1. Preliminary Core 1 :
Better Health for
individuals
FQ3 What strategies help to promote the health of
individuals?

2. • What is health promotion?(DP1)
• Health promotion is about achieving the best possible health
for everyone. It is difficult to improve an individual’s health if
the economic, environmental and social conditions are bad.
Interventions are changes made to individual and social
circumstances to maximise opportunities to achieve good
health.
• WHO defines health promotion as the process of “enabling
people to increase control over, and to improve, their health”.
(1986)
• Health promotion is based around the saying “Prevention is
better than cure” and it aims at preventing morbidity and
mortality.

3. New public health approach
• Watch the film regarding the new public health approach and
the importance of health promotion

4. 3 levels of prevention
Health Promotion can target three levels of prevention:
1. Primary: Persons yet to display symptoms of disease. Aimed
at preventing onset of disease eg immunisation programs.
2. Secondary: Early signs of disease or risk factors are present,
aim is to halt or slow disease process. This is early stage
intervention. Eg weight loss programs
3. Tertiary: Minimise the effects of the disease. Eg: medicines

5. • Who is responsible for Health
Promotion? (DP2)
• individuals
• community groups/schools
• non-government organisations
• government
• international organisations, eg WHO, United Nations

6. Individuals
What role do individuals play in health promotion?
• Individual’s play a key role in promoting their health, because
personal behaviour is the major determining factor of health
status. For health promotion to be effective, individuals’ need
to be empowered. This refers to an individual’s ability to make
decisions about, or have personal control over their life. (
• Individuals working in health-related areas are able to assist
people to gain control over their health eg general
practitioners, counselors, dentists, health workers, community
nurses. Other individuals who are involved in improving health
also include health educators, social workers, community
workers and environmental health officers.

7. Individuals
• List the people or groups who could empower you to improve
your health

8. Community groups and
schools
• Community groups and schools are important settings for
health promotion, after all these are the places where we live,
work and play.
• Communities should be able to contribute to discussion and
participate in the setting of health policies. Our schools also
need to places that promote health among our young
Australians.

9. Activity
• Activity: Examine one of these strategies and explain how they
are able to improve health of individuals and communities.
RRisk (http://www.ncahs.nsw.gov.au/alcohol/ )- Promoting health
among young people by focusing on alcohol, drugs and driving.
Community Health Education Groups –
(http://www.ncahs.nsw.gov.au/chegs/ )provides adult/elderly
physical activity and nutrition classes around the North Coast.
Healthy Kids School Canteens –(http://www.healthy-
kids.com.au/about-us) Promoting healthy food choices
Secondary Schools Nursing Program -
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/healthwellbeing/health/schoolnur
sing/secschool/default.htm Nurses promoting health in Victorian
secondary schools.

10. Non Government organisations
• Look at the following eg’s of NGO’s........
• http://www.cancer.org.au/Home.htm
• http://www.asthmaaustralia.org.au/cgi-
bin/wrapper.pl?c1=home
• http://www.inspire.org.au/

11. Non-government
Organisations
• Non-government Organisations are non-profit making
organisations that operate at local, national or international
levels. They are funded from a variety of sources including
government grants, public donations and fundraising.
Non-government organisations (NGO's) play a crucial role in
the health of Australians. For example, many organisations
such as universities conduct health research into the
prevention, detection, and treatment of disease. While other
NGO's contribute in various ways, including raising funds for
research, running educational and health promotion
programs, providing support services and coordinating
voluntary care.

12. Government
All levels of government are responsible for promoting better
health
• The Commonwealth Government is responsible for planning
long-term programs that address Australia’s health priorities.
Use the link below to explore one of the seven
Commonwealth Government Health Promotion Campaigns.
• Activity: Select one of the campaigns suggested in your
work booklet
1. Briefly describe the nature of this campaign
2. Describe some of the campaign materials used
2. Explain why the Australian Government has initiated the
campaign in this area of health

13. The Commonwealth
government
• The Commonwealth government is also responsible for allocating the funding
and developing systems that all Australians have access to health services
• Medicare - Australia's health insurance. Medicare funds affordable primary
health care treatment for all Australian citizens. Residents with a Medicare card
can receive subsidised treatment from medical practitioners, nurse practitioners
and allied health professionals who have been issued a Medicare provider
number, and can also obtain free treatment in public hospitals.
Activity: Explain why Medicare is an important initiative in promoting health for
all Australians
Other Commonwealth Government websites you may be interested in visiting:
Quit now http://www.quitnow.gov.au/- Australia's National Tobacco Campaign
Nutrition Guidelines - The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating
Go for 2 and 5 - Fruit and Vegetable Campaign
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1_PhPKzjoA

14. State Governments
• State Governments are also responsible for campaigns that
target specific health promotion and disease prevention
programs. In NSW the department of health is divided into
Area Health Services that support local needs.
• NSW Department of Health.
• Also check out the North Coast Area Health Service for state
government initiatives in our local area.

15. Local Governments
• Local Governments support the state and Commonwealth
governments in implementing health promotion eg local
libraries distribute information. They are also responsible for
creating environments that support health eg providing parks,
cycleways, shade areas at local swimming pools,

16. International Organisations
eg WHO.
• The World Health Organisation is a specialized agency of the
United Nations that acts as the coordinating authority on
international public health issues. It provides leadership on
global health concerns, monitors disease outbreaks, assesses
the performance of health systems around the world and
promotes health research.
• (As an example of the role of WHO, explore the WHO
response the swine flu pandemic.
• Activity: Outline the functions of WHO in responding to
global health concerns. Also list some of the Programs and
Projects coordinated by WHO that affect young people