This is my second assignment for unit 8 - promoting public health. This assignment entails in-depth description and research in to many organisations that promote public health and a detailed analysis of these organisations. This includes all pass, merit and distinciton. I received a distinction** ...
Change for life is a public health movement which was created in January 2009 and run by Public
Health England. It was set up as a part of an ambition created by the government called Healthy
Weight, Healthy Lives (2009). Change4life aims to make sure parents have the tools they need to
make informed choices about their children's lives and to ensure they can make healthier choices.
Change4life aim to make it easier and accessible for people to look at healthier food options around
busy schedules. They help families with fun ideas to help keep children healthy and create healthy
and easy recipes' so that parents aren't relying on a takeaway on a busy weeknight. Change4life has
developed an app called the “Change4Life Food Scanner”. This app means that parents can scan
food or drink and are able to see the amount of sugar content. Change4Life also created recipes’
which are easy to make and have a low sugar content so are a healthy and easy option after a busy
day. Change4life targets parents and adults by creating apps and recipes’ but also targets children.
They do this by creating “10 minute shake up games”, these games are an easy way to encourage
children to do something more active rather than sitting and watching tv or playing games. These
games are based upon movies such as Toy Story, The Incredibles, The Lion King, and Frozen. For
example, on the Frozen game there are games such as “Anna and Kristoff's Sled Chase” and “Kristoff
and Anna’s Snowball Volleyball”. These games create activities for children to do that will interest
them and means that they can pick their favourite film and pretend to be their favourite character.
Change4life have also introduced children getting weighed within school. This is to make parents
aware of their child's weight and also what can be done to help with their weight if needed. Parents
can decide to opt out of their child getting weighed at school if they wish. Parents whose children
did get weighed received a letter stating their child's weight and also what can be done to help with
their child's weight e.g. visiting the change4life website to see programmes, meals and exercise to
help with their weight. Change4life’s main target audience is for parents who think that their child
may be overweight, and it needs controlling or could be for parents who want to prevent their child
from becoming overweight by making healthier choices. They may also use Change4Life to educate
their child on making healthier choices and the potential consequences of eating unhealthy food so
that their child is more aware of the foods they are eating. They can also use it to educate their
children on understand food labels so that they know what is in the food or drink ad can decide
whether or not to have it.
Health promotion
Health promotion enables individuals to have better control over their own health. It is a behavioural
social science. It aims to prevent ill health and improve fitness levels. They aim to educate people on
the importance of regular exercise. “Health promotion enables people to increase control over their
own health. It covers a wide range of social and environmental interventions that are designed to
benefit and protect individual people’s health and quality of life by addressing and preventing the
root causes of ill health, not just focusing on treatment and cure.”
Roles of health promoters
Local Sheffield (Sheffield commissioning group)
This aims to promote health in specific area which results often targeting more specific disease
within that area
National - (dofh)
This targets different countries, and this focuses on problems within that country. Targeting any
issues and finding a solution.
Global
, Promoting health across the whole world often with different charities who look at common health
issues that large amounts of the population may suffer from. These charities aim to help to help lots
of the population with that issue.
Health professionals
Health professionals promote health as they contribute to public health outcomes and promoting
health and wellbeing. They give people advice on how to live healthy lifestyles e.g. stopping smoking
and more exercise.
Approaches to health promotion
1. Monitoring the health status of the community and identifying those most at risk, e.g.
children, unemployed, older people, minority ethnic groups
2. Health surveillance programmes
3. Targeted education and health awareness and health promotion programmes
4. Socio-economic support to reduce health inequality between individuals and communities,
e.g. winter fuel payments, free school meals, housing support
5. Improving access to health and care services
6. Co-ordinating national and local services
7. Disease registration to inform of health trends and for strategic health planning
8. Statutory duty to notify certain communicable diseases, e.g. measles, tuberculosis.
These are many approaches that can be used to promote public health and wellbeing. One approach
used by change4life is Monitoring the health status of the community and identifying those most at
risk, e.g. children, unemployed, older people, minority ethnic groups. There are many factors that
may impact obesity in the community. These include healthy foods such as whole foods becoming
more expensive than processed food. Advanced technology has made life easier for many people.
For example, food delivery means that people don’t even have to leave the house to get food
delivered which can make people become lazy and not want to leave the house to get their food as
there are new easier ways. Some parents may lead busy lifestyles meaning that they may not have
the time to take their children out to exercise or have the time to make nutritious dinners.
Change4life works to identity those most at risk of been of ill-health. Children are more at risk of
been of ill health as they have less experience in dealing with how to eat healthy and the
consequences of not doing so. Change4life recognises these vulnerabilities as they create
programmes to educate children as they can learn a healthy life from an early age. The unemployed
are at risk of ill health as they have limited money meaning they may unable to buy healthier food as
they become more expensive. Whole foods have become more expensive and more unhealthy foods
have becoming cheaper meaning they are more appealing to the unemployed. Older people are
more vulnerable to ill health as they may have limited mobility meaning that they may exercise less
than mobile individuals and minority ethnic groups. Change for life have been successful in
promoting health. They have done this by successfully picking their targeted groups of individuals.
According to the change4life health report the change4life campaign had reached 99% of families
meaning it was very successful.
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