Health Promotion Interventions Review

This assignment requires a systematic review of research articles focusing on various health promotion interventions. The review should encompass studies on smoking cessation, diet modification, physical activity promotion, and mental health initiatives. A particular emphasis is placed on examining the effectiveness of culturally adapted interventions within ethnic minority groups and diverse migrant populations.

Running head: SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH
Social capital as a determinant of health
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH
Table of Contents
Introduction: 2
Patterns in physical activity for the chosen population: 2
Role of social capital in promoting physical activity: 6
Conclusion: 8
Reference: 9

2SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH
Introduction:
The impact of environmental determinants on health outcomes have been researched
extensively in the past decade, however, there still are significant gaps available in the available
data regarding the patterns of influence of the health determinants on the outcome. One of the
most vital health behaviour that potentially leads to a vast range of different health abnormalities
is the lack of physical activity. There are a variety of different external and internal factors that
influence the lack of awareness regarding physical fitness in a given community. However, the
most profound of impacts is imparted by the social capital (Caperchione et al., 2012).
Social capital can be defined as any social connection or relationship prevalent in the
community that shapes the concepts of health literacy and awareness in the community members,
and there are innumerable factors that define the relation of social capital on any particular health
outcome or particular health behaviour. This assignment will attempt to discover the impact of
social capital as a determinant on the lack of physical activity taking the Older Culturally and
Linguistically diverse Australians as the chosen population group.
Patterns in physical activity for the chosen population:
Physical activity can be considered as one of the most impactful health promotional
behaviour which can help in warding off a wide variety of different health problems like cardiac
disorders, diabetes, renal diseases and obesity. However, considering the population of choice for
this paper, there is a significant lack of physical activity which in turn is reflected as a rapidly
rising rate of cardiovascular and renal disorders in the culturally and linguistically diverse
(CALD) older Australians. It has to be understood that Australia comprises if a vastly
multicultural population and the CALD migrants, and according to the recent statistics, Australia

3SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH
has witnessed a massive increase in the rate of migration in the last decade (Caperchione et al.,
2011). As a result Australia is now home to double the number of migrant residents than a
decade ago. Therefore, the cultural and linguistically diversity has also increased rapidly in the
Australian society, and the resettlement into westernized culture of the host country has been
discovered as a considerable challenge for the diverse ethnic communities. According to the
recent consensus, the data indicates at the CALD population being extremely vulnerable to a vast
majority of health risks and co-morbidities. Among the variety of reasons that are prevalent in
the CALD communities and the increasing health risks is the challenging process of
acculturation, adapting to the westernized culture of the host country.
Acculturation can be defined as the phenomenon where a community or a particular group of
individuals belonging to different cultural backgrounds encounter the subsequent changes in
their original cultural patterns of all the different cultural backgrounds coming together. Now, it
has to be understood that despite the alarming risk for non- communicable diseases there is a
significant lack of any considerable physical exercise regime or activity. According o the data
available, the culturally and linguistically diverse communities less likely to participate in the
health promotional and preventative activities, moreover, in the older individuals, proactive
efforts for preventative and promotional health behaviours is completely absent (Kohl et al,
2012).
On a more elaborative note, the percentage of individuals having a sedentary lifestyle is
crucially high in case of Australia; about 12 million adult Australian residents follow very little
or no physical activity regime on a daily basis. Now considering the elderly population, a total
percentage of 40.4% individuals belonging to the age group of 64 to 75 have a sedentary
lifestyle; and about 57.2% belong to the age group of older than 75 have a sedentary lifestyle.

4SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH
Alarmingly the rate of the culturally and linguistically diverse elderly population living the
sedentary lifestyle devoid of any proactive efforts towards physical fitness is more than 80%.
Furthermore, it also needs to be mentioned within this context that the level of physical fitness
awareness is even lesser in the female ethnic elderly than the male elder population (Vagetti et
al., 2014).
Now, considering the factors influencing the alarmingly low physical activity in the elderly
population belonging to the multicultural backgrounds, one of the most important contributing
factors is the challenging process of acculturation. It has to be understood in this context that the
migrants are subjected to a drastic cultural change upon migration, and the impact of such a
change is manifested into a number of restrictions into their lifestyles in general, which is turn
continues to affect their living standards and conscious health behaviours. In many of the
extensive research studies, the authors have discovered the migrant elderly population to claim
that they have been more physically active in their home countries than the one they inhabit now.
Elaborating more, the lifestyle standards of the westernized countries are very different from the
lesser developed home countries of the migrants, and many have dedicated the change in their
lifestyle after migration to be a stable cause behind the lack of physical activity (Nierkens et al.,
2013).
Furthermore, among all the other related determinants of this health abnormality of the
CALD groups, the impact of lack of health literacy and awareness and socio- economic status
continue to be the greatest contributing factor. Sun, Norman & While, (2013) in their article have
stated, the challenge in adaptation of the host culture is largely experienced by the older
generation is due to a number of reasons. First and foremost the generation gap can be a

5SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH
significant factor behind the restrictions that the elderly population face while adapting the
westernized style of living. According to the most of the survey data on the perception of the
elderly members of CALD communities, most cannot understand the complicated methods of
socially accepted norms of physical activity; hence they refrain from adapting to these complex
physical activity measures. On the other hand, the vigorous physical activities that they are
familiar with are not largely accepted in the westernized Australian society; which limits of the
chances of the elderly population from getting the opportunity of physical exercise (Franco et al.,
2015).
Apart from that the conspicuous lack of health literacy in the elderly populations of the
Australian CALD communities is another very important contributing factor behind the
predicament. The cultural and linguistic barriers restrict them from being a part of the
preventative and health promotional campaigning that emphasizes on the importance of physical
activity and its role as a preventative health behaviour. The personal perception of the elderly
population belonging to the CAD communities play profound roles in the health behaviour; for
instance, the environmental variable like green and open spaces, street intersections, safety
statistics of the neighbourhood, recreational facilities within walkable distances play a profound
roles as well (McNaughton et al., 2012). The modernized modes and tools for daily vigorous
physical activities evade the personal preferences of the elderly populations, and hence their
chances of having physical regime involving open walkable spaces continue to become bleaker
by the day with the westernized millennial generation’s inclination towards the modernized tools
and equipments of physical activity. Hence, it can be stated that there are a myriad of different
determining factors that influence the level of physical activity observed in the CALD elderly
population, and most of these factors are socially determined. Hence, improving their social

6SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH
relationship with the host country can effectively help in improving this health behaviour in the
chosen vulnerable population (Gebel et al., 2015).
Role of social capital in promoting physical activity:
Long after the revolution of health care services as the right based approach, the right to good
health and wellbeing is still not gained equity in terms of availability and accessibility among all
sectors of the society. Considering the culturally diverse minority groups within the society,
discrimination and disparities are even more predominant that continues to restrict the
accessibility of healthy living for the migrants (O’Driscoll et al., 2014). The prime focus of this
assignment paper had been on the level of physical activity observed and its connection with
social determinants of health for the population group of culturally and linguistically diverse
elderly populations. And as mentioned above, there are various societal and environmental
factors that restrict the level of physical activity in the chosen population. Elaborating more, the
discussed determinant include the challenging process of host country acculturation, lack of
health literacy, social exclusion from preventative programs due to cultural barriers, cultural
influence on lifestyle patterns and most of all the discrimination faced by the non-native
majority. All the discussed elements of health determinants bore a social relationship with the
population chosen, and the lack of social acceptance and disparity continue to be the underlying
reason behind the alarming situation (King et al., 2013).
Social capital can be defined as the connection or interaction of the society or community
that provides compassionate investment of conscious efforts that can collaboratively help in
overcoming the barriers experienced by the marginalized groups and help them in attaining
better and healthy living standards. In simple terms, social capital can be defined as the

7SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH
interaction between the social and community networks that can help in better utilization of
health care services, both preventative and promotional (Eriksson, 2011). The concept of social
capital, when applied onto the concepts of health promotion, by providing knowledge and
understanding on how effectively the social network interventions can be designed and executed
to attain best health promotion outcomes. There are various distinct forms of social capital within
the context of health; bonding, bridging and linking, and employing these principles not only
help in mapping the community intervention actions towards the best interest of the target group
but also aid in equal distribution of the community network interventions among all vulnerable
target groups. Implementing principles of social capital helps into the context of health
promotion will help in conceptualizing and streamlining the cumulative community efforts, so
that a useful framework can be generated that guides the establishment of health supportive
environments for all the target groups and enlist intervention actions that can achieve this goal
(Ahnquist, Wamala & Lindstrom, 2012).
It has to be understood in this context that the culturally and linguistically diverse elderly
population face the majority of the health care difficulties due to their inability to adapt to the
societal culture of the host country. Considering Australia, there are multiple elderly physical
recreational facilities for the elderly to invest their time in the physical activities that they can
carry out. However, the unequal distribution of social privileges subjects the culturally and
linguistically diverse communities to social isolation and discrimination. For the aged members
of the cultural communities the level of rejection faced is much higher due to the massive lack of
knowledge and understanding of the language and lifestyle methods (Murayama, Fujiwara &
Kawachi, 2012). Social capital can be the excellent strategy that can incorporate inclusion and
equity in the society so that all the aged members of the society can participate in the

8SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH
preventative and promotional programs and facilities, regardless of their ethnic or cultural
background. According to the World Health Organization (2014), a very important concept
regarding the alarming lack of physical activity patterns in the CALD populations is the fact that
the women are far less proactive about fitness than the men; and this gender governed inequality
in accessibility to health care and promotional campaigning is the prime reason behind the
prevalence of cardiovascular and blood sugar related diseases in the females of the culturally
diverse populations. The social capital principles however are considered to gender and power
blind, hence the implementation of this social framework will obliterate any gender bias or
discrimination based on the socio-economic status of the individuals. Social capital and its
rightful utilization ensures returns along with equity, hence this bidirectional strategic framework
will not only ensure that equity is established in the availability of physical activity facilities for
the culturally diverse elders but will also emphasize on the results; hence the focus of the
community actions will not just be on including the culturally diverse groups, but will also on
making the facilities or services more easily accessible and operable for the CALD populations
so that the optimal utilization is attained (Eriksson, 2011).
Conclusion:
On a concluding note it can be said, that the most of the environmental influence on the
health outcome of a marginalized group is directly or indirectly linked to the societal variables.
These factors not only influence the accessibility and availability of the health care for the
marginalized vulnerable populations, it also influences the quality of care that the marginalized
communities get as well. Incorporating the concept of optimal social capital will target all the
variables prevalent propelling the components of social rejection and discrimination and will
help in attaining improved living standards for the marginalized populations.

9SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH
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