Importance of Communication and Understanding Health Models in Health Promotion

This article discusses the importance of effective communication and understanding of health models in health promotion. It highlights the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and the three key aspects of health. It also emphasizes the role of nursing professionals in communication and cultural competence.

Running head: HEALTH PROMOTION
Health Promotion
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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HEALTH PROMOTION
Reply to Post One (Post by Swati)
In reply to this post, I would like to comment that I too believe the Ottawa Charter of
health promotion framework is an important framework for health promotion worldwide.
Prerequisites for Health in relation to the Ottawa Charter include peace, shelter, education,
food, income, a stable eco-system, sustainable resources along with social justice and equity
(World Health Organization, 2018). I think comprehensive coverage of these aspects help in
effective promotion of health as these domains are fundamental condition and resources for
good health. In her post the author has highlighted that five main components of Ottawa
Charter of health promotion and this include building of the public policy, creation of
supportive environment, strengthening of the community actions, and development of
personal skills and reorientation of health services. These five aspects are specifically
highlighted by WHO (World Health Organisation) (2018). However, while discussing the
Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, this post failed to highlight the basic concept
underlying the health promotion. According WHO (2018), health promotion is defined as a
process of enabling people in order to increase the overall control over and to improve the
overall health. Here health significantly covers the mental, physical and the social well-being
and thereby promotion health-related quality of life of the people.
The author here also highlighted the importance of the communication strategy in
health promotion. However, I would like to highlight the though websites, apps and other
internet sources acts an important source of communication, it cannot solely be regarded as
an effective means communication among the healthcare professionals. According to Long
(2012) the majority of the population residing in the rural areas of the Australia do not have
adequate coverage towards internet access. Thus apps and other internet resources can never
be a comprehensive medium of communication strategies for health promotion. From the

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review of my professor’s lectures note I would like to highlight that effective communication
must be provided under the community health settings and that too under a detailed and
personalised supervision of the nursing professionals. This community health workforce must
be equipped with Aboriginal nursing professionals and this will help to design the
communication strategy in a culturally competent manner and thereby helping to promote
health. This will further help to reduce the health inequalities (Hendricks & Cope, 2013).

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References
Hendricks, J. M., & Cope, V. C. (2013). Generational diversity: what nurse managers need to
know. Journal of advanced nursing, 69(3), 717-725.
Long, T. B. (2012). Overview of teaching strategies for cultural competence in nursing
students. Journal of cultural diversity, 19(3).
World Health Organization. (2018). The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Access date:
5th October 2018. Retrieved from:
http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ottawa/en/

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Reply to post: 2
In the domain of effective health promotion, the author has proposed the importance
of communication. The author has mainly cited Edgar and Volkman (2012) and narrated that
communication is not just providing information about illness or about the health condition
but also includes environment under which the patients are living along with the decision
making process of health promotion. However, as per my understanding in the domain of
health promotion, communication comes in the form of effective communication. According
to Bramhall (2014) effective communication helps in the development of therapeutic
relationship between the healthcare professionals and the healthcare service users. This
therapeutic relation helps in the active exchange of the information among the healthcare
professionals and the healthcare service users along with generation of disease awareness.
Here the author has highlighted social media as an important means of communication
however; I think nursing professionals are the sole pillars of communication. A nursing
professional can communicate in a culturally sensitive manner and thereby helping to indulge
a culturally diverse focus group under health promotion activity.
In the post the author further highlighted that he is unable to understand the three key
aspects of health like biomedical model of health, social model of health and socio-ecological
model of health. According to VicHealth (2018), biomedical model of health mainly
highlights the invasive procedures which are concerned in accessing the overall physiological
health of an individual (both mental and physical health). Potvin (2012) highlighted that the
social model of health mainly encompass the surrounding society, which influence both the
physical and the mental health. Suppose a society where people become victim of social
exclusion will have high percentage of mental health complications like depression. If the
society fails to maintain proper hygienic environment then the physical health will come at

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stake. In the domain of socio-ecological model of health, it can be stated that it has various
domains and this include individual aspect, interpersonal aspect, organisational aspect,
community health and public policy centring health (Sallis, Owen, Fisher, 2015). Thus it will
provide a comprehensive coverage of both the biomedical and the social aspect of health
related quality of life of an individual.

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References
Bramhall, E. (2014). Effective communication skills in nursing practice. Nursing Standard
(2014+), 29(14), 53.
Edgar, T., & Volkman, J. E. (2012). Using communication theory for health promotion:
Practical guidance on message design and strategy. Health promotion practice, 13(5),
587-590.
Potvin, L. (2012). Intersectoral action for health: more research is needed!.Springer.
Sallis, J. F., Owen, N., & Fisher, E. (2015). Ecological models of health behavior. Health
behavior: Theory, research, and practice, 5, 43-64.
VicHealth. (2018). Defining Health Promotion. Access date: 5th October 2018. Retrieved
from: https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/media-and-resources/vce-resources/defining-
health-promotion