Public Health for Health Promotion Theory- myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about thePublic Health for Health Promotion Theory. Answer: Public health program planning and evaluation have gained immense prominence in the recent past against the increasing incidences of public health issues. A rich pool of literature has drawn the attention of stakeholders on the needs of imbedding professionalism across diverse health disciplines who would be responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of health programs in the near future. Public health program planning is to follow a set of guidelines that are based on the knowledge and experience of evaluators and planners (Tulchinsky and Varavikova 2014). Cragg (2013) points out that a number of models have emerged based on evidence that aims to chalk out a suitable public health program implementation and evaluation. Such models have been known to act as the framework based on which the planning process can be carried out. Two examples of such models are the Issel Model and the Hawe et al. Model. These models might have some common elements to them, but they ar e distinct from each other. Each phase of the models has their own set of importance and relevance to public health outcomes. The present essay is in public health program planning, implementation and evaluation, as explained through two models. The first part of the essay describes the Issel model and its five stages. The first stage of assessment of community needs and assets is critically reviewed, and its relation with other stages is established. The rationale between why it is a cyclical model is stated, and the model is compared with the Hawe et a. Model. Example from literature is cited for explaining the Issel model. The second part of the essay briefly describes the public health program Australian Indigenous Wellness Program in Australia and the importance of planning the program and implementing it. The end of the essay establishes the program strategies, objectives and goals and the importance of each of these three elements. A logical conclusion is provided at the end of the essay. Issel and Wells (2017) have put forward a constructive model for a public health program that has been refereed to as a foundational base for developing efficient public health programs across the world. The model proposed by Issel has been popular amongst its advocates due to its simplicity and relevance to modern day public health problems. It integrates the principles of resolutions to public health concerns into program operations. The aim is to uphold innovation and evidence-based practice for achieving outcome improvements and understanding program impacts. The idea is that a timely and in-detailed understanding of the further needs would save resources and help in achieving the objectives within a short span of time. This would thereby promote translation of program findings into practice. Guided by the different stages of the model, the primary approach of the programs can evolve with time. The model described by Issel allows strong collaboration between stakeholders to focus on common goals. The five stages of a public health program according to Issel are Assessment of community needs and assets; program planning; program implementation; program process evaluation and program effect evaluation. Going by the model laid by Issel, the initial stage of assessment of community needs and assets is the most crucial and important stage of a public health program. The purpose of such assessment is to learn and identify adequately the population of interest, the issues faced by the population, the trends in public health system, the major factors hindering the implementation of a public health program, the strengths of the population and the prospects of bringing improvement in the community based on the strengths. The group requiring special attention within the community would be the focus point. This phase involves the identification of the present situation of the community and the aspects that make the situation better or worse. The possible actions that can be taken for addressing the situation can be adjudged based on this data. The situational analysis of the needs of the community has to be accurate to the optimal extent in order to have a successful program (Brownson et al. 2017). The model proposed by Issel is outright a cyclical model, with the last phase of program effect evaluation being linked with a next level assessment of community needs and assets, the latter relying on the former one. This implies that the results of the program effect evaluation indicate whether there is a need for conducting a more detailed assessment of the community to understand its need. The other four stages of the model can follow after that as deemed fit. The model is distinct from the model proposed by Hawa and fellow researchers. (McKenzie et al. 2016). This model does not elaborate the phase of evaluation of the program, in contrast to the model of Issel. The number of tools and aids to be used for the evaluation phase is, therefore, less in number. In addition, the model of Issel has a major emphasis on program theory, unlike the model of Hawe. Program theory is a conceptual plan that has some details regarding how the program is expected to be carried out and what the p rogram is about. It is the comprehensive overview of the program. The model of Hawe does not emphasise on process theory and effect theory, the two prime components of program theory. It does not consider the relationship of interventions with a health problem to a detailed extent. Issel and Wells (2017) have outlined a brief example of how the public health model of Issel can be applied in practice. The program considers smoking cessation agenda. The needs of the community pertaining to the urgency of smoking cessation are to be analysed by collecting quantitative data that highlights the prevalence of smoking within the community. The next step would be to understand the factors that motivate individuals to quit smoking. The successive step would be to outline a program that ensures that individuals quit smoking within the desired time frame. The strategies need to be aligned with the objectives of the program and based on the assessment of needs and assets. For example, if the individual can be influenced by social media messages, this needs to be the focus of intervention. The following stage needs to evaluate whether the process of message dissemination is effective or not. This can be done by subjective data collection. The last stage would be to evaluate whether results of the program is effective. This can be done by collecting objective data reflecting the incidences of smoking cessation within the population in the set time frame. Australia has witnessed the implementation of a number of robust public health programs that address the diverse needs of the population at different levels. Oen such program that has drawn attention in recent times is the Australian Indigenous Wellness Program (Diabetes Management and Care Program). The program has the aim of preventing the incidence rate of type 2 diabetes among the Aboriginal communities of Western Australia. The vision of the program is to develop a sustainable community health plan that ensures that the aboriginal population is able to manage their own care with respect to diabetes. The program incorporates the prevention, management and care of diabetes. The program has been planned as a response to the diabetes prevalence among this population in Australia since diabetes leads to a huge social and economic burden for the country. The needs assessment of the population indicates that if diabetes is prevented to a considerable extent, the overall health burden c an be reduced. The impact that diabetes has on the community is targeted to be changed drastically in the coming years. The program has been established by the Caritas Australia's partner, Unity of First People of Australia (UFPA) which is an organisation dedicated to aboriginals for addressing a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes (Pressick et al. 2016). The Australian Indigenous Wellness Program has been implemented with some sound strategies in place. These strategies rest on the need for reducing the economic and social burden of diabetes. The elementary strategy considered by the program is lifestyle changes. Promotion of healthy lifestyles lies at the cornerstone of the program aimed at enhancing the lives of individuals living in remote areas. Activities are undertaken that utilises the strengths of the individuals and lead to a comprehensive spiritual, cultural and physical wellbeing. Education is provided through different stages, categorising individuals as per their needs. The care givers are supported with adequate resources, advocacy and training so that they can share their knowledge and achieve the desired program outcomes. The implementation of the program is done in such a manner that it integrates and coordinates approaches for eliminating diabetes. The prime guiding principles underpinning the programs goals include cooperation among stakeholders, facilitation of self-care, reduction of health inequalities and measurement of health outcomes (healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au 2017). According to Eldredge et al. (2016) any public health program must have a discreet set of program goal, objectives and strategies. Goals and objectives of the program are defined as the important standards and criteria against which the performance of the program can be examined. As per the authors, a program goal is the broad statement that defines the long-term expectation of the outcomes of the program. This is the desired result that the program would give rise to. Goals serve up as the basis of development of the objectives of the program. In this context, a program objective is a statement that describes the expected results of the program and how they arse to be achieved. Usually, a program has multiple objectives for a single goal. A program strategy consigns to the cautious planning of methods that acts as the tool for achieving the desired goals and objectives. It is an act of employing forces addressing the needs of the program so that the change can be brought about as de sired. Public health program goals, objectives and strategies are all intertwined and dependent on each other. All programs must have a clear understanding of where it emerges from; that is the goals and objectives. It must also be transparent about what it is striving to accomplish and how it can be accomplished; this is the strategy. Without objectives and goals there can be no outcomes, and without strategies, the goals and objectives are of no use. Strategies are the measurable aspect of the objectives and goals of the program. The items are exclusively measurable and are to be prearranged prior to the implementation of the program (Powell et al. 2017). While goals are the main desired outcome of the program, objectives are the measurable and specific results that the initiatives would have. They offer the specification about how much is to be achieved and by what time. In other words, the goals and more narrowed down by the objectives. Strategies provide direction and guidance for completing the program within the stipulated time. In addition, it facilitates the overall planning process of the program. The evaluation and monitoring of the program performance are facilitated to the optimal extent. Since the importance of a clear goal and set of objectives cannot be denied, they must not be overlooked while outlining these critical elements. Without goals and objectives, the strategies would wander without any aim (Sharma 2016). It is noted that program goals, objectives and strategies are interlinked and together ensure the success of the health program. Each of them provides the foundational ground for adjudging the achievement of the respective program. The success of the program can be thoroughly verified by aligning the results with project objectives, and right decision can be taken if strategies are to be reformed (Drain et al. 2017). From the above discussion, it can be concluded that public health programs can be conceptualised as a wide array of programmatic interventions spanning a wide social-ecological range, starting from individual level and reaching up to population level programs. Examples of successful public health programs have frequently been cited in the literature. Promoting a public health focus gives ample opportunities to exhibit the manner in which such programs target populations at different levels. The interventions and strategies behind them are unique in all respects. A wide range of concepts and practical tools are required for developing and evaluating public health programs that are considered by the evaluation consultants. The key findings from the evaluation are then to be disseminated in a manner that is understandable by the individuals of the community in order to bring about major changes pertaining to public health. Public health programs augment the interests of public heath adv ocates as they come forward as a multidisciplinary program teams to bring positive changes. A number of public health program models have been discussed in contemporary literature, each with a distinct set of salient features. Two such models include the model proposed by Issel and the one proposed by Hawe. The former model is an elaborated health program model with each stage resting on a number of principles. Though the Isser model is complicated owing to the extensive number of detailed stages, it can be commented that is a more advanced model as compared to that of Hawe model. A number of health programs are present in Australia in recent times that address the diverse needs of the population. One such program is Australian Indigenous Wellness Program that aims to reduce the prevalence of diabetes among the aboriginal population. The program is famous since it has a defined and transparent set of goals and measurable objectives. The importance of program goals and objectives are imperative and strategies to achieve the results have to be completely aligned with the objectives. Public health programs might face a number of challenges in its implementation phase, which are to be overcome through rigouros evaluation of the process and outcomes measures. It is expected that with the application of modern and advanced models, public health programs would achieve new heights. References Brownson, R.C., Baker, E.A., Deshpande, A.D. and Gillespie, K.N., 2017.Evidence-based public health. Oxford University Press. Cragg, L. ed., 2013.Health promotion theory. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). Drain, P.K., Mock, C., Toole, D., Rosenwald, A., Jehn, M., Csordas, T., Ferguson, L., Waggett, C., Obidoa, C. and Wasserheit, J.N., 2017. The emergence of undergraduate majors in global health: systematic review of programs and recommendations for future directions.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene,96(1), pp.16-23. Eldredge, L.K.B., Markham, C.M., Ruiter, R.A., Kok, G. and Parcel, G.S., 2016.Planning health promotion programs: an intervention mapping approach. John Wiley Sons. Healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au. (2017).Australian Indigenous Wellness Program (Diabetes Management and Care Program) Programs and projects Key resources Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet. [online] Available at: https://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/key-resources/programs-projects?pid=345 [Accessed 4 Sep. 2017]. Issel, L.M. and Wells, R., 2017.Health program planning and evaluation. Jones Bartlett Learning. McKenzie, J.F., Pinger, R.R. and Seabert, D., 2016.An introduction to community public health. Jones Bartlett Learning. Powell, B.J., Beidas, R.S., Lewis, C.C., Aarons, G.A., McMillen, J.C., Proctor, E.K. and Mandell, D.S., 2017. Methods to improve the selection and tailoring of implementation strategies.The journal of behavioral health services research,44(2), pp.177-194. Pressick, E.L., Gray, M.A., Cole, R.L. and Burkett, B.J., 2016. A systematic review on research into the effectiveness of group-based sport and exercise programs designed for Indigenous adults.Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport,19(9), pp.726-732. Sharma, M., 2016.Theoretical foundations of health education and health promotion. Jones Bartlett Publishers. Tulchinsky, T.H. and Varavikova, E.A., 2014.The new public health. Academic Press.