Health Promotion and Health Inequalities

Health Promotion & Health Inequalities

Healthy Living Components

  • Key Areas:

    • Healthy Eating

    • Active Living

    • Tobacco-Free Living

    • Reproductive and Sexual Health

    • Psychological and Emotional Well-being

    • Injury and Violence Prevention

    • Drug Abuse and Excessive Alcohol Use Prevention

    • Weight Management

Definitions

  • Health Promotion:

    • process of enabling people to inc control over, and to improve, their health.

    • Moves beyond individual behavior towards social and environmental interventions (WHO, 2018).

  • Health:

    • A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO, 1948).

Prevention vs. Treatment

  • Traditional healthcare focuses on curing illness.

  • Health promotion aims to prevent disease and improve well-being.

Health Concepts

  • Life Prolongation

  • Health Promotion

  • Ill Health Prevention

  • Morbidity Compression

    • Prolonged disability in aging

Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986)

  • Developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1986.

  • Framework for improving health and well-being worldwide.

  • Focuses on prevention, empowerment, and community involvement.

Key Action Areas of the Ottawa Charter

  1. Build Healthy Public Policy

    • Integrate health into all sectors of policy-making (e.g., education, transport, labor).

    • Policies should support health, reduce inequalities, and discourage unhealthy behaviors.

      • Example:

        • Ireland’s smoking ban (2004) – First country to implement a workplace smoking ban.

        • Sugar tax on soft drinks (2018) – Encourages reduced sugar consumption to combat obesity.

  2. Create Supportive Environments

    • Health promotion should focus on where people live, work, and play.

    • Addresses environmental, social, and economic factors affecting health.

      • Example:

        • Development of smoke-free public spaces.

        • Cycle-friendly cities to promote physical activity.

  3. Strengthen Community Action

    • Encourages community participation in health promotion initiatives.

    • Recognizes that local solutions are often the most effective.

      • Example:

        • Community-based mental health programs in disadvantaged areas.

        • Active School Flag initiative in Ireland, promoting physical activity in schools.

  4. Develop Personal Skills

    • Focuses on education and skill-building to help people make healthier choices.

    • Provides information and tools to improve health literacy.

      • Example:

        • QUIT smoking campaign – Provides education and resources for smoking cessation.

        • Sexual health education in schools – Helps young people make informed decisions.

  5. Reorient Health Services

    • Shifts focus from curative (treatment-focused) healthcare to preventive care.

    • Encourages healthcare providers to work on prevention and health promotion.

      • Example:

        • Sláintecare initiative – Aims to strengthen primary care and reduce hospital admissions.

        • Free GP care for children under 8 – Encourages early health intervention.

7 Health Promotion Principles

Initiatives should be:

  1. Empowering: Enabling individuals and communities to have more power over the personal, socioeconomic, and environmental aspects of their health.

  2. Participatory: Involving all concerned at all stages of the process.

  3. Holistic: Fostering physical, mental, social, and spiritual health.

  4. Intersectional: Involving the collaboration of relevant agencies.

  5. Equitable: Guided by a concern for equity and social justice.

  6. Sustainable: Bringing about changes that individuals and organizations can maintain once initial funding has ended.

  7. Multi-strategy: Using a variety of approaches in combination.

Healthy Ireland

  • A government-led initiative in Ireland aimed at improving the health and well-being of the Irish population.

  • Launched in 2013 by the Department of Health.

  • A national framework designed to promote healthier lifestyles, prevent illness, and address health inequalities.

  • The goal is to create an environment where everyone can enjoy a healthy life, regardless of age, social status, or background.

  • Improving public health across all age groups in Ireland.

  • Encourages people to take small, positive steps towards healthier living, including better nutrition.

Healthy Ireland: Key Objectives

  • Encourage healthier choices in terms of diet, physical activity, and mental well-being.

  • Tackle lifestyle-related diseases like obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and mental health issues.

Healthy Ireland: Key Focus Areas

  • Healthy Eating:

    • Promotes awareness of a balanced diet and reducing the intake of unhealthy foods.

    • Encourages people to consume more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while reducing sugar, salt, and fat.

    • Provides guidelines like the updated Food Pyramid, which reflects current dietary recommendations.

  • Physical Activity:

    • Encourages people of all ages to engage in regular physical activity.

    • The