Empowerment as an approach for public health promotion
Writa an Esssay on Social Determinants of Health.
Empowerment is an approach that can be used for public health promotion. In order to reframe the health practices, it is crucial to use empowerment approach. Empowerment refers to an action-oriented concept, which removes formal and informal barriers from the health practices (Laverack 2007). Therefore, in healthcare practice empowerment transfers the power relations between the governments, institution, and community. In order to implement health teaching for the well-being, empowerment is necessary. However, if the empowerment is incorporated in the health practice then people will be able to gain control over their health determinants. Hence, it can be said that empowerment is helpful to improve the health practices and maximize the well-being. This current study deals with the role of empowerment in public health practice (Laliberté et al. 2012).
Various factors are involved in empowering the public health practices. However, due to social and demographic changes, it becomes important for the practitioners to empower the individuals. Social changes often lead the practitioners to encourage the people to take necessary decision regarding their health. Social changes create social awareness as a result, it becomes mandatory for the health sectors to empower the individuals. For example, the WHO has taken initiatives to empower the people by developing their knowledge in health. They have conducted various campaigns to increase the health awareness among the public. On the other hand, lack of knowledge and inequality are the other factors that make an urge to empower the individuals to increase their knowledge regarding health practice (Andersen et al. 2011). In order to lead the people to take a decision regarding their health empowerment is vital. This causes empowerment in the public health practice. Many people have lack of knowledge regarding the health practices. On the other hand, in many healthcare sectors, individuals accept the advice from practitioners as they have poor knowledge to take their health-related decision (Laverack 2007). Therefore, the practitioners do not have a clear knowledge of how to deal with the people this hampers their work. Hence, the practitioners must know how to empower the individuals to improve their health. These factors are empowering community and individuals (Baum et al. 2009). Public health program is a major approach that influences the empowerment in public health practice. Public health program includes action plan to improve the health and safety of the individuals. Therefore, non-profit agency and community involvement are required to give shape the public health program. This program increases awareness among the people and empower them to take part in health promotional activity. For example, WHO has conducted global public health days campaign to empower the individuals and generate awareness among them regarding the health and safety. This campaign is held for 7 days and influenced people to take part in it. However, an introduction of top-down and bottom-up approach is a good way to empower the public health practice (Auger 2013).
Factors involved in empowering individuals and community
Social and political changes cause community empowerment. In Australia maximum government policies address the aboriginal health. Such aboriginal health practice is an effective initiative by Australian government, which is based on the empowerment principles. These policies support the group empowerment, which lead the aboriginal people to make a decision regarding their health practices (Baum et al. 2009). Therefore, political change in Australia creates a new policy to improve the health practices by providing empowerment to the individuals. In Australia the Family well-being empowerment program or FWB was introduced to support the empowerment process (Keleher 2001). The social changes lead the practitioners and non-profit organization to empower the people by increasing their knowledge in health promotion.
Such agencies understand the importance of involving the community in health promotion. Hence, collaborative partnership work is an outcome of social change, which empowers the people in a community (Laliberté et al. 2012). Social changes highlight community engagement to share the priorities of the individuals. By using a better accommodate top-down and bottom-up agenda the practitioners and non-profit agency empower the people (Chapman 2004). Apart from this establishment of health education practice and health teaching is another outcome of social change, which also empowers the individuals by increasing their knowledge regarding health issues. This leads them to take a decision regarding their health improvement (Ellis and Walton 2012).
Political activity empowers the communities. However, the practitioners have identified the political nature of the health agendas. It is important to engage others in partisan policies to give shape the healthy public policies (Auger 2013). However, any political changes may lead the people as well as health agencies to give their concern in health improvement. In order to engage the community in health practices, the political party has taken initiatives. First, they consider the legitimate individuals of the community and then influence them to participate in public health improvement practice (Gil 1998). The political parties try to influence such individuals an allow them to involve in improving the health practices. Political activity includes changes in policy in a country. Government is the part of the political party. In Australia the government has given their focus to improve the health of aboriginal community. This needs the involvement of aboriginals in the health improvement program. Introduction of the FWB policy by Australian government empower the aboriginal community, which leads them to gain control over their health decision (Laverack 2007). On the other hand, the government implements policies to improve the health practices by empowering the migrants.
Role of non-profit agencies and government initiatives in public health promotion
The political parties in China, as well as the government, have taken initiatives to engage the Chinese communities in public health promotion (Keleher 2001). Studies show adopting a new lifestyle often causes accidents and injuries. It has been received that Asian migrants have little knowledge about how to cover accidents insurance. In the context of Chinese migrants, this is a major issue. Thus, the government has taken initiative to involve the Chinese migrants in health promotion activity. It has been found that the Chinese migrants have limited knowledge about how to deal with different circumstances and some are confused about how to access the government service in a new country. Hence, the government suggests the Chinese migrants to follow different channels through which their community can be informed about the government facility (Keleher 2001).
The government established the Accident Compensation Corporation in 2006 in New Zealand, which allows the migrants to get compensation from the government if an accident occurs. Such method of a political party, as well as the government, is an effective approach to empower the community. On the other hand, the government in UK and Australia introduce a policy that makes a collaborative work between the local health department and the community (Varda et al. 2008). This political approach is effective to empower the community. In the recent years, the governments of various countries give their more focus to the marginalized group. They have introduced a policy to involve such groups in health promotional activity by educating them (Laliberté et al. 2012).
Public health practitioners play a significant role in promoting public health. However, public health practitioners are responsible to deliver health-related information, services and resources in the public domain (Laverack 2007). They have to establish a good relationship with the stakeholders as well as with the clients. The traditional role of public health practitioner highlights that they serve as the enforcer of health legislation. For example, the Sanitary Policeman or Environmental Health Officers are the public health practitioners who have the power to control their clients by maintaining the legislation. The role of public health practitioners includes various works. For example, the environmental and health department is responsible for inspection, complaint investigation and licensing. They are responsible to establish a safe environment in school, hospital, workplace, and prison.
Another role of public health practitioners includes specialist service, training, and education. However, the health practitioners should empower the people besides maintain the legislation. On the other hand, by creating educational program or health teaching activities the practitioners are able to provide education to the people. Therefore, they also provide advice and health related information to the individuals to improve their health. For example, the nurse gives advice to a young mother to take care of her child that belongs from an antenatal group. This activity improves the image of the practitioner as a health professional that has a good technical skill (Baum et al. 2009). Similarly, the doctor or health physician plays an important role in developing the health of well-being. Therefore, the public health practitioners also act as an enforcer, technical specialist, and educator. As an enforcer the practitioners need to maintain the legal norms while giving health related service to the individuals. They should keep it in mind that they have to provide support to the people besides making compliance with the legislations. Therefore, as a technical specialist they have to access the modern technology while taking part with health promotional activity.
Significance of public health practitioners in promoting public health
Often practitioners fail to understand that their day to day work can empower other people to improve their health. The major role of practitioners is to empower the people. They have to empower the clients based on their needs rather than their own needs. However, often some people do not want to be empowered. This creates a critical situation for the practitioners. As for example, the doctor needs to empower the patients. In the case of mental patients, it becomes difficult for the health practitioners to empower such patients. The practitioners empower their clients to enhance their responsibilities and to control their lives. Therefore, the practitioners have to empower the powerless people (Laverack 2007). Hence, from the entire analysis, it has been addressed that practitioners play an important role in facilitating change in their client’s life by providing proper education and service. On the other hand, the public practitioners work with social agencies to provide service to the indigenous groups to empower them (Chapman 2004). It can be said that community empowerment is a big role of public health practitioners.
Social determinants of health are defined by CSDH or Commission on Social Determinants of Health. According to CSDH social determinants are the social, political, cultural and economic condition in which individuals live and work (McPhail-Bell et al. 2013). For example, safe food, safe housing, access to healthcare service, social support, quality of education, access to healthcare service and socio-economic condition are the major social determinants of health. In order to get a safe living culture, people need to consider such social determinants (Minkler 2012). To develop the public health the public health practitioners need to follow the social determinants. For a healthy life, safe food and safe housing are crucial. Studies show that in many countries the refugees and poor people do not get safe environment and safe food, which lead them to face health inequalities (Chapman 2004). Therefore, poor socio-economic condition resists the people to access healthcare facilities. However, lack of social support and education may lead the people to face mental disorder and other health diseases.
The healthcare sector is considered as the vital determinant of health. The term stewardship is a term that highlights various roles, which are carried out by the actors present in healthcare sectors (Baum et al. 2009). These actors work collaboratively between the healthcare sectors and the government sectors. People who are involved in this stewardship program are able to minimize the health risk and health imperialism. Stewardship is applied to improve general healthcare duty for the population’s health, which is borne by the government (Minkler 2012). This facilitates the relationship between the healthcare sectors and the government sectors. This stewardship provides a range of education and infrastructure for the urban planning. The health inequality is high between the poor and rich country. However, the structural adjustment affects the healthcare system of a country. The health care sectors have taken initiatives to deal with AIDS that also highlights that lack of social support leads such patients to develop more health inequalities (Gil 1998). In low and middle-income countries there is socio-economic inequality, which creates health inequality. Therefore, the healthcare sectors need to meet the needs of the people by maximizing the health of well-being (McPhail-Bell et al. 2013).
The World Health Organization has taken action on social determinants of health to reduce health inequalities from various countries. According to the CSDH report on inequality in power, resources and money create health inequality between the countries (Marmot et al. 2013). In 2008 WHO published “closing the gap in a generation” to deal with the social determinants of health. CSDH acknowledged that changes occurred in the global health practice as global health had revolved around development of health control system and disease control efforts. To reduce the health equalities CSDH has recommended various methods. At first they focus on the importance of early childhood education and development. Therefore, they said that healthy place is required to keep the people healthy (Mundy 2013).
On the other hand, fair employment and decent work need to provide to the individuals. Therefore, social protection and universal healthcare should be carried out by the government and the social agencies (Mundy 2013). Next, CSDH has grouped six areas under the inequitable distribution of money, resource, and power. The government needs to set the policy, which includes health equity. Fair financing should be followed at national and international level (Varda et al. 2008). One of the important things is the establishment of gender equity and inclusion to ensure the health equity in a country. Moreover, the political empowerment and good global are crucial to establish health equity in the country. From the entire discussion, it can be evaluated that government needs to take the major responsibility to deal with the health inequality in various countries as it can ensure healthy life of people by giving them empowerment (Minkler 2012).
The entire study reveals that health inequality is a major concern in the recent years. To deal with this problem it is important for the public health practitioners to empower the individuals. One of the most important steps is the community empowerment. However, political activity plays an important role in empowering the community. It has been received that inequality in money, resource and power gives rise the health inequality in many countries. Hence, the government should take initiative to reduce health inequalities from the country and empower the people.
References
Andersen, P.T., Jørgensen, S.K. and Larsen, E.L., 2011. For the sake of health! Reflections on the contemporary use of social capital and empowerment in Danish health promotion policies. Social Theory & Health, 9(1), pp.87-107.
Auger, G.A., 2013. Fostering democracy through social media: Evaluating diametrically opposed nonprofit advocacy organizations’ use of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Public Relations Review, 39(4), pp.369-376.
Baum, F.E., Bégin, M., Houweling, T.A. and Taylor, S., 2009. Changes not for the fainthearted: reorienting health care systems toward health equity through action on the social determinants of health. American journal of public health, 99(11), pp.1967-1974.
Chapman, S., 2004. Advocacy for public health: a primer. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 58(5), pp.361-365.
Ellis, G. and Walton, S., 2012. Building partnerships between local health departments and communities: Case studies in capacity building and cultural humility. Community organizing and community building for health and welfare, pp.130-147.
Gil, V.E., 1998. Empowerment rhetoric, sexual negotiation, and Latinas’ AIDS risk: research implications for prevention health education. International Quarterly of Community Health Education, 18(1), pp.9-27.
Keleher, H., 2001. Why primary health care offers a more comprehensive approach to tackling health inequities than primary care. Australian journal of primary health, 7(2), pp.57-61.
Laliberté, A., Haswell, M. and Tsey, K., 2012. Promoting the health of Aboriginal Australians through empowerment: eliciting the components of the Family well-being empowerment and leadership programme. Global health promotion, 19(4), pp.29-40.
Laverack, G., 2007. Health promotion practice: building empowered communities. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Marmot, M., Bell, R. and Goldblatt, P., 2013. Action on the social determinants of health. Revue d’epidemiologie et de sante publique, 61, pp.S127-S132.
McPhail-Bell, K., Fredericks, B. and Brough, M., 2013. Beyond the accolades: a postcolonial critique of the foundations of the Ottawa Charter. Global health promotion, 20(2), pp.22-29.
Minkler, M. ed., 2012. Community organizing and community building for health and welfare. Rutgers University Press.
Mundy, D.E., 2013. The spiral of advocacy: How state-based LGBT advocacy organizations use ground-up public communication strategies in their campaigns for the “Equality Agenda”. Public Relations Review, 39(4), pp.387-390.
Varda, D.M., Chandra, A., Stern, S.A. and Lurie, N., 2008. Core dimensions of connectivity in public health collaboratives. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 14(5), pp.E1-E7.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
