Essay on Health Promotion

Health promotion (HP) is a multi-dimensional and complex concept which the researcher is frequently used and defined in different ways. One of the nursing roles for nurses is the promoter of health; therefore it would be useful to attempt to clarify the concept. This article develops a concept analysis is to clarify the meaning of an existing concept of HP using the process developed by Pender, Murdaugh, and Parsons (2006). The method suggested by Walker and Avant guided this concept analysis. Attributes, model cases, antecedents and consequences, and empirical references are described. The implications for further research are also described.

Americans, resulting in the lowest standard of living in the United States, high rates of

For many years, health promotions and prevention has been the focus for healthcare providers, especially nurses. Health promotion seeks to improve a person or population’s health by teaching about and helps people become more aware of risky behaviors associated with different diseases. It encourages individuals to take preventative measures to prevent onset or worsening of a disease or illness. It encourages a healthier lifestyle (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). The strategy is to help people make health improvements or prevention before illness occurs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health promotion as “The process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behavior towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions.”

The aim of this case based study, is to Promote Health and behaviour changes within the work place,

According to the World Health Organization health promotion is defined as "The process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behavior towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions." (WHO, 2013) This applies to the nursing profession in that nurses are educating patient on the steps needed for their health such as diet, exercise, therapies, and medication compliance.

Nurses implement health promotion strategies in a variety of ways. Due to the high level of credibility nurse’s have with their patients, they greatly influence their patients with their passion. By emphasizing health promotion strategies such as self-responsibility, proper nutrition, exercise and stress management, nurses plant the seeds of wellness in the minds of their patients. While ultimately, it is up to the individual to make healthy changes in their lives, the role of the nurse practitioner plays a huge role in motivating individuals to adopt healthy habits.

There are various methods used in the implementation of health promotion that encompasses entire areas of nursing. Providing education, providing information and increasing the knowledge to the patient and the community. In this nursing process a complete assessment, planning, nursing diagnosis; creating plan of care, rendering care and outcome evaluation is done. This nursing process is used during the entire nursing practice in very particular stages and in the progression of the quality care.

Often in practice, we as nurses deal with a variety of diseases and treatments and often have to react to the illness that the patient presents with upon our interaction. While this is an essential piece of our practice, we also have a duty to our patients to be proactive in preventing specific health-related consequences based on their risk factors and to promote their health and well being. Health promotion as it relates to nursing is about us empowering our patients to increase their control over their lives and well beings and includes: focusing on their health not just illness, empowering our patients, recognizing that health involves many dimensions and is also effected by factors outside of their control (Whitehead et al. 2008)..

The World Health Organisation - WHO (2015) defines Health Promotion as fundamental discipline in disease prevention through social /environmental intervention, health education and behaviour change towards health. This description coincides with Dahlgren and Whitehead’s Social Determinants of Health (1992) where the individual’s health is not only limited to medical factors but it is largely influenced by lifestyle – rooting from its social factors from familial, societal to national level. In this regard, the vital role of the nurse as a health promotion practitioner is to uphold individual’s autonomy by increasing their knowledge about how the body functions to prevent diseases and making them aware of how the healthcare

Health promotion includes providing activities that improve a person’s health. These activities assist patients to “maintain or enhance their present levels of health. Health promotion activities motivate people to act positively to reach more stable levels of health” (Potter & Perry, 2005, p. 97). In order for nurses to assist patients in obtaining healthy lifestyles, they must first assess a patient’s perception of health. The World Health Organization defines health as a “state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (as cited in Potter & Perry, 2005, p. 91). There are many nursing theories that are based on an individual’s perception of health. This paper will

Health is man perceiving oneself at his or her optimal level of functioning. Health can be achieved even in a diseased state by assisting clients to achieve the highest perceived state of health as possible. Health is a direct result of environmental factors and health teaching and promotion. It is important to incorporate the teaching process and recognize the different domains of learning in order to achieve the most effective, positive behavioral changes. Since man is in constant interaction with his environment, and each client has different beliefs, cultures and values, health promotion and teaching are important for man to achieve his or her optimal level of functioning. This is

· Guidelines for good nutrition and exercise: eat a variety of foods every day to include, fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Decrease the amount of fatty, sugary foods and drinks consumed. Drink more water. Get 30-60 minutes of exercise daily.

The health promotion model is a theory of nursing that was developed by Dr. Nola Pender. Her theory was first proposed in 1982 and then revised in 1996. Dr. Pender was influenced by the work of James Hall, who studied people’s behavior and its correlation to health. Her work is a middle-range theory, as there are specific concepts that are observable, that she designed to be a counterpart to models of health protection in which health is simply viewed as the absence of illness. Pender’s theory was critiqued using the criteria from Fawcett (2005). Although there are limitations to Pender’s health promotion model, her theory is the best to use in nursing as it focuses on the promotion of individualized optimal health and produces increased positive outcomes.

Health promotion aims a wide range of targets at different levels in the community. The huge benefits resulted from health promotion and disease prevention efforts make many realize that this domain of health care is worth to be invested in. The focus is shifted evermore from the medical to the preventative approach, from treating the disease to avoiding the onset of it.