Fundamentals of Health Promotion for Nurses
Second Edition
Edited by Jane Wills
Short Answer Questions
Chapter 3: Approaches to promoting health
1. What are the three ways of conceptualizing and understanding health referred to in this book?
A preventative medical perspective which sees health as being determined primarily by physiological factors; a behavioural perspective which focuses on the way people live their lives as being the key determining factor; and a socio-environmental perspective, which emphasizes the social and economic context of people's lives.
2. What might be seen as causes of coronary heart disease when considering the disease from a socio-economic perspective?
Causes might include stress caused by employment status, poverty, poor housing, conflict, and social isolation.
3. Describe at least three characteristics of a preventative medical approach to health promotion.
In this answer you might include that they address physiological risk factors, are clinical interventions, they tend to be expert led, may target whole populations and are focused on high-risk target groups.
4. What do behavioural approaches to health promotion aim to do?
Behavioural approaches to health promotion seek to change people's behaviour to adopt healthier lifestyles in order to prevent ill health and promote positive health and well-being.
5. Where do advocates of a socio-environmental approach to health promotion seek to make change?
They work to bring about change at a structural or policy level in order to create an environment in which individuals and communities can realistically make healthy choices.
6. What criticisms might be levelled at health persuasion activities?
It could be argued that activities may not explore whether a patient is ready or skilled enough to make changes in their lifestyle. Activities that place responsibility on the individual to make change may not recognize the relative powerlessness and lack of choice that their situation may offer them. This may limit the effectiveness of such interventions when used in isolation.
7. What are the principles and aims of community development interventions?
Community development is based on principles of empowerment, social justice and equity. It aims to empower communities to identify and prioritize their needs, to work together to seek solutions to those needs and implement change as part of an ongoing process.
8. Why are models such as those offered by Tannahill (Downie et al., 1996) and Beattie (1991) useful?
These models can offer a framework of options that can support the planning of a project. They help practitioners question their practice and be more able to justify the actions they take to promote health.