Unit 31
P3- Describe the purpose of public health strategies
Public health strategies or initiatives have their purposes and reasons, but what are the purpose of such
strategies and what public health strategies are they? I will describe below, what public health strategies
they are, how they work and the purpose of them.
The purpose of public health strategies
There are various public health strategies out their such as 5-a-day, anti-binge drinking, safe sex and sun
protection. All these strategies, collectively, aim to do one thing and that is either, protect, reduce
chances of ill health and keep the nation healthy. Throughout the years, the government have
introduced initiatives and campaigns in the form of public health strategies, to help keep the nation
healthy and improve health as whole.
The purpose of public health is to promote and protect health and prevent disease and injury. The UK
government is aware that improving the health and wellbeing of the UK population is a challenging
process, that will take time and population involvement, however, they are willing to except that and
promote health and have been doing so for a long time. With the main purpose explained, what are the
other purposes of these strategies?
Reduce risk
The main purpose of these strategies is to reduce risk. Day in day out in the UK we face risks and hazards
to health. These risks may be self-inflicted or they may not, however, it is without a doubt that public
health is constantly challenged with these risks, and what public health strategies aim to do is reduce
these risks and make them more manageable. Taking skin cancer for example. This type of cancer is a
persistent risk if you are exposed to the sun unprotected, as the harmful ultraviolet rays that come from
the sun can damage the skin, lead to the abnormal growth of skins leads and lead to skin cancer. The
fight against skin cancer is seen across the UK and the government in an attempt to improve public
health and fight skin cancer, develop and display initiatives and campaigns to make the population
aware such risks and reduce such risks.
If public health strategies are in place attempting to target health issues across the UK, then an active
effort can be made to reduce risk of diseases and illnesses that the target issues cause. The public health
strategy, anti-binge drinking, prevents accidents and reduces the risk of injury and death, while the
public health strategy safe sex, reduces the risk of sexually transmitted diseases being spread during
sexual intercourse. All the strategies, work in their way to reduce risks to the population and protect
their health.
There are many conditions and illnesses that put the public at risk and with the aid of public health
strategies to prevent them, risk can be reduced. The role and purpose they have is crucial and if public
health strategies reduce risk, then positive health can be promoted, the population can be protected
and ill-health can be minimised. Without public health strategies to take action on public health
concerns, how can concerns be addressed and how can the nation reduce their risk to such concerns
and lead a healthy happy life?