Hypertension Issue in Australia
Hypertension or high blood pressure has become the most common diseases as compared to other diseases in Australia. It leads to various other chronic diseases such as heart stroke, heart attack and heart failure. It has been reported by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) that in the year 2014-15, 4.1 million individuals, that is 23 million adults suffered from hypertension (Nichols et al.2014).This illustrates that awareness and prevention is important for hypertension among the communities to empower them to successfully manage their diabetes through empowerment and understanding. The following report deals with the health promotion program among the Australian individuals to manage and prevent further issues related to hypertension. It also demonstrates the key strategies, implementation plan with monitoring and evaluation that is required to assess the process, impact and the outcome.
According to AIHW, 24% of the males and around 22% of the females suffered from hypertension. The percentage of high blood pressure increases along with age that is for the individuals in the age group of 18-24 it increased from 6% to 47% having an age of 75 years or more. It is also reported that in the year 2011-12, 1.5 million people used to have medications to manage their disease. The prevalence of hypertension is more among the people with low socio-economic advantage and remoteness. In the year 2011-2012, 36% of the indigenous population that is Aboriginal and Torres Islander population suffered from high blood pressure as compared to normal population which included only 28% of the population suffering from hypertension (Gabb et al. 2016). The main causes of high blood pressure are lack of balanced diet, obesity and overweight, and a lack of physical exercise. Hypertension can be controlled by using changes in the lifestyle and various medications. Therefore, health promotion program is required for the people to empower them towards self-efficacy and management of disease with reduction of related complications.
The aim of the program is to promote healthy behavior among the Australian community through health promotion program. Hypertension is one of the chronic illnesses that is taking a heavy toll of the Australians. There is a high prevalence of high blood pressure among the Indigenous population due to low socioeconomic status and poor lifestyle. In addition, there is also an increase in the cardiovascular diseases such as heart stroke, heart attack ultimately leading to heart failure and death among them due to overweight, obesity, sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical exercise. The Family well-being empowerment and leadership program (FWB) was started in the year 1998 in South Australia for the promotion of health among Aboriginals health (Whiteside et al. 2014). This previous program failed as there was sense of powerlessness on an individual level. Among the Aboriginal Australians, there is a need for empowerment where the individuals, families, communities and organizations come together and work strongly to address the changes and create growth opportunities for the Indigenous health (Ibiebele et al. 2015). Therefore, the main aim of the program is to promote health through health education and behavior that empowers health literacy among the people about the disease. Prior to management, change in behavior also plays an important role in determining the effectiveness of the health promotion program and explain the health behavior in hypertension. It is important to communicate people about hypertension and other health problems associated with it. Therefore, the objectives include self-efficacy and self-directed learning towards disease management to be achieved through planning model, health communication and health literacy.
Aims and Objectives
For preventing the disease and promoting health services, various health promotion models are used to develop the planning of the health program help to explain health behavior. It is also used for the identification of strategies which helps in the promotion of health and prevention of disease. The Transtheoretical model is used to assess a person’s willingness to work on a new behavior, providing strategies or change the process for guiding a person with the help of maintenance and action. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) translates behavior change as a deliberate procedure that involves advancement through a progression of six phases of progress (Prochaska and Norcross 2013). TTM coordinates procedures and standards of progress from leading theories. Transtheoretical model include five stages of behavior change. They are:
Precontemplation (Not Ready)
Contemplation (Getting Ready)
Preparation (Ready)
Action
Maintenance
The initial stage is the Precontemplation stage in which people are not expecting to make a move within a reasonable time-frame, generally surveyed as the following 6 months. Individuals can be in this phase because of an absence of familiarity with the health of behavior regarding hypertension. Also they can be dispirited about their capacities to change their belief regarding hypertension, similar to a large number of individuals who have attempted to shed pounds various circumstances in numerous ways. This stage is frequently misjudged to imply that these individuals would prefer not to change. Contemplation stage is that in which the individual is willing to change their behavior in the next coming months. They are aware of both advantages and disadvantages associated with the change in behavior. On the next step preparation is done in which people can willingly take any action regarding to reduce hypertension. Individuals in this stage consult with the doctor or any other professional to change himself (Hawkes et al., 2014). These people should be taken into consideration for programs that are action oriented.The next step is the action in which the person will take some steps to change his behavior. Individuals can be in this phase because of an absence of familiarity with the health of behavior regarding hypertension. This change will help him to reduce hypertension from his mind and other people surrounding him. Maintenance stage involves the people to do specific change in their lifestyles at this point they become confident that they can reduce the hypertension, hence they continues to do the modifications.
A newly introduced self management education was introduced to diagnose the patient with therapies and medicines, which will improve the quality of the lifestyle and will make sure that the behavior of the person is quite well. Next the strategy is delivered to measure the healthy eating of the community and physical activity. Assessment runs in parallel with the arranging of the program since the beginning of the program. There are six stages required in this procedure. Right off the bat, characterizing of the partners as they are the supporters and making them drew in and including in basic leadership to satisfy the set up points and destinations. This conquers the obstruction that was seen in past projects that experienced absence of time, financing and assets. The creation of awareness among the focused populations taken after the by-reactions from the planned members, assurance of qualification lastly conveyance of the program and follow-up is simply the included strides in the diabetes administration (Kim et al. 2004).
Conceptual framework for the program
There are many health promotion programs that were aimed at promoting health and in reducing the burden of disease within the Australian community. The doctors get frustrated due to these chronic illnesses like hypertension as people are resistant to change in terms of prevention or management. There is an eager shift from the responsibility of the doctor towards the people in changing their attitudes while considering on the budget and appropriate time for the health promotion programs. There are two failures in the health promotion programs are the resistance to behavioral and social change and another is the narrow range of techniques, funding and less timeframe.
This health promotion would be guided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Ottawa Charter that is a whole system approach (Thorlindsson 2011). It is based on capacity building, community participation, equity and community empowerment that is the main thing that is required for the success of the healthcare programs. It has replaced the individualistic approach towards multidisciplinary approach in the proper management and prevention of the health promotion programs.
For the health promotion program, the strategies will be designed that targets the three key areas like early diagnosis, prevention and management of the hypertension so that it prevents the complications like progressing heart disorders. Health communication and the people empowerment are the most important strategies for a successful health promotion program. Empowerment would help the people to achieve the inner capacity to understand the fact that they are responsible for their own life. It is achieved through five steps. Firstly, health literacy will be provided to them via health information about hypertension and the lifestyle modifications. This will help to understand the beliefs, values and thoughts of the people regarding the disease that acts as a limitation for health promotion. Short-term goals will be designed based on these identified barriers where it will be helpful in making the people accepted to the change and what they have learned throughout the program (Funnell and Anderson 2004).
To achieve health literacy, effective health communication is required that inform and influence the people so that they take the initiate to improve their health (Rimer and Kreuter 2006). This can be done through communication channels like television, pamphlets, radio, internal and the social networking sites (Rootman 2001).
Early detection will also be strategy that will be targeted by the health promotion program. This can be done through blood pressure measurement at regular intervals. Apart from therapeutic measures, self-management will be supportive for the individuals with hypertension. Self-efficacy and self-directed learning is important for the people with hypertension. Behavior change and self-efficacy is important for the positive health behavior. Bandura’s self-efficacy defines that it is one’s ability to accomplish or succeed a task or activity (Maibach and Murphy 1995). Self-directed change is also important where a person is aware of the complications related to the behavior change that motivates them to change (Merriam 2001).
For the newly diagnosed hypertension cases, self-management education with compliance to medications and blood pressure control through adult services. This would help to improve their quality of life and ensure their well-being. Community-based physical activity and healthy eating programs can also be achieved through awareness and responses from the participants and program delivery and follow-up for the hypertension self-management (Kim et al. 2004).
Key strategies for health promotion
It includes the activities, partnership coalitions, budget and timeframe for the health promotion program (Eldredge et al. 2016).
- Collection and tracking of data: There would be reporting and tracking of the data like blood pressure levels to assess the risk population and individuals suffering from hypertension complications.
- Staffing:Community based health promotion requires stakeholders that would perform different roles in different sectors. It includes the community service organizations, government organizations, foundations, multicultural alliances, public health organizations, local and state departments and local hospitals with volunteers from the universities and colleges. They are also important for the funding and guidance of the health promotion program.
Developmental stages:
- Physician: Primary care physician or hypertension specialists are specialists who have profound knowledge about hypertension and medical leadership in the guiding and supporting of clinical decision.
- Certified hypertension educator: They provide education and clinical interventions for the self-management of hypertension.
- Program Manager: He would be responsible for the locations, staffing and integration of the program with the report tracking, communication and program progress. It also allied forces like human resources, information technology and finance for the smooth functioning of health promotion program. Dieticians, nurses and health coaches would also be decided by the program manager through the staff mixing.
- Training: There should be proper training of the stakeholders who will be involved in the heath promotion program. Community leaders, physicians, nurses and health operating staffs should be knowledge and know about the basics of hypertension. They should be competent enough in meeting the competencies, requirements and job descriptions in their designated roles. For the patient education, ancillary materials are also required to provide them health literacy and support their culture and language of the needs of the targeted population
- Health system integration: Lab reports and their reporting to the physicians, nurses and local health systems should be done on a regular basis through proper communication channels and electronic systems.
- Local source identification: Community resources that would be helpful in supporting the people to achieve the clinical and behavioral goals that would be available in the neighborhood. Senior centers, community health resources and community health centers along with local hospitals can provide them these resources.
- Proper communication channels: For the resolving of the operational and clinical issues and in discussing the progress of the program, regular meetings are recommended. It would encourage the patients and the community volunteers for open bidirectional dialogue between them. Policy considerations are also required that would influence the factors like legislative advocacy, fiscal measures, regulatory oversight and taxation (Gruen et al. 2008).
Activities
Activities and recommendations would assist in the lowering of blood pressure levels and the management of hypertension to prevent the related complications. Diet and physical exercise promotion programs for the disease management and prevention of complications. Awareness programs and workshops for the self-management of the disease through health education and effective communication will also be achieved through these activities. The recommendations include weight control, dietary modifications, salt restriction and dietary fat reduction, smoking cessation and alcohol consumption reduction and relaxation therapies with antihypertensive drugs therapy for hypertension. The global recommendations will include marketing of the balanced and healthy diet and non-alcoholic beverages.
To succeed the health promotion program monitoring and continuous evaluation is important along with persistent inspiration and strengthening of the partners and individuals. The strategy is delivered to measure the healthy eating of the community and physical activity. Monitoring of the health promotion program done in respect to hypertension incorporates the gathering of information, keeping record through weekly consultation between the partners, recording and to preserve the information in registers and health care system program (Robroek, Lindeboom and Burdorf 2012). Persistent following of the information is required for future reference and to recognize the ranges for development. The Process-Evaluation Plan is a system for the assessment of the wellbeing advancement program (Lichfield, Kettle and Whitbread 2016). Assessment runs in parallel with the arranging of the program since the beginning of the program. This conquers the obstruction that was seen in past projects that experienced absence of time, financing and assets. There are six stages required in this procedure. Right off the bat, characterizing of the partners as they are the supporters and making them drew in and including in basic leadership to satisfy the set up points and destinations. Also, the verbalization of the program is done that would achieve recipients and advancement. Thirdly, the assessment is centered on the assets, exercises and process yields. Fourthly, it is essential to assemble prove through subjective and quantitative techniques that incorporates involvement, sentiment, conduct, feeling, information or through discernible wonders and by directing studies, polls individually. Fifthly, through information examinations, patterns, qualities, holes and shortcomings that assistance to contrast the information and the program target. In conclusion, it is critical to enhance the nature of the assessment program where the convictions, qualities and view of the general population are thought about and express the fundamental suggestions (Round, Marshall and Horton 2005).
Conclusion
It has been reported by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) that in the year 2014-15, 4.1 million individuals, that is 23 million adults suffered from hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension is more among the people with low socio-economic advantage and remoteness that is the individuals of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders population. Therefore, health promotion program is essential for the people to empower them towards self-efficacy and management of disease with reduction of related complications. The strategies are categorized to prevent complications related to hypertension, optimal management and early diagnosis of hypertension diabetes among the community people.HBM model is used as a framework to design the short and long term goals for the health promotion programs (Sharma 2016). Monitoring includes data collection, follow-up through weekly meetings between the stakeholders, recording and preserving of the data in registers and medical health systems. The Process-Evaluation Plan is a framework for the evaluation of the hypertension health promotion program.
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