Health Promotion Strategies: Addressing Childhood Obesity

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INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................2
TASK 1..........................................................................................................................................................3
The Effects Of Socioeconomic Influences On Health...............................................................................3
The Relevance Of Government Sources In Reporting On Inequalities In Health.....................................5
TASK 2..........................................................................................................................................................8
The Importance Of Ayesha Providing Relevant Health-Related Information To The Public....................8
The Health Beliefs Of Teenagers Governing Their Food Consumption And Physical Activity Relate To
Theories Of Health Behavior....................................................................................................................9
The Potential Conflicts That Ayesha Will Encounter With The Local Fast Food Industry On Health
Promotion..............................................................................................................................................10
TASK 3........................................................................................................................................................11
The Links Between Government Strategies And Models Of Health Promotion.....................................11
Role Of Professionals.............................................................................................................................12
TASK 4........................................................................................................................................................13
A Health Promotion Campaign That Meets Specific Health And Social Care Objectives.......................13
Explain How That Health Promotion Campaign Supports Health Promotion Strategies.......................14
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES:.............................................................................................................................................17

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INTRODUCTION
The health promotion strategies devised and implemented by the government play a very crucial role in
determining the quality of life and health conditions of the population. This assignment will focus upon
the effects socio-economical factors have on health, the barriers in accessing the healthcare facilities
and a thorough discussion upon health inequalities will be done. The importance of government sources
and healthcare professionals in promoting health will be discussed and to enhance the learning a health
promotion campaign will be planned. The major issue of increasing childhood obesity will be looked
upon and strategies will be discussed based on the theories and models of beliefs.

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TASK 1
The Effects Of Socioeconomic Influences On Health
The health of any individual is strongly influenced by the lifestyle beliefs and the environment one lives
and works. The major factors determining the health and living standards of an individual are the social
and economic or the socio-economic determinants of health. These factors are comprised of physical
and social environment in which an individual lives and the quality of health care services one gets.
Among these determinants a few are discussed as follows:
Socioeconomic status: the people belonging to lower socioeconomic status group have difficulties living
their lives on a daily basis. Insecurity with the employment and challenging socio economic
circumstances make their life stressful and they suffer from psychological and physical conditions more
likely than people belonging to higher strata. Life expectancy among this group of people has also been
found to be reduced compared to people with a good socioeconomic status.
Stressful living: the social, economical and psychological circumstances determine the level of stress one
is subjected to. The employment insecurities, social inequities leading to isolation, burdened
responsibilities and a lesser control over the work and type of life one is living leads to a long term stress
development which runs a psychological risk accumulation.
Social exclusion: the socioeconomic conditions influence the position and acceptance of one in the
society. The poorer people face difficulties in being a part of the society. The struggle and difficulties
they face due to lack of even the basic necessities make them deprived of availing the healthcare
facilities. They face social inequalities and discrimination which prevent them from participation and
accessing the healthcare education and facilities worsening the health conditions and decreasing life
expectancy. This social discrimination leads to such people living in deprived and unhealthy
surroundings which, makes them more prone to developing various diseases.

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Workplace: people with poor socioeconomic status are devoid of the education and qualifications
required to earn a good job and work at better working environments. These people manage to get jobs
that demand a high physical activity and are associated with risks towards health. Working under such
stressful conditions where one does not have any control over the work they are offered results in a
physical and mental breakdown in later stages and make such people more vulnerable to diseases.
The governmental organizations are working towards providing a better health and care facilities to the
people. These facilities are provided to everyone irrespective of the race, creed, social and economic
status but, it has been found that despite of all the measures taken, the healthcare facilities are still
unable to reach the people equally. Several barriers contribute to this inequality and inability in
assessing the healthcare.
These barriers can be social and economical, physical, geographical or related to culture, occupation and
education. The cultural beliefs reflect upon the lifestyle one chooses to acquire. Certain eating habits or
rituals performed in different cultures which are considered as a crucial part have devastating effects on
health if followed religiously for longer durations. Such practices being incorporated as an important
part of any specific society results in difficulties in making the people understand the negative effects
they have on health and stop them from accessing any such healthcare facility which doesn’t accept the
belief system a specific group is having.
The occupation type is directly related to the socioeconomic status and diseases one suffers from. The
lower the socioeconomic status is the more are likelihoods of developing diseases. An occupation which
fetches a bare minimum amount where fulfilling the basic necessities becomes a challenge leads to
avoidance towards the health and availing even the basic health facilities becomes the least of the
priorities due to such financial restraints. These financial difficulties make people belonging to lower