Policy Cycle, Sociological Factors, Power, and Policy Considerations in Health Campaigns

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Question 1
Policy cycle is an appropriate tool for new policy development. The policy cycle help organize
public demands and turn them to actionable activities (Abel-Smith, 2016). Policy cycle creates a
structured framework that policy makers can use when developing new policies. The policy
cycle has stages that outline what is to be done in the process of developing a new policy. First,
the policy cycle is descriptive. The policy cycle simplifies the complex process of developing
policy to systematic steps that can be easily followed (Baum, 2016). The outline of the stages to
be followed enables consistency in developing of new policies. This also allows standardization
and acceptability of the new policies. The new policies developed meet required standards that
meet public demands. The new policy is generally accepted, supported, and agreed that increase
the effectiveness of the policy. Secondly, the policy cycle is prescriptive. The policy cycle
prescribes how policy makers can formulate a policy that translates demands into actions. The
policy cycle details what is to be considered in every stage and align demands to actions. The
policy cycle seeks to prescriptively remove ambiguity in the process of developing new policies.
Thirdly, policy cycle is appropriate for accurately identifying a problem. The policy cycle
framework ensures that the problem causing public demand is clearly identified when developing
new policies (Evans, 2017). Policy cycle is also appropriate for identifying alternative policies
when developing a new policy. The new policy developed outlines other alternatives policies that
can be used in case the policy developed does not meet the public demands. Lastly, policy cycle
lead to rational decision in the process of developing new policies. The policy cycle guides
policy makers to make decisions only based on reason and the best interest to public demands.
The policy cycle is therefore an appropriate tool for developing new policies because of it
systematic framework work and it ability to offer guidelines to effective policies development.
Question 4
Sociological factors refer to physical and social conditions that an individual is born, learn, live,
work, play, and age. Sociological factors influence lifestyle that determines the health status of
an individual. One of the key sociological factors that determine the health status of a person
health is income and social status. The level of income determines the lifestyle of a person in
term of affordability of goods and services. People with high income are able to live in good
houses, neighborhood, have balanced diet and access health care as compared to people will little

or no income (Stoddart, & Evans, 2017). Poor people on the other side live in poor conditions
and are not able to access medical health or even pay for health insurance cover that deteriorate
their health status. Therefore, the higher the social status and income the better the health and the
wider the gap between poor and rich people in a country the greater the difference in health.
Another sociological factor that determines health status is education. Education provides
knowledge and skill that improve an individual’s standards of living. Educated people eat
healthier food, get descent jobs, and lead healthy lifestyle as compared to people with low levels
of education (Barer, 2017). Low level of education is correlated to poor health, low self
confidence and more stress. Social norms also determine a person’s health status. People who
have social norms such as drug and alcohol abuse are linked to poor health. These social norms
influence a person to indulge in abuse that causes illness. Therefore, sociological factors
determine the health status of a person
Question 5
Power is the ability to influence an outcome by influencing the human behavior. In policy
development, power means capacity to influence development, adoption, and implementation of
a new policy. Policy maker develop new policies that require government support to be adopted
and implemented. The governments are politically formed and therefore decisions are highly
influenced by politics (Brownson, Colditz, & Proctor, 2017). This entails that policy makers
have to influence the legislators and executive for a policy to be supported by the government.
Politics involve sharing of power or strive to influence distribution of resources that constrain
purity of analysis in policy adoption and implementation. Politicians therefore aim to achieve
their desires by exerting influence and power. Policies are developed to change the current
situation that meet the current public demand. Politics can lead to irrational opposition of a good
policy. Human being in all level resist and fear change because it changes what they are used to
(Béland, & Ridde, 2016). Other people fear change because of job insecurity. Policy makers
have to understand the political and the decision making process to influence policy adoption.
This will enable the policy makes to acknowledge the political process and find out events that
can positively influence the policy adoption and support. For instance policy makers should
make policy proposals before government budgets are prepared in order to get allocations. Policy
makers should also recognize conflicts when developing policies and use political actions to