various experts to ensure people have good health and emphasize on the compliance to the medical instructions. The other aim is to reduce premature mortality and morbidity in humans. The model utilizes the use of medical interventions and education on the risk factors that can lead to death of individuals. However, the model ignores the social and environmental factors that can cause bad health or death.

Behaviorist preventive change

The model encourages individuals to adopt good behaviors and sees health as the responsibility of individuals. The model aims at educating, persuading, and motivating individuals to have good health by the use of professional educators. The model blames the victim for any ill health and does not incorporate social and economic factors affecting health. The model poses a lot of difficulties when addressing multi-factorial causes of behavior change.

Educationalist Approach

The aim of the model is to provide knowledge and information and develop the necessary skills for informed choices in individuals. Information giving is through groups discussions, media, books, and role plays. The various methods of passing information to individuals help them develop positive health attitudes and make good health choices. The outcome of the approach is the client’s voluntary choice of his/her lifestyle. The main criticism is that the model assumes that education can lead to attitude and behavior change.

Empowerment

of facilitators. difficult to evaluate the model because empowerment is long term, and the results are hard to specify and quantify.

 

social change

The main aim of the model is to create changes in physical, social, and economic environment so that people can enjoy life through radical life promotion. The model or approach focuses on molding the health environment through public policies, fiscal measure, and legislation. The model also creates a supportive social and physical environment for the society as a whole.

Health promotion

The approach aims at enabling people to have control of their health and wellbeing through having exercises, practicing hygiene, and healthy eating habits. The model assists families and children to live a healthy life through raising awareness about the factors that can affect the wellbeing of children and families.

National and regional health promotion structures

The body provides national guidance and advice necessary for improving the social care for humans by developing standards, guidance, and information on high-quality care. The other aim is to prevent ill health and promotes healthy living in children and adults.

The FULL STOP Campaign

The full stop campaign aims at preventing cruelty to children and was launched in 1999 in London by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

Asthma and Safety aspects of health promotion; screening programs for Children and their families

The campaign aims at reducing asthma-related complications in children through screening and offering the right treatment. The campaign was one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Health belief model – Becker 1974

rough attitude change.

Blaek 1980 (inequalities in health

The report published by the UK Department of Health and Social Security showed unequal distribution of deaths and ill health in Britain. The inequalities were widening under the influence of incomes, education, housing, diet, employment, and conditions of work and it recommended several social policy measures to address inequality. The report relates to the assignment as it gives facts about how socio-economic factors influence health promotion. Conclusion

Health promotion is an area important in promoting the health of family members and children’s wellbeing. Health education is an old practice since the dawn of the human era through health education as a profession is about 100 years old. There are various social, economic factors, such as unemployment, poverty, urban population, insurance cover, and income. The main models and approaches to health care medical, social, community action, empowerment, and integrated