Introduction:
Health promotion is very widespread as public health issues are widely discussed. With an increasing number of communicable and non-communicable diseases, health has become a global concern. Many factors have led to this development with innovations in technology, international trade, and travel. They have positively impacted the lifestyle and at the same time have also resulted in deteriorating health conditions and unhealthy eating habits. There is an increase in the rate of tobacco consumption (smoking and smokeless form) leading to serious health effects. The rise in technology has led to reduced physical activities, causing a higher risk of non-communicable diseases. Health promotion is vital so that people understand the detrimental outcomes of unhealthy eating habits and understand how to prevent the illness caused by this. Every individual must understand the importance of health and healthy living practices.
What Is the Definition of Health?
Health is not about being disease-free. It is also about an individual's social, physical, and mental well-being. Good health is the right of every individual. It is not the sole responsibility of the healthcare workers and sectors but is dependent on many factors like community and political participation and an individual's social and economic status. Maintenance of good health is also dependent on the living environment of the individual. It should be stress-free and people aware of the importance of healthy living. With the increase in technology and the majority of people working in corporates where the normal practice is to sit all day in front of computers, resulting in a lack of physical activity. This has resulted in an increased incidence of various lifestyle diseases.
What Is the Difference Between Health Education and Health Promotion?
Health education means educating people about the importance of good health and the practices that help maintain healthy habits. It includes valuable lessons through which individuals or the community enhance their health. It depends on every aspect of health, like cultural and environmental factors. Health promotion is the process of enabling people to better manage and improve their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behavior to a wide range of social and environmental interventions.
What Are the Approaches to Health Promotion?
Health promotion aims to improve the community's health through various approaches. The community can include workplaces, schools, residential areas, and markets. According to the requirements, the community for any disease can be divided into four types. Each of these groups has been treated with different methods.
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Healthy Population With No Issues: By encouraging healthy practices, risk factors are reduced resulting in the prevention of illness and health issues. Infection risks can be reduced this way.
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Population With Risk Factors for a Particular Disease: Through the promotion of health education and disease screening, educating factors that lower risk, how to fight the disease, and practicing healthy eating habits and increasing physical activity.
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Population Having Symptoms of Disease: Early diagnosis of disease and proper treatment plan, help maintain healthy living. It also helps guides the population on how to prevent and reduce the incidences of illness and improve recovery.
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Population Having the Disease: Proper treatment plan, maintenance of healthy living, and guiding the population on how to limit the illness and improve recovery.
What Are the Examples of Health Promotion in Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases?
Health promotion must include many health conditions, like malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, and maternal and child health. Non-infectious diseases can be prevented by proper health promotion and by reducing the risk factors for illnesses, tobacco consumption, unhealthy diet, less physical activity, and drinking alcohol. Significant diseases like 40 % of cancer, 80 % of stroke, diabetes, and heart disease cases can be prevented if these risk factors are removed.
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Communicable-Diseases:
Daily and regular use of insecticide-treated bed nets is recommended for malaria-prone areas from evening to night to avoid mosquito bites. For individuals or communities that are not aware of the mosquito being the root cause of malaria, community health workers must educate them about the disease and how the female anopheles mosquito is the causative agent. Community workers need to promote and encourage the use of mosquito nets and repellents so that mosquito bites can be prevented and can work and earn for their families by staying healthy.
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Non-communicable Diseases:
A British doctor’s study proved that cigarette smoking from adulthood could increase the chances of age-specific mortality rate by three times. The mortality linked to smoking includes respiratory, neoplastic, and vascular diseases. The Framingham heart study shows a significant association between smoking and cardiovascular disease risk factors like age, gender, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
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Cardiovascular Diseases:
The plan aims to reduce high saturated fats and salt consumption and increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreasing the high cholesterol risks. Collaborations with the food industry to reduce fat and salt in dairy products, meat, and bakery products and farmers being educated about berry farming have been some the examples of tangible efforts at improving community understanding of health and nutrition.
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Diabetes Mellitus:
Diabetes mellitus is a non-contagious disease with increased mortality and morbidity rate globally. Health promotion is a cost-effective plan to prevent diabetes. Educating the community about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, weight loss, and promoting regular exercise can reduce the risks.
Conclusion:
It has been accepted globally that health promotion plays an essential role in the well-being of an individual. A multi-sectoral approach is required along with active community participation. Increasing the socioeconomic status in the community and influencing consumption choices determines the health of the community. It has been recognized that health is determined by factors outside of the healthcare system. Adoption of a holistic approach, empowerment of individuals and community as well as raising awareness can go a long way in tackling some of the prevalent health issues in the community as well as globally.
