NUR212 Task 3: Health Policies and Eating Disorders in Adolescents

This report examines the health issue of eating disorders among adolescents, particularly in the context of Australian healthcare. It begins by identifying eating disorders as a significant concern, highlighting the prevalence of conditions like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The report then delves into relevant health policies, including the Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention and Education Act and the National Mental Health Policy 2008, discussing their roles in promoting awareness, prevention, and treatment. It further explores the application of health promotion principles, primary health care, and advocacy in addressing eating disorders. The report also analyzes the principles of equity, rights, and access, specifically considering the challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in accessing healthcare services. It emphasizes the importance of equitable treatment and access to treatment for all individuals affected by eating disorders, advocating for policy changes and healthcare practices that promote fairness and inclusivity. The report concludes by underscoring the need for comprehensive approaches to address the complex issue of eating disorders in adolescents, ensuring that all individuals receive the care and support they need to achieve optimal health and well-being.

Adolescence and Mental
Health
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Table of Contents
Name the topic.................................................................................................................................2
Identify and discuss health policies that apply to the topic.............................................................2
Applying principles of health promotion, and primary health care relevant to the topic................3
Discuss haw advocacy applies to the topic......................................................................................4
Applying principles of equity, rights and access to the issue..........................................................4
References........................................................................................................................................6

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Name the topic
A health issue for adolescence
Identify and discuss health policies that apply to the topic
The health issue related to adolescents is an eating disorder. An eating disorder is most
commonly diagnosed among female adolescents, and around one million Australians are affected
by this health issue (Azzopardi et al., 2018). Common eating disorder includes bulimia nervosa,
anorexia nervosa and binge-eating disorders. Health policies means the decision, actions and
plans that are undertaken to accomplish certain health care goals within the society. Therefore,
several policies are used by this country’s government to reduce the adverse impact of eating
disorder health issue in relation to their health status. The primary international policy that is
used by most of the country of the world, including Australia is The Eating Disorders
Awareness, Prevention and Education Act (Maher, Toohey and Ferguson, 2016). It is a policy as
well as an act that helps the people to identify their eating disorder problems, and also it helps
them to increase their awareness regarding this issue so that they can take preventive measures
for reducing the adverse impact of this health issue.
Besides this, another policy that has use for this chosen health problem is the National Mental
Health Policy 2008 (Gratwick‐Sarll et al., 2016). The policy is useful for promoting mental
health, help a person to recover from illness and also prevent mental illness to those people who
are suffering from eating disorder in Australia. The primary role of this policy is to reduce the
disability, distress and mortality associated with mental health problems occurring in an
individual. As an eating disorder is one of the common health issues of the Australian, therefore
most of the adolescents need to follow this policy for getting rid of this problem. Apart from this,
the National Mental Health Policy, 2008 are most preferably suitable for this eating disorder of
the adolescents because the policy has renewed their commitment after a fixed period for
improving the mental health system of Australia (Mitchison and Mond, 2015). Besides this,
another role of this policy is to reduce the impact of these risk factors among adolescents. Hence
it is considered as one of the valid policy that helps the people to get appropriate care when they

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are suffering from this eating disorder. Thus the policy is currently being used by the adolescent
of Australia for reducing the adverse impact of the chosen health problem.
Another policy that has been currently useful by the Australian people, especially the adolescents
is the National framework for recovery-oriented mental health services: policy and theory
(Gratwick‐Sarll et al., 2016). The primary role of this policy is to underpin the national
framework relating to the mental health services of Australia. By following this policy,
adolescents have reduced the impact of their eating disorders in this country. In other words, it is
analyzed that the policy provides a framework for the Australian regarding the prevention that
should be useful for reducing the adverse impact of this issue. Apart from this, it also provides
guidance to the younger as well as older people regarding the way that they should follow to
avoid eating disorder problem. Another practical benefit of this policy is that it helps adolescents
to get appropriate treatment for eating disorder health problem (Tamminen et al., 2018). If a
younger person follows this policy then they get benefit in treating themselves from this eating
disorder issue. Hence these are the several health policies that are been practiced in Australia for
reducing the adverse impact of the chosen health problem of the adolescents' people belonging to
this country. Furthermore, by following these policies, people have recently reduced their eating
disorder in this country.
Applying principles of health promotion, and primary health care relevant to the topic
There are five principles of health promotion which involve positive health concept, participation
as well as engagement, action competence, settings perspective and equity in health. The first
principle is applied in the topic by defining the broad concept of the health issues in adolescence
(Dick and Ferguson, 2015). A positive method can be considered as a productive way to reduce
the risk of eating disorder. The second principle states that adolescents must have opportunity to
develop ownership to bring health promotion change (Nielsen et al., 2015). It facilitates the
healthcare professional to perform their duty and prevent health problems. Through the third
principle, the adolescents are provided with the chance to develop their skills so that they could
manage their health conditions and improve their health.
The adolescents can act in the context of eating disorder and thus, the health promotion
principles provide them with the opportunity to obtain health-related change. From the setting

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perspective principle, a framework requires to be included in different settings like a playground,
school, local community centre and physical environment of the clinic. Physical, as well as
social structural frameworks, give optimal synergy for the health promotion problems (Hills,
Dengel and Lubans, 2015). The fifth principle increases equity in the health of adolescents. The
primary health care supports to meet the health needs of the people throughout their lives. The
primary health care concerning the health issue of adolescence includes education regarding
eating disorder, proper eating habits and sufficient supply of water.
Discuss haw advocacy applies to the topic
Advocacy protects the rights, services as well as supports the individual with eating disorder. It
is the process of enabling, supporting people to express their opinions, to find out options and to
use information. Moreover, the Autism Advisory and Support Service is the service provider that
provides a variety of services to the adolescents and their families to advocate and guide those
(Fisher et al., 2016). The nurses plays a significant role in advocating the adolescents about the
health issue by speaking to them with confidence. It helps the nurses to empower the adolescents
and brings equal opportunity for them to speak about their wishes. A nurse, shows professional
advocacy to adolescents as they have specialized knowledge of the issue.
Advocacy plays a vital role in building support for adolescents by applying pressure on the
government to meet the obligations of health policies. Advocacy is applied to inform the general
public as well as leaders regarding the health issue of adolescents and encourage them to put
pressure on decision-makers to take practical actions (Henderson et al., 2018). It also ensures
that adequate financial resources are assigned for the programs as well as services related to the
health of the adolescents.
Applying principles of equity, rights and access to the issue
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families are not able to access the rights, services as
well as facilities in Australia due to the chosen health issue. Principles of equity, rights and
access are the ideologies of social justice that recognize those people who do not get advantage
like others in accessing the health care facilities (Fisher et al., 2016). Therefore, it is the
responsibility of the concerned department to address the lack of fairness or equity so that every

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people gets equal treatment in Australia. According to the principle of equity, every people must
have the privileges of getting effective treatment regarding any health-related problems. In the
case of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, they are not getting the active treatment
related to eating disorders. Thus if the principles of equity are applied to them, then they can get
effective health treatment from the healthcare professionals without facing any difficulty or
discriminating attitude from the experts.
Principle of equity thus improves the health condition of both these indigenous family people as
they can get appropriate priority in the health sector when they are suffering from eating disorder
issue. Access means the capacity of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to achieve and use
the facility of health care services. The principle of access is also important for the indigenous
families for getting every treatment relating to eating disorder health issue (Henderson et al.,
2018). By applying the principles of equity, the government can diminish the eating disorder
issue of the indigenous families by providing them effective treatment. In most of the places of
Australia, the indigenous families do not have access to the hospitals, clinics or any other
services to prevent the health issues because their needs are not met in those areas (Smith,
Crawford and Signal, 2016). Thus by applying the ‘principle of access’, the government can be
successful in providing every facility to the indigenous people suffering from the selected health
problem.
Appropriate access to health care facilities can enable indigenous people to maintain their health
status effectively in Australia. Moreover, the ‘principle of right’ is also essential for indigenous
families who are suffering from the eating disorder as a health challenge. The government should
provide them equal rights as like of the common Australian so that they can get health care
treatment facilities relating to their problems (Chamberlain et al., 2016). Thus if the government
becomes successful in applying the principle of equity, access and rights for treating the
indigenous people, then the adverse impact of this health problem can be reduced in future.

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References
Azzopardi, P.S., Sawyer, S.M., Carlin, J.B., Degenhardt, L., Brown, N., Brown, A.D. and Patton,
G.C., 2018. Health and wellbeing of Indigenous adolescents in Australia: a systematic synthesis
of population data. The Lancet, 391(10122), pp.766-782.
Chamberlain, C.R., MacLean, S., Bawden, G., Kelaher, M., Munro-Harrison, E., Boyle, J. and
Freeman, K., 2016. An ‘equity' domain could strengthen the utility of a framework for assessing
care coordination for Australian Aboriginal families — International Journal of Care
Coordination, 19(1-2), pp.42-46.
Dick, B. and Ferguson, B.J., 2015. Health for the world's adolescents: a second chance in the
second decade. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56(1), pp.3-6.
Fisher, M., Baum, F.E., MacDougall, C., Newman, L. and McDermott, D., 2016. To what extent
do Australian health policy documents address the social determinants of health and health
equity?. Journal of Social Policy, 45(3), pp.545-564.
Gratwick‐Sarll, K., Bentley, C., Harrison, C. and Mond, J., 2016. Poor self‐recognition of
disordered eating among girls with bulimic‐type eating disorders: cause for concern?. Early
intervention in psychiatry, 10(4), pp.316-323.
Henderson, J., Javanparast, S., MacKean, T., Freeman, T., Baum, F. and Ziersch, A., 2018.
Commissioning and equity in primary care in Australia: Views from Primary Health Networks.
Health & social care in the community, 26(1), pp.80-89.
Hills, A.P., Dengel, D.R. and Lubans, D.R., 2015. Supporting public health priorities:
recommendations for physical education and physical activity promotion in schools. Progress in
cardiovascular diseases, 57(4), pp.368-374.
Maher, C.A., Toohey, M. and Ferguson, M., 2016. Physical activity predicts the quality of life
and happiness in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: disability and rehabilitation,
38(9), pp.865-869.

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Mitchison, D. and Mond, J., 2015. Epidemiology of eating disorders, eating disordered
behaviour, and body image disturbance in males: a narrative review. Journal of eating disorders,
3(1), p.20.
Nielsen, L., Meilstrup, C., Nelausen, M.K., Koushede, V. and Holstein, B.E., 2015. Promotion of
social and emotional principles of equity, rights and access applicable to this health issue al
competence: Experiences from a mental health intervention applying a whole school approach.
Health Education, 115(3/4), pp.339-356.
Smith, J.A., Crawford, G. and Signal, L., 2016. The case of national health promotion policy in
Australia: where to now?. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 27(1), pp.61-65.
Tamminen, N., Solin, P., Kannas, L., Linturi, H., Stengård, E. and Kettunen, T., 2018. Mental
health promotion competencies in the health sector based on a Delphi study. The Journal of
Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, 13(6), pp.297-306.