Summative Assignment Report

SUMMATIVE ASSIGNMENT REPORT 1
Summative Assignment Report

SUMMATIVE ASSIGNMENT REPORT 2
Summative Assignment Report
Summary
This summative report discusses and critically assesses the findings from the evidenced-
based articles in regards to drug and substance abuse. It involves the introduction part, which
explains its objective. It defines what drug and substance abuse are and its effects among the
drug users. The commonly abused drugs include alcohol, over the counter medicine, heroin,
cocaine, and cigarettes.
The report also critically appraises the approaches of public health and requirements.
These concepts should constitute the processes that are culturally relevant to the UK community,
and that relies on community involvement. The paper also analyses the use of local and national
health data in the development of policies that can support and promote health programs in the
UK. Additionally, it pinpoints the health needs and priorities via the use of national health data to
support interventions aimed at reducing drug misuse. Furthermore, the paper critically assesses
theories and principles of health promotion, their effectiveness, and how they can be used in drug
and substance misuse among the United Kingdom community.
From the findings of evidence-based studies, the report recommends the use of public
health concepts that are essential in the prevention of drug and substance misuse. The public
health concept should constitute an approach that is culturally relevant to UK community,
Concepts that uses resilient, multiple strategies and models in addressing the risk factors of drug
and substance use and criteria that rely on the community involvement.

SUMMATIVE ASSIGNMENT REPORT 3
Introduction
Drug and substance abuse refers to the misuse of psychoactive substances such as
prescribed medicine, alcohol, and illicit drugs. The commonly abused drugs include alcohol,
over the counter medication, heroin, cocaine, and cigarettes. The effects of these drugs are
depended on the type of drug misused, the amount taken, how is taken, and the person’s health
status. The short- term effects range from heart attack change in appetite, stroke, and even death.
The longer health impacts include cancer, hepatitis, lung and heart disorders, and mental
diseases. Besides, drug and substance abuse have indirect effects on individuals around these
taking the drug (Chiappini et al., 2015). This may include injury, violence, and the risk of
trauma.
The health effects of drug and substance abuse may include physical and physiological
effects on a person as well as impacts on the community. The drugs that are linked to
psychological effects are addictive. For example, cannabis causes physiological effects such as
depression and schizophrenia. Besides, it is associated with memory loss and anxiety.
The physical effects of drug and substance abuse may include drug-related deaths which have
been reported as the main aspect of health burden from drug misuse in the United Kingdom. The
drug-related deaths may involve deaths as a result of suicide, and accident. It has been evidenced
from the national health data that in 2005 about 1500 drug users died in England from a drug
overdose (NHS Digital, 2019). Statistics from the national data also indicates that there was 8700
drug misuse related hospital admissions in England. The 8700 hospital admissions were
diagnosed with drug-related mental health and behavioral diseases. These key facts were
recorded from 2015 to 2016. Besides, during the same year, there were 1500 hospital admissions
with a primary diagnosis of poising by illegal drugs (Sweeney et al., 2016).

SUMMATIVE ASSIGNMENT REPORT 4
Concepts of Public health
The public health concepts in relation to drug and substance abuse are anticipatory
processes that can support individuals and communities in the creation and reinforcement of
health and lifestyle behaviors that can promote good health. The core public health concepts that
are essential in the prevention of drug and substance misuse, thereby promoting good health may
constitute (Eldredge et al., 2016):
 A public health approach that is culturally relevant to the UK community
 Concepts that uses resilient, multiple strategies and models in addressing the risk factors
of drug and substance use (Stannard, 2012).
 Approaches that addresses the whole system
 Approaches that rely on community involvement.
There are two different approaches that fall into drug and substance misuse preventions.
These two approaches include universal approach and targeted approach (Collins and Pringle,
2016). The universal approach is designed to reach to everyone within the specific community
regardless of their risk of drug misuse, whereas targeted approaches focus on high-risk
subgroups of people. Generally, the effectiveness of drug prevention is assessed in relation to the
so-called gateway drug (Livingston et al., 2012).
Use of local and national health data
Drug and substance misuse is often among the youth, the prisoners, and in socially
deprived groups. A recent survey indicates that the number of deaths as a result of overdose have
risen among drug misusers. Also, according to the national data that was collected in 2016
indicates that about 13 percent of men compared to 7 percent of women took illegal drugs.