An Essay on Health Promotion in Light of the Ottawa Charter Framework

This essay explores health promotion in the context of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, focusing on a health promotion program for children with asthma in the Wyndham area of Werribee, Australia. The introduction defines health promotion and its importance in public health, emphasizing the Ottawa Charter's role in empowering individuals to control their lifestyles and improve their health. The essay delves into the five action areas of the Ottawa Charter: building healthy public policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, and re-orienting health care services. It highlights the roles of healthcare professionals, especially nurses, in each area. The discussion examines how these action areas can be applied to an asthma health promotion program, emphasizing the need for public policy, supportive environments, community involvement, skill development, and health service reorientation. The essay concludes by underscoring the importance of a holistic, caring approach in health promotion, advocating for equal learning opportunities and the empowerment of individuals to make informed decisions. The essay references various sources to support its arguments.

Running head: HEALTH PROMOTION 1
Essay on Health Promotion In Light of Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion
Name of the Student
University

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Health Promotion In Light of Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion
Introduction
Health promotion is a fundamental part of practising and making policies regarding
public health. Health promotion, as described by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, is
a process that enables people to control their lifestyles and improve health. They must be able
to realize their needs and create an environment that satisfies them. Health is an asset for
daily living and must not be considered a mere objective. Health integrates every aspect of
life and works in collaboration with them. Therefore, it must expand in a broader way to
promote a healthy lifestyle. This essay explores the action areas of the Ottawa Charter for
Health Promotion for the health promotion program of asthma in children in the area of
Wyndham (Werribee).
Discussion
Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion was signed in 1986 at the First International
Conference on Health Promotion, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), held
in Ottawa, Canada. It aimed to achieve “Health for all by the year 2000.” It has greatly
shaped and influenced the development of programs for health promotion and practice of
public health (Laverack, 2014). Ottawa charter has provided strategies and action areas that
have created a landmark for health policy development and research on it in every area of the
world. Each healthcare professional strives to work on the Ottawa charter’s principles to
promote health, health literacy, and education. Since nurses are frontline healthcare
providers, they have an essential role in terms of health promotion and literacy. Ottawa
charter includes these five action areas that cover the health promotion program.
Building a Healthy Public Policy

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The first action area that Ottawa Charter covers is building a healthy public policy.
Health promotion is way more than caring for and preserving the health of the individuals. It
should be part of the public policy made by the varied sectors and on the government level. It
is not limited to the health sector and extends further to be part of the public policy (Hubley,
2018). Health promotion public policy is a joined and coordinated program of various
services. It involves health, financial, and social services and ensures a safer and healthier
lifestyle. Health promotion policy not only recognise pre-requisites and requisite of health
policy, but it also identifies the obstacles faced in promoting and making health policy. It also
looks for ways to remove these problems to ensure a healthy life.
When it comes to the role of healthcare providers in building health promotion policy,
nurses are an essential part of it. According to the International Council of Nurses (2010),
nursing is a collaborative approach and care for sick individuals of all ages, races, and castes.
Nurses are actively involved in promoting health and educating people. They help in the
prevention of illness and the promotion of health care. Therefore, nurses should be an active
advocate of health promotion programs and participate in the development of public health
policies. They must work on policies for the prevention of asthma.
Creating Supportive Environments
The second area of action is to create a supportive environment that promotes health
care. Health cannot be a separate goal for individuals; it will be combined with other
approaches. It will be interlinked with other people and the whole environment or society at
large. Health is going affected by the environment created by society. Therefore, it turns out
to be a responsibility of each individual, communities, societies, and the whole world to
conserve the natural environment and resources. Changing the environment does affect
health. Hence, the activities must be organised in such a way that promotes health and
provides education on healthcare. Therefore, an environment adaptive for asthma patients

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must be created. Working conditions must be built in such a way that promotes health, safety,
and creates a satisfying environment. This changing environment and introduction of
technologies along with the urbanization of societies can have detrimental effects on health,
which should be addressed by creating a supportive environment.
Nurses play a vital role in creating a safe environment for individuals. They interact
with people and can act as a bridge in communicating ideas and thoughts. They can easily
exchange information between individuals as well as policymakers. They can identify the
gaps that can cause hindrance and think of strategies to solve those issues (Hutton, Cusack, &
Zannettino, 2012). Madanat Arredondo and Ayala (2015) suggested that nurses also work for
the empowerment of the people. They can empower individuals and communication to
expand social actions and design strategies that can strengthen their environment that has an
impact on health. They can create an understanding of parents regarding. They empower
people by providing them opportunities to gain control over their decision to create a healthy
environment.
Strengthening Community Action
The third action area of Ottawa charter emphasis on strengthening the community
actions. Health promotion can only be effective when communities in collaboration take
charge and work together. The whole planning, decision making, strategy making, and
implementation of it depends on the actions taken by the community. Communities have to
be developed to maintain a supportive environment, social support, and healthcare provision.
Public participations become necessary to help in making a system strong and flexible to
promote health. This also requires providing necessary information to the community and
increasing literacy regarding health. This may involve finances as well.
Nurses’ role involved in this action plan is to empower people and help them through
the decision making process. They realize people that they have control over their behaviours

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and can work to reinforce their healthy environment. (Linsley & Roll, 2020). Nurses motivate
people that they have the power to satisfy their needs and identify and plan to meet those
needs for the provision of a better health system. They can promote a safe environment and
living conditions for children with asthma in schools and communities.
Developing Personal Skills
The fourth action area is the development of personal skills, which include social and
lifestyle skills. Health promotion works when it is integrated by sharpening the personal and
social skills. This enhances the control of people over their choices about health (Thompson
et al., 2018). It prepares people for the management of chronic illnesses and injuries. People
can easily work towards ways which are healthy for themselves and their environment. It
helps people learn about the opportunities they have and can use different ways in the
utilisation of resources. It promotes ways in which parents and children can combat with life
threats from asthma. This has to develop in schools, homes, and workplaces and community
settings for the required action.
Nurses help in the promotion of health by facilitating actions required for asthma in
schools, homes, and communities by enabling people to channelize their resources. They can
facilitate health education and literacy about asthma. They can provide maximum information
to the parents to shape up their child’s behaviours necessary for asthma and as per the health
measures.
Re-orienting Health Care Services
The fifth area that requires action in health promotion is the re-orienting of health
services to promote health and prevent illnesses. The promotion of health is not only the
responsibility of the health sector, but it also involves social, political, educational, and
financial sectors. The individuals, communities, healthcare practitioners, and government

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institutes are all accountable for the promotion of health and creating a health system that
works toward a healthy lifestyle. Health systems must promote health in terms of needs and
demands (Harris et al., 2013). It must orient their services expands over clinical services.
Information regarding asthma can be promoted through media. Health promotion is not only
about policymaking but also about researching in the field of health to strengthen the system.
It involves the education and literacy of individuals as well as professionals. Healthcare
systems must orient their services as per the need of the community.
Nurses can work in collaboration with communities, individuals, the health sector,
and the educational sector for the reorientation of the health services. They can also be an
active part of research-based programs for the promotion of health literacy.
Moving Into the Future
The last action required is creating a health promotion program that is based on care
and a holistic approach for the community. Health is created by caring for self and others.
Health is promoted by ensuring that the environment is safe and healthy for every member of
society. It enables people to make decisions and control their life for the attainment of health.
Therefore, the involvement of individuals must be equal in every phase of a health promotion
program for the planning and implementation of it.
Health literacy and education is an important part of a health promotion program. It
should be designed in such a way that it promotes equal learning opportunities for
individuals. It must enhance people’s knowledge, which is useful for creating a healthy
lifestyle (Pueyo-Garrigues et al., 2019). Nurses understand that part of the health promotion
program is empowering people and motivating them to exercise their control over behaviours
for the promotion of health. Thus they seek ways to promote education and literacy about
health and healthy behaviours. Moreover, Jahan (2012) emphasised that nurses also pay
attention to poverty and literacy barriers prevailing in society and promote healthy practices

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accordingly. They play an active role in educating people about asthma to achieve
understanding
Conclusion
Health promotion programs are an integral part of healthcare professionals’ training.
Nurses play a huge role in promoting health, education, and literacy. The Ottawa Charter for
Health Promotion has provided an action plan for those involved in health promotion
programs. By working and following the action areas ascertain by the Ottawa Charter, one
can easily work for health promotion. It covers various aspects, and nurses have a lot of
scopes to be involved in each action area and serve health promotion, health literacy, and
education.

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