Health Promotion



Health Promotion

Health Promotion is one of the most fundamental aspects an individual should take care of. It is especially important for Nurses, to take care of their patients and important for parents and family to take care of their children. In this paper, we will analyze how Nurses and families involve in Health Promotion.

Health and Promotion in Health Care

It is necessary to determine which factors constitute the components of health. Many researchers have identified fundamental concepts, which lead to universal definition development to define the concept of health. Contemporary approach towards defining health is more holistic compare to the conventional definition of health which defines it as a phenomenon of the presence or absence of disease.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This definition shows a confined perspective about health and its constituent elements. It defines the health based on a variety of factors that directly affect the individual's psychological, physical, social, and emotional condition (Gorin, 2006).

Health promotion theory is based on changing human behavior. Health promotion and health related programs are focused towards changing human behavior to live healthier lives. In order to achieve self actualization and well being, people need to change behavior towards a healthy lifestyle. Health promotion theory is based o0n the fact that people to adopt behaviors which they perceive will result in immediate benefits. Prior behavior has affected on future behavior, personal factors such as socioeconomic status affect healthcare choices, perceived benefits affects behavioral choices, interpersonal interaction affects health choices, situational choices and personal commitment to plan, all these factors affect health choice, according to health promotion theory.

There are five approaches that are commonly used for enhancing health promotion. These approaches include:

1.Medical approach

2.Behavior change approach

3.Educational approach

4.Empowerment approach

5.Social change approach

Medical approach focuses on freeing the people from diseases. In this approach, patient is dependent on medical professional or experts for the treatment. Major emphasis, in this concern, is placed on patient's ability to follow the medical procedures. This might include compliance with medical treatments, drug compliance, or strictly following the proper medical treatment procedures.

The behavior change model: like the medical model, this approach is top down, in that health experts decide which behaviors are good or bad for health, then try to get people to change their lifestyles accordingly. A problem with this kind of prescriptive approach is that it undermines individuals' autonomy, and it assumes that the experts always know best.

The Empowerment Approach is distinctively different from the above stated approaches for health promotion. This approach focuses on people-centric approach and is non-directive in nature. Flow of change factors is driven from the people's inner self. This approach intends to work with people or the community members to meet their perceived needs. Role of experts in this approach is to make people realize that they can change their surroundings on their own that positively affect their health ...