Module 2: Health Promotion

Module 2: Health Promotion

Introduction

The concept of health promotion initially emerged and continues to gain strength as an approach to improving health status and health condition of people. Health promotion is a key component of the complex relationship between actions, knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and health outcomes from the individual to the societal level. Health promotion is increasingly applicable and relevant to practice within health care and health research specialty around the world. This paper aims at exploring the fundamental concepts of health, health promotion, and health promotion intervention strategies that define the effectiveness of approach taken towards the health promotion.

Definition 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 conventional definition of health which defines it as a phenomenon of presence or absence of disease (Tones, 2001).

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 variety of factors that directly affect the individual's psychological, physical, social, and emotional condition (Wills, 2000, 56).

Second definition for defining health is as follows:

“Health is a complex state of metabolic efficiency that represents the biological integration associated with physical, mental, and emotional stability of a person. It represents the ability to identify and realize aspirations, satisfy needs and to change and / or adapt to its environment. Health is therefore a resource for everyday life.” (Green, 2010, 42)

Objective of Health Promotion in Nursing Practice

Health promotion as an intervention for patient care, and support is usually called patient education instead of health promotion. Sometimes patient education supports patients who recover, for instance, after surgery. Sometimes the focus is on chronic patients, such as patients with asthma or diabetes. Patient education also includes support for people who are dying, for instance in the case of terminal cancer (Crosby, 2009). Patient education is not only directed at the patient but also at the patient's family, at health professionals and at other environmental factors. Health workers such as physicians and nurses are the primary providers of patient education. Frequently, many different health workers are involved in the treatment of the same patient. Patient education by each of these professionals is not always attuned to the needs of the patient (Green, 2010). This call for the development of patient education program that co-ordinate the educational activities of the different health professionals involved, for example, by developing protocols for continuity of care (Tones, 2001).

Patient is dependent on medical professional or experts for the treatment (Lucas, 2005). Major emphasis, in this concern, is placed on patient's ability to effectively follow the medical procedures. This might include compliance with medical treatments, drug compliance, or strictly following the proper medical treatment procedures. Main objective of this approach is to reduce morbidity and premature ...