Health Promotion | EssayIvy.com

Health Promotion

Student’s name

Course

Institution

Date

The theoretical health promotion models

According to WHO, promoting health involves empowering individuals to improve

and enhance health their control. It focuses beyond personal behavior and extends towards a

wide range of environmental and social interventions. People's attitude towards healthcare is

gradually changing the model of the biomedical to the social illness model. This means that

the public has taken a more dynamic role within their healthcare and therefore, health

practitioners have come in handy to assist individuals in maintaining better health. This essay

thus outlines some of the theoretical models that support health advancements and health

education practices. It also highlights the philosophical, moral theories that can be applied in

health provision.

The theoretical models underpinning health education activities and advancements

include the Prochaska and DiClemenete's change model of 1992, the Becker's belief health

model of 1984, and Albert's Bandura's social learning theory of 1977. According to Prochaska

and DiClemenete stages of change model, health promotion involves practicing healthy

behaviors such as engaging in physical fitness activities and avoiding unhealthy practices like

watching television (“Health Studies,” n.d). Individuals progress through five change related

levels constituting the pre-contemplation which is the first step, followed by contemplation,

preparation, action and lastly the maintenance stage. During this period people do not

consider change, and they are described as in denial because of the claim that they don't

experience any problem with their behavior ( Bunton, Macdonald & Macdonald, 2003). In

contemplation stage, individuals recognize the potential benefits of making a change.

Nevertheless, the costs of producing the change tend to be much more thus resulting in a

strong sense of ambivalence conflict about changing.

During the preparation phase, one prepares for more significant life changes by

starting to make small changes. The action is the fourth stage, and during this phase,

individuals start acquiring direct operations to accomplish their goals ( Bunton et al., 2003).

In most cases, the resolutions adopted fail because enough thoughts or time had not been

given to the previous steps. The maintenance is the last phase, and it involves avoiding past

behaviors and keeping up with the new ones successfully. For the time of support, people are

more ascertained that they will eventually accomplish their change (“Health Studies,” n.d).

These stages of evolution are relevant to health promotion because they address people’s

unhealthy behaviors such as taking junk foods and smoking and it helps modify these

behaviors to strive for better health.

Becker’s health belief model is the second theoretical model underpinning health

promotion. The model has widely been applied to other health-related behaviors, and it

explains the utilization of healthcare services (“Health Studies,” n.d). Besides, it also

illustrates the health actions through the fundamental interaction of three categories of beliefs

which include perceived susceptibility, seriousness, advantages, and disadvantages. In

adopting the recommended physical activity behavior, people’s perceived benefits of action,

as well as the perceived threats of the disease, must outweigh the perceived action barriers

(Tones & Green 2004). The model encompasses six main components namely perceived

susceptibility, severity, action benefits and barriers, cues to action, as well as the perceived

self-efficacy. Perceived susceptibility involves altering a person’s chances of acquiring a

condition. It is significant to describe personal risks based on one's behaviors and also the

population risks.

Perceived severity influences an individual’s opinion on the seriousness and the

consequences of a condition. The key is to specify the outcome of the risk. The benefits of

action provide individuals with the information on the merits of changing behavior to keep

them away from infections or illness ( Bunton et al., 2003). It concerns defining the actions to

take, and when, where and how they should be made as well as providing a clarification of

the expected positive effects. Addressing perceived barriers involves debating on the advised

action psychological effects and identifying or reducing the barriers through carrying out

activities like giving reassurance, incentives, and arguing that assistance is indeed a better

tactic. Action cues are the strategies aimed at activating participation and establishing change

through promoting awareness and offering information which involves providing educational

services (Tones & Green 2004). Self-efficacy is the last component of health belief, and it

concerns encouraging ones confidence ability to take action. Health belief is relevant to in

promoting health because it also addresses the people’s negative behaviors and it develops a

sustainable positive behavioral change from within.

According to Albert Bandura’s theory, the behavior is acquired from the surrounding

through the observational learning process. He believes that all humans are active processors

of information and that they often relate their practices with their expected outcome (“Health

Studies,” n.d). He explains that dynamic cognitive processes lead to the occurrence of

observational learning and the observed individuals are called models. Therefore, in the

society, various models such as parents within the family, friends within the peer groups and

children’s characters significantly influence the children’s learning (Naidoo & Wills, 2015).

That is, they provide observable behaviors which are quickly imitated, for example, feminine

and masculine characters and anti-social and pro behaviors. Children pay close observation to

these models and encode their actions and are likely to imitate them at a later time. They may

practice the behaviors without considering gender appropriateness, however, is probable that

a child will reproduce the response that the society deems appropriate for their sex.

Albert Bandura’s theory is similar to the Sociologist Talcott Parsons concepts of

learning as they also argue that learning fundamental norms and values occur through the

socialization process. That is, the child is most likely to imitate and attend to those models

that it perceives as having similar characteristics to itself (Naidoo & Wills, 2015). Also, it is

probable that children will imitate the behaviors modeled by people of same sex. Furthermore,

the people around the child will always provide reinforcement or punishment as a way of

responding to the practices that the child imitates. The relevance of this learning theory is that

regarding the design campaign, the creation of relatable role models for the young instigates

behavioral change. Also, regarding thematic design, people rewarding improved healthy

behavior results in positive health choices.

Health promotion constitutes two broad perspectives namely, the Lalonde Report and

the Tannahill. The Lalonde Report was a new health perspective in Canada, and it proposed

the health field concept. It identified the two major health concerns that are the promotion of

good health and the prevention of health problems (Bunton et al., 2003). The report

acknowledges that biomedical emphasizes on the healthcare system is wrong and that people

should focus beyond the traditional healthcare. Tannahill, on the other hand, places health

promotion within the broad range of conventional public health domain framework (Naidoo

& Wills, 2015). Health promotion is seen as three overlapping activity circles which identify

the critical public health functions. These circles include offering health training, protection,

and prevention. Health education or training enhances the well being and prevents ill health.

Health protection encompasses the codes of practice, laws, and policies and it aims at ill

health prevention, and health prevention constitutes the specified interventions aimed at

minimizing disease contact and reducing harmful disease consequences.

Theories of moral philosophy

Three critical moral philosophy principles can be applied to health provision. These

principles include Utilitarianism and Deontology and autonomy. In utilitarianism approach,

decisions are chosen by the highest amount of benefit that is likely to satisfy the most

significant number of individuals (Connell, 2008). The method is also referred to as

consequentialism where the outcome determines the means or the morality of intervention.

Therefore, the approach is established through the calculations of the benefits or the harm

that results from an action. An example of the practical implication of healthcare provision is

targeting resuscitation of premature newborns or burn treating based on the availability of

resources and time (Connell, 2008). Therefore, the approach is always related to the alleged

paternalism in healthcare.

Paternalism refers to a state interference or an individual interference with another

person against their consent. And the approach is motivated or defended that there will be a

better off or protection of the person interfered with. Paternalism issues medical contexts

arise concerning law restrictions such as the physician required to withhold relevant patient

information (Greenhalgh, 2013). At the theoretical level, paternalism raises on how to handle

the less entirely rational persons. Other issues include the state intrusion upon individual

liberty to promote safety and health. Public health measures are vulnerable to paternalism

charges, and their objective is to provide support, restore and protect people’s health.

Deontology regulation can be applied to public health, and it states that its principles

and moral rules consistency recognize the good. It emphasizes much on the relation between

morality and reason (Tones & Green 2004). This is what makes the distinction between

human beings and the rest of the animals thus making them subject to the moral law.

Therefore, in the medical provision the physicians are responsible for all their actions were

that they moral agents. However, this does not mean that they ignore the outcomes but rather

the consequences become relevant only if the corrective proposed actions are morally

permissible since actions are intrinsically considered wrong or right regardless of their results

(Greenhalgh, 2013). Health practitioners, therefore, must act according to the guiding

principles of the public health for them to be ascertained that their actions are morally

permissible.

Autonomy considers the individual as the core value that promotes and enhances

individual health. It is the condition of self-governance. A question arises whether the role of

an individual and that of the state in the society begins and ends. The traditional Labour Party

believes that the country needs to take control of the social institutions to have a support

network and bring about opportunities (Naidoo & Wills, 2015). However, the Traditional

Conservative Party considers individualism and acquiring a more hands-off advance.

Regarding health provision, it is significant to avoid dictating people to change their ways

against their will whereas when considering autonomy, it is useful that people acquire the

essential support and information to encourage them in making long-lasting.

In summary, health promotion is a process that empowers individuals to improve and

enhance control over health. The theoretical models underpinning health education activities

and advancements include the Prochaska and DiClemenete's change model stages of 1992,

the Becker's belief health model of 1984, and Albert's Bandura's social learning theory of

1977. These ideas are relevant in promoting health because they address the people’s negative

behaviors and encourage sustainable positive behavioral changes as well as making

appropriate choices. Also, there are three moral philosophy principles that can be applied to

health provision. These principles include Utilitarianism and Deontology and Autonomy.

References

Bunton, R., Macdonald, G. and Macdonald, G. eds., 2003. Health promotion: disciplines and

diversity. Routledge.

Connell, B., 2008. Exploring the media: text, industry, audience. Auteur Pub.

Greenhalgh, T., 2013. Primary health care: theory and practice. John Wiley & Sons.

Health Studies., (n.d.). Access to HE Diploma (nursing and midwifery) health promotion.

Naidoo, J. and Wills, J. eds., 2015. Health studies: an introduction. Palgrave Macmillan.

Tones, K. and Green, J., 2004. Health promotion: planning and strategies. Sage.

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."