Unit 12 M3 D2 Patterns of health and health promotion Megan Scully
M3: Assess the different methods that can be used for promoting and protecting public health.
There are a variety of different methods than can be used in the promotion and protection of public
health. Health-related behaviours that are assumed by individuals at a young age can have both an
instantaneous and long-term health influence. Health promotions interventions targeting children and
young people or parents can provide the foundation of a healthy lifestyle that can be adopted into
adulthood. In this assignment, I will be focusing mainly on the methods used for the promotion and
protection of public health regarding children and parents. This assignment will assess methods in
relation to the ‘Healthy Child’ section of the Children’s National Service Framework.
In many areas, the value of research into health promotion interventions targeted at children and young
people is inadequate. Interventions are varied and not descriptive enough, or they are simply not
advertised as well as they could be. There are various schemes aimed at children, young people and
parents such as; road safety schemes, education based mental health promotions, parenting support
groups and the controlled advertisement of the consumption of healthy foods. A majority of these
schemes can be successful; however, a large percentage of children and young people now spend a
majority of their time watching television, playing video games or spending time on social media,
making promotions that are not media based much less effective. In recent years, the number of
technology based health promotions has heightened due to the large volume of children and young
people spending a majority of their time using laptops, mobile phones and watching television. This
form of promotion could however, have an effect on children and young people as during childhood
children tend to do the opposite of what is advised and may not take notice of media based promotions.
It is during circumstances such as this, where parents and role models must step forward and encourage
beneficial health-related behaviours which can then be assumed into adulthood. This then means that
both the parent and child can adopt a healthier lifestyle together, which is not only beneficial to the
health but it also aids in establishing a stronger relationship between parent and child.
Another form of health promotion that has recently surfaced are large supermarkets promoting healthy
eating and a better lifestyle. For example, Tesco, the company has removed the sale of confectionary
and sugary drinks at the front of the store and has released a healthier eating promotion through
offering free fruit to children in store whose parents are shopping, in relation to the 5-a-day campaign.
Another example of health promotion is the use of celebrities to influence children, young people and
parents to eat healthier. For example, Jamie Oliver, a celebrity chef, has a global campaign known as
‘Jamie’s food revolution’. Jamie states that it is the fundamental right of all children to have access to
fresh and nutritious foods. It is estimated however, that around 41 million children below the age of 5,
are obese or overweight. Jamie Oliver discovered that many foods being served to children and young
people as school dinners were especially bad for them, with the ‘turkey twizzler’ consisting of 34%
turkey breast, pork fat, rusk, coating and being bulked up with water, not to mention to variety of
flavourings and additives. Jamie Oliver now runs a promotion based on removing processed and junk
foods from school menus.
D2: Evaluate the effectiveness of methods used to promote and protect public health for two named
diseases.
In this assignment, I will be evaluating the effectiveness of the methods used in order to prevent and
control a named communicable disease (meningitis) and non-communicable disease (coronary heart
disease) and also assess the strengths and weaknesses of each method.
