Asthma Health Promotion Essay 2022

Running Head: ASTHMA HEALTH PROMOTION 1
Asthma Health Promotion
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ASTHMA HEALTH PROMOTION 2
Introduction
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that affects a massive number of
Australian. According to Homaira et al., (2017), approximately 2.5 million
Australians have asthma and hence making it one of the most chronic diseases in
Australia. Asthma is one of the most common diseases among children with a
prevalence of 20.8% for children between 0-15 years, with the prevalence in boys is
higher than in girls (Becker & Abrams, 2017, p.99-103). Several risk factors lead to
the development of asthma, with a combination of genetic factors and environmental
factors being the leading cause of the disease. This paper discusses how the six action
plans of the Ottawa Charter are applied in the health promotion program of targeting
children who have asthma. The article also discusses ways in which health promotion
programs carried out by Warrabbee asthma prevention program addresses health
literacy, health education, and health promotion.
Building healthy public policy
Warrabee community Asthma health promotion program is one of the
programs which have been at the forefront of educating and advocating about asthma
in Australia. Statistics indicate that Warrabee community program supports one in
every five members of the Warrabee community and it offers education to the
majority of the population who have the disease("The National Asthma Council
Australia," 2020). The program provides education and training to people with the
condition to help them adopt best practices to manage the disease. The organization
also offers first aid training to school children in various schools as well as childcare
centers. One of the six action areas of the Ottawa charter is building healthy public
policy. This action requires organizations involved in healthcare promotion to

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prioritize policies at all sectors and all levels. Health legislation includes legislation,
financial measures, taxation, and organizational changes, which can help to prevent
asthma and assist the people with the illness to manage it properly. It requires
organizations to identify obstacles and coming up with proposals of how these
obstacles can be removed to improve the health outcomes of the target population.
Warrabee community program advocates for suitable working environments for
people suffering from asthma and working in different sectors in the community.
Additionally, the program provides policy proposals to the federal and regional
governments with recommendations on how the prevalence of asthma among children
can be reduced (Whitehead, 2018, p. 26-39). These policy proposals influence the
legislation passed at various levels to promote and educate communities about
asthma. The organization also supports research to identify solutions to various issues
hindering the delivery of safe and effective care to people who have asthma.
Creation of supportive environment
Societies are complex and interrelated, and hence it is challenging to separate
health from the environmental factors which determine health(Jancey et al., 2016, p.3-
12). It is, therefore, essential to care for the natural environment to avoid illnesses.
The patterns of work and leisure also have an impact on the health of individuals.
While promoting and educating children about asthma, Warrabee community Asthma
prevention program encourages communities to maintain a favorable environment to
prevent asthma among children. Since asthma is a respiratory disease, the
environment in which a child is residing is critical in determining whether they can
prevent the disease or not. A natural environment with dirty air increases the risk of
getting asthma for both children and adults. To avoid the adverse effect of the illness,
Warrabee community program encourages communities and companies working near

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schools and residential areas to establish and maintain a healthy, supportive
environment (Sharma, 2016). By educating the community on the need for a
supportive and conducive environment, the progam has helped to reduce
hospitalization due to asthma and to prevent diseases among young people (Homaira
et al., 2017, p.89-97).
Strenthening community action
The Warrabee community health promotion program also promote health
based on the Ottawa action areas of strengthening community action. Strengthening
community action involves enabling the community to prioritize, make decisions,
planning strategies, and implementing them to achieve better health
outcomes(Fawcett et al., 2017, p.647-655). The communities targeted by the asthma
promotion programs are empowered to own the community empowerment program to
enable them easily achieve their goals concerning preventing and managing asthma in
their societies. Warrabee community program achieves this by training school
children on how they should conduct first aid for a person who has asthma. By
acquiring these skills, the children can be able to save lives, especially when they are
at school as well as when they are at home. Health promotion is also achieved by
educating parents of children with asthma on how to act swiftly and appropriately in
case of an emergency involving an asthma patient (Campbell & Carson, 2017, p.26-
34). Apart from training parents, the program has been carrying out programs
educating teachers and other members of school staff on how they can ensure that
children with asthma stay in safe and supportive environments, which helps them to
thrive well.

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Development of personal skills
The development of personal skills is also very critical in the promotion of
health for children who have asthma. The promotion of health should focus on
supporting personal and social development by providing information and by
enhancing life skills. Warrabee community program also engages in activities aimed
towards educating the target population on how they can improve their health
outcomes. The Warrabee program organizes events throughout the community where
they visit various child care centers to educate people on how they can prevent asthma
and manage it for those with a close relative suffering from the disease (Garden et al.,
2018, p.91-102). Warrabee program achieves this action by providing evidence-based
preventive strategies that people suffering from asthma can apply. This information is
provided through phone lines where an individual can call the free toll lines at any
time to ask for advice and information regarding asthma. The program also offers
referral services for people suffering from the disease. The program refers to people
who could need further evaluation and medical checkups. This greatly helps in the
management of asthma. In addition to this, the organization provides coaching
services and hence contributing to health literacy and education to prevent and
manage asthma for children.
Re-orienting health services
Warrabee community program also engages in activities aimed at promoting
health and improving health literacy by reorienting health services. The responsibility
for health promotion must be shared between and among individuals, the community,
healthcare professionals, and the government. All the stakeholders must work together
to prevent and manage asthma among children and adolescents in Warrabee

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community (McBride et al., 2019, p.131-152). The program works with various
government agencies, including the ministry of health, to coordinate health promotion
efforts to prevent asthma.. Without this collaboration, the program can't meet its
objective. The program also collaborates with various community groups with a
similar vision to educate the community in general on how they can prevent asthma
(Thompson et al., 2018, p.73-84). This is very critical since the community members
have a better understanding of the needs of the community. The community members
are also in a better position to understand the environmental factors which contribute
to high cases of asthma among children as well as adults. Through this collaboration,
Warrabee community program, together with community members identify priority
areas which the health promotion efforts can focus on. By focusing on the priority
health needs of the community, the appropriate measures are taken to prevent the
factors from contributing to the high cases of asthma. Hence, the goals of health
promotion are achieved. As part of prioritizing health services, Warrabee community
program supports local research to find solutions to community challenges which
could help in preventing asthma.
Conclusion
Several factors determine the health of individuals and the community in
general. It is critical to identify the various environmental factors which contribute to
poor health outcomes and focus on devising strategies that can help in improving the
health outcomes of the target population. It is essential to promote and educate the
community on the various risk factors which cause asthma in both children and adults.
Health promotion is, therefore, concerned with creating a supportive environment to
make it possible for the target population to be in charge of their health. Health
promotion programs are also engaged in designing policy and advocating for changes

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aimed towards improving health outcomes of the various population. Warrabee
community program has played a significant role in building public health policy
aimed towards promoting health education for children and adolescents who have
asthma. The organization also empowers the local community to be in charge of their
health and to own the health promotion program. Teachers and children in various
educational institutions are trained on providing first aid to children with asthma and
on providing a supportive environment for the children. The organization also
provides information and referral services to members of the public.

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