The report is about health education. Health education is defined as the process of giving information and advice to those who are in need of it. Health education is most usually given by health educators such as nurses, doctors, teachers and social workers. Health education is an aspect of health promotion. The purpose of health education is to explain to people about good health and how to develop and maintain good health. By giving individuals the information and tools they need, they will be able to change their behaviour which affects their health. By doing this, individuals can even extend their life expectancy.
Historical Perspective on health
The idea of public health was started in the nineteenth century, when there was a system put into place in 1834, known as the Poor Law, which was created by the Public Health provision. The Poor Law of 1834 was amended from the 1832 Royal Commission of Inquiry into the operation of the Poor Law. The commission made many recommendations to the parliament of England, which resulted in the Poor Law act to be passed.
The report stated that no able-bodies person was able to receive help, including money, from the poor law authorities, except for if the individual was employed in a workhouse. After the report was published, the working conditions of workers in workhouses decreased, making the conditions harder to work in, to try and persuade people not to work in workhouses, which in turn would not allow them to get any help from the Poor Law authorities. However, the Poor Law act did ensure that poor people had houses, had food and were clothed. They also ensured that children who did work in the workhouses had a chance to participate in school. However, to get these benefits, the workers would be forced to work several hours every day.
The First National Public Health Act 1848
During the nineteenth century, the industrialisation within cities grew rapidly. This created concern about problems within the environment such as unclean water, housing polluted air and the resulting health problems that these environmental factors had on the public's health. A man named Edwin Chadwick, who was a founding member of the sanitary health issues, campaigned on several different public health problems. Chadwick's report, 'An inquiry into the sanitary conditions of the labouring population of great Britain', produced evidence to support the idea that the poor environmental factors were linked in with the public's poor health. After this report was published, the first board of health was established.
John Snow and the Broad Street Pump
John Snow proposed the idea that drinking water from one water company increased the spread of cholera in 1854. He had observed that the people drinking the water from one water company were more likely to develop cholera. So back up his theory, John Snow created a map and pin pointed all the cholera cases, which then led him to get the evidence to prove that all the cases of cholera were drinking from one water pump, which was supplied from the Thames, which had been contaminated with sewage. John Snow then proceeded to have the pump on Broad Street removed, which then resulted in the cease of Soho's Cholera outbreak.
John Simon and the 1866 Sanitary Act
John Simon, the third founder of public health triumphed Edwin Chadwick within his role in public health administration. In 1866, The Sanitary Act situated the obligation of inspection on local authorities around Britain. They also continued their range of sanitary powers.
Edwin Chadwick, John Snow and John Simon are held in a very high view and consciousness. The British Medical Journal of January 2007 polled the efforts of Edwin Chadwick and John snow to be the best medical advances in 150 years.
Acheson Report into Inequalities in Health (1998)
Donald Acherson reviewed inequalities in Britain, and to highlight any main areas for development of policies. This report follows two previous reports, known as Sir Douglas Black of 1980 and the more up to date version of 1987. Donald Acheson created a list in his report, which stated 39 recommendations for addressing health inequalities. The three main areas highlighted that needed development were:
1) 'All policies likely to have an impact on health should be evaluated in terms of their impact on health inequality.
2) A high priority should be given to the health of families with children
3) Further steps should be taken to reduce income inequalities and improve the living standards of poor households.'
(Health & Social Care Level 3 Book 2)
Saving lives: Our Healthier Nation
This strategy was released by the Labour Government, after they came into power in 1997. The strategy had links with the Acheson report, stating the idea of tackling the main problems of poor health. The main problems of ill health include poor housing, unemployment, low wages, crime, and environmental factors including air pollution. The strategy also looks into preventing the main fatal diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, mental illness and caner.
The public health white paper 2004
The Whitepaper review proposed the idea that the public's interest of health was increasing, therefore it suggested a new approach to public health which mirrored society's expansion of knowledge within the topic of technology. The white paper report accepted the governments act in improving social justice, as well as fighting the main, basic causes of ill health. The strategy developed in the white paper report had three basic principles. These are:
1) Informed choice, (protect children and not allowing a single persons choice to affect someone else's.
2) Personalisation, support which suited to each individual
3) Working together.
The main priorities of the white paper report was to reduce the number of individuals who smoke, reduce obesity, improve diet and exercise, inspire sensible drinking, encourage sexual health, improving mental health.
Alma Ata Declaration
The Alma-Ata declaration was a part of a milestone in the area of public health in the twentieth century. It identified the idea of primary health care to be an important part of the attainment of the goal of health for society. 'The Conference strongly reaffirms that health, which is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, is a fundamental human right and that the attainment of the highest possible level of health is a most important world-wide social goal whose realization requires the action of many other social and economic sectors in addition to the health sector' ' an extract from the Alma Ata Declaration (world health organisation).
Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion 1986
This charter was created, after the high expectation of a new public health movement around the world. The needs of Industrialised countries were the main focus; however, they also looked into the needs of other countries. The idea of health promotion is to give individuals the information they need to change their behaviour which in turn, will improve their health. 'To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, an individual or group must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment' ' World Health Organisation.
Black Report
In 1980, The Black Report was published by Thatcher's government. The Black Report reportedly 'signalled the end of the hopes of improvement in public health for twenty years' (Socialist Health Association). The black report stated that there was an overall improvement in ill health over 35 years, however, there was still a link between social class and infant mortality rates.
Health educators
Health educators are people in professions such as nurses, doctors, social workers and teachers. They are people who give advice on improving an individual's health and aim to improve individual's health whether it be talking to them or offering them a cure. An example of this is if an individual who smokes was to go to the doctors to seek help about anti-smoking, the doctor has the responsibility of offering them advice and helping them change their behaviour.
The role of health educators is to give individuals the information, advice, tools and support they need to improve their health and wellbeing. Some examples of health educators are companies such as the World Health Organisation, the Government, the Health Protection Agency, NHS Direct and the Primary Care Trust.
The role of the world health organisation is to provide the world with recent information on health. They also have to report any new diseases, outbreaks or illnesses that occur within the world, such as Ebola or Swine Flu. The World Health Organisation has played a critical role in moving the agenda on health promotion to a broader based approach of health promotion.
The role of the government is to try and ensure local communities know about factors such as the effects of smoking, obesity and unhealthy eating, and the affects they can have. Their role is to also ensure that any illnesses are contained. They also manage the delivery if health services across society through the NHS.
The role of the health protection agency is to support and advise individuals, as well as communities, on reducing and preventing the effects of diseases and unnatural hazards, such as radiation. Their role is to also inform people about the benefits of having vaccinations to ensure that the risk of developing and infectious diseases is decreased.
The role of the NHS is to run 24-hour health care services, which are available to different communities across Britain. The role of the NHS is to avoid unnecessary visits to the doctor, dentist and hospital A&E wards. Every individual who calls the NHS telephone health line, which is ran by nurses, will ask the caller to identify how sever their symptoms are.
Health Promotion
ASH is a health campaign which was created in order to try and help health and social care users to quit smoking. ASH stands for Action on Smoking and Health, which was established on the 20th of January 1971 by the Royal College of Physicians. ASH is a public health charity that campaigns to demolish the damage caused by the use of tobacco. ASH state that they do not condemn smoking, or attack smokers, they are simply there to develop awareness about the 'tobacco epidemic' and to campaign for measures to be put into place to reduce addiction, disease and premature death as a result of tobacco. ASH receives its funding from The British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research. ASH offer support to those who want to stop smoking, by offering them the tools and recourses they need.
ASH used three approaches to advertise their campaign. They used social marketing, the role of mass media, and the community development approach. ASH marketed their campaign by distributing things such as leaflets, which gave information about how to go about quitting smoking, as well as trying to lead a healthy life. The role of mass media allows ASH to release articles, also known as press releases. These press releases also give readers the information they need. The articles also discuss things such as health benefits, social benefits and mental benefits. They also talk about statistics. ASH also use the community development approach by creating events people can go to, for example, a health centre where individuals can meet a health care professional and talk about quitting smoking. This allows people to be able to talk face to face with a professional, where they can get the best advice possible, as well as being given the tools and resources to encourage the individual to stop smoking. This approach also links in with the two way communication approach, as individuals are able to talk face to face with a health care professional in order to get help on quitting smoking.