Health Promotion Program in Australia

Running head: HEALTH PROMOTION 1
Health Promotion
Students Name
Institutional Affiliation

HEALTH PROMOTION 2
Question 1
Sun Smart is a health promotion program in Australia that aims at reducing the
cancer Prevalence in the area. Research indicates that an estimated two in three people
have cancer by the age of 70 and more than 1800 deaths are reported as a result of the
disease. The program is beneficial in minimizing the cancer rates in Australia as the
number of cancer patients has significantly reduced in the recent years. The program was
rated the second most effective program and has resulted in enormous human and
economic advantages in the country.
The program utilizes various primary health care principles of primary health care
which include enhancing health education by the use of behavioral, environmental and
community-based methods. It mostly uses the mass media to educate the people on the
risk factors for the disease. The program also involves the community members in
promoting health by encouraging community participation (LaFond, 2013).

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Question 2
The Australian health care system is with no doubt one of the best in the world.
Reduced Infant death rates and increased life expectancy indicates that the health care
system is effective. Medicare is a health insurance program that the Australian
government uses to provide health services to its citizens. The advantages of the program
are that it is government sponsored and free for all the people. This means that all the
people have access to healthcare regardless of the age or socioeconomic status. This has
reduced the burden on the people from low socio-economic status.
The program also benefits the doctors who work both in the public hospitals and
the private hospitals simultaneously (Duckett & Willcox, 2015). The disadvantage of the
program includes the long waiting queues the locals face while waiting for services even
after booking an appointment. The next government may have a huge challenge in
funding the system making it unsustainable.

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Question 3
The immediate health care needs for Marcus include Lifestyle modification-cessation of
smoking, Glycemic control, and psychosocial support. I would ensure that Marcus is educated on
the effects of smoking on his health. Diabetes complications increase the risk of circulation
problems, stroke, and kidney disease. Smoking doubles the risk of the developments of the
illnesses, and hence Marcus should be educated on the importance of quitting smoking (Luo et
al., 2013). Diabetes education will help Marcus understand more about the self-management
skills of the condition. I would also ensure that Marcus is given psychosocial support. This will
be useful in decreasing the chances of him developing anxiety and depression since he is living
alone and he does not have a family close by to support him. It will also have a long term
positive impact on his well-being. I would also ensure that Marcus gets affordable private health
insurance which will help him acquire insulin pumps that will provide a constant supply of
insulin and hence stabilizing the glucose levels (Folland Goodman & Stano 2016).
The political issues that may impact on indigenous health policy development include
lack of political goodwill by the government. The government has failed to cooperate with the
relevant stakeholders to implement the policies, making the process difficult. The government
also discriminates the indigenous people making it difficult to implement policies that benefit
them. The social issues that impact on the indigenous health policy development include high
levels of racism. Social exclusion and lack of proper representation also influence the policy
development (Smylie & Firestone, 2016).

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Question 4
Sita is convinced that for her general recovery, she has to practice physical exercises
while Anita believes that since her grandmother is sick, she should not engage in the exercises.
Sita also believes that for her to recover fully; she should appropriately change her diet while
Anita thinks that she should not be restricted from taking any meal.
The interdisciplinary members that I would involve in planning Sita’s ongoing care
include a physiotherapist who would guide her on the importance of relaxation and the physical
exercises to undertake. The physiotherapist will also educate the patient on the signs of excessive
exercise and how to sustain clear lung fields. I would also involve a Nutritionist to help access
the health needs of Sita and advice on good eating habits and the food to avoid to better her
health. Research indicates that nutritional counseling has a significant impact on the health
outcome of a person (Junehag, Asplund & Svedlund, 2014).
Financial barriers are the most challenge people face while seeking health care. Since Sita
has top-level private health insurance, she has numerous benefits such as access to the best
doctors and specialists compared to a person with no insurance. Sita can also access health care
services at her time of need without delay. She can also choose the hospitals she wants to attend.
Sita is also able to receive affordable health care at a time when her finances are low (Smith,
Nolan, Normand & McPake, 2013).
The two health services that would support Sita include Dandenong Hospital and Monash
Medical Centre. I would support Sita’s religious beliefs by letting her know that I respect and
honor her beliefs. I would then use the FICA evaluation method to get to know more about her
health beliefs and the roles they place in the recovery process. I would also inquire about how

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Sita would want me to address the issues during the delivery of healthcare. I would then educate
her on how her religious practices influence her health and recovery. Once she is informed, I
would let her make her choice, which I would fully support and encourage her to undertake
(King & Koenig, 2013)

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References
Duckett, S., & Willcox, S. (2015). The Australian health care system (No. Ed. 5). Oxford
University Press.
Folland, S., Goodman, A. C., & Stano, M. (2016). The Economics of Health and Health Care:
Pearson International Edition. Routledge.
Junehag, L., Asplund, K., & Svedlund, M. (2014). Perceptions of illness, lifestyle and support
after an acute myocardial infarction. Scandinavian journal of caring sciences, 28(2), 289-
296.
King, D. E., & Koenig, H. G. (2013). Faith, spirituality, and medicine: toward the making of the
healing practitioner. Routledge.
LaFond, A. (2013). Sustaining primary health care. Routledge
Luo, J., Rossouw, J., Tong, E., Giovino, G. A., Lee, C. C., Chen, C., ... & Margolis, K. L. (2013).
Smoking and diabetes: does the increased risk ever go away?. American journal of
epidemiology, 178(6), 937-945..
Smith, S., Nolan, A., Normand, C., & McPake, B. (2013). Health economics: an international
perspective. Routledge.
Smylie, J., & Firestone, M. (2016). The health of indigenous peoples. D. Raphael (3rd ed.)
Social determinants of health: Canadian perspective, 434-469.

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