Health Promotion in Men’s Screening Services

Health promotion is a very pivotal aspect of the general health of a people. The community health nurses are at the central place in ensuring the health of the members of a community. It is in line with that spirit that a community health nurse would plan to devise a health promotional programme that will uplift the screening services targeting men in a community. In lieu of these facts, the current essay discusses the principles and philosophies of health promotion in line with a plan to come up with a programme that will improve men’s health screening services in the community. The discussion will also delve into the role of effective planning and evaluation strategies in ensuring that the health promotion undertaken realizes the targeted objectives. In addition, the plan will factor the social-ecological model, which is important in health promotion as it looks at the issues holistically.

The 1986 Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion defines health promotion as a process by which people are enabled to heighten control, as well as improve individual health (World Health Organization (WHO) (2015). According to the charter, the prerequisites for health include peace, food, education, shelter, income, and a sustainable ecosystem, social justice and equity. programme for this community, I would consider various factors as regards health promotion philosophies and principles, and also consider the social-ecological model in order to ensure that I achieve the set objectives at the end of the programme.

According to the WHO (2015) in regard to health promotion, the programme should focus on empowering the people and the community at large. Empowering the people will be in line with the definition of health promotion since giving the people the power will enable them to take control of their health. Cliff and Jensen (2005) observe that empowered people will be ready and willing to participate in community programmes and assist the health promoters in addressing the community’s health problems. In my planning, therefore, I will factor the empowerment aspect in order to ensure that the masses participate actively in the process. The other principle is the participation aspect. As I have reiterated, empowering the people will see them fully participate in the health promotion programme. According to Carter, Cribb and Allegrante (2012), health promotion programs should be driven by the community members so that they can feel part of them and benefit from them. Indeed, a health care worker cannot penetrate a community and be effective without the assistance of the people. In line with that spirit, my plan and evaluation strategies will factor people participation to a great extent.

Another philosophical principle of health promotion is the determination to deliver holistic care to the people. Holistic care ensures that all the aspects that lead to disease are considered. In that regard, my planning and evaluation strategies will factor the social-ecological model of health promotion, which factors all the aspects of health and illness. The social-ecological model looks at the individual domain, the social environment aspect, the physical environment and the policy aspect (Golden & Earp, 2012). The individual aspects that would affect health include age, sex, values, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and self-efficacy, among others. In the plan, therefore, I will factor these aspects in order to make an impact on the targeted population. The social environment composes of the first level of external forces acting on an individual, including friends, organization, peers and the family. Other aspects like the place of work, religion, school and the community at large are considerable. An examination of these factors will enable me to come up with the most effective planning and evaluation strategies (Sy & Kessel, 2005).

The physical aspect of the social-ecological model concerns the facilities and walkways that may inhibit the activity of a person (Whitehead, 2003). These include the public transport, housing and commercial entities, among others. These facilities influence a person’s physical ability in a great deal. In places where there is not easy access, there can be a big problem of movement from one place to another. The policy domain is the other aspect that affects the heath behavior of an individual. Policy refers to the decisions made by the authorities, including the local government, state or federal government (Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2015). Government policies affect all the aspects of the people’s lives. As such, it is important to ensure that the policies promote the health of the people. My plan and evaluation strategy for this health programme will be geared towards ensuring that the policies governing this community are in line with the spirit of health promotion, specifically the ones touching on men’s health screening.

The other philosophical principle that needs consideration in health promotion is equity in the distribution of services (Robo, Petrich & Burns, 2015). My assessment and formative evaluation will enable me to assess the gaps in equity distribution in order to rectify that in the plan. The plan will also be inter-sectoral in that it will give room for other agencies and organizations to participate in the promotion. The plan will adopt a multi-strategy approach in order to minimize the possibility of failure (Clift & Jensen, 2005). Additionally, I will ensure that the plan addresses sustainability in order to incorporate health promotional values in the daily culture of the people. In that regard, my health promotional plan will be geared towards re-orienting the health services in the said community in order to address the men’s health screening issues. I will initiate partnerships and alliances in order to strengthen community action. The health policy advocated by my health promotional programme will feature the aspect of creating supportive environments to a great extent. Where necessary, the programme will empower the individuals by developing personal skills such as self-efficacy, good communication and life skills.

My plan and evaluation strategies will also take into account the upstream approach to health promotion. Naidoo and Wills (2009) observes that the upstream approach enables the prevention of disease at the earliest stages rather than waiting for the illness to gain roots in the community. The approach enables the stakeholders to identify the sources of the disease-causing factors at the community level and solve them, as well as propose policy changes that will be supported by all the quarters. The approach is in line with the spirit of the social-ecological model as it recognizes the social-economic determinants of health and illness (Davies & McDowall, 2006). The upstream approach also has a commitment to the reduction of inequities in health, which is in line with the principles and philosophies of healthcare promotion. Incorporating this approach in the plan and evaluation strategies will, therefore, enable me to address inequities in the community, among other benefits.

In conclusion, developing the plan and evaluation strategies need a number of considerations in order to come up with an effective program. The planning will, thus, incorporate the principles and philosophies of health promotion in order to deliver care ethically, and to achieve the globally-accepted standards of health in the community. The planners will also apply the social-ecological model and the upstream approach while developing the strategies. This model will enable the planners to account for the social-economic determinants that influence health. A careful consideration of these factors will lead to a sustainable program in the community.

References

Naidoo, J., & Wills, J. (2009). Foundations for health promotion. Sydney: Elsevier Health Sciences.

Golden, D.S., & Earp, L.A. (2012). Social-ecological approaches to individuals and their contexts: Twenty years of health education & Behavior health promotion interventions.Health Education and Behavior, 20(2), 1-9.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2015). The social ecological model: A framework for prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/overview/social-ecologicalmodel.html

Whitehead, D. (2003). Evaluating health promotion: A model for nursing practice. Devon: University of Plymouth.

Robo, R., Petrich, M., & Burns, K.S. (2015). Supporting health promotion practitioners to undertake evaluation for program development. BMC Public Health, 14, 1315.

Sy, J., & Kessel, A. (2005). Health promotion: Philosophy, prejudice and practice. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 98(3), 132-133.

Carter, M.S., Cribb, A., & Allegrate, J.P. (2012). How to think about health promotion ethics.Public Health Reviews, 34(1), 1-24.

World Health Organization (WHO). (2015). The Ottawa charter for health promotion. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ottawa/en/

Davies, M., & McDowall, W. (2006). Health promotion theory. New York, NY: Open University Press.

Clift, S., & Jensen, B. (2005). The health promoting school: International advances in theory and practice. Copenhagen, NV: Danish University of Education Press.

CLICK BUTTON TO ORDER NOW