PHCA9507 - Health Promotion Perspective on National Health Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the National Preventative Health Taskforce Report, focusing on 'Australia: the Healthiest Country by 2020' initiative. It examines the report's strategies for addressing obesity, tobacco, and alcohol consumption, evaluating its consistency and feasibility through the lens of health promotion theories. The analysis covers the report's purpose, relevant aspects, and relation to health promotion models such as the health belief model and the theory of reasoned action. It assesses the report's effectiveness in achieving its objectives, particularly in reducing obesity rates, by considering social, political, and environmental determinants. The report also evaluates the feasibility of proposed action areas, such as driving environmental changes and promoting changes within the food supply, and their alignment with health promotion theory. Ultimately, it concludes by summarizing the report's insights and strategies for creating a healthier Australia.

Running head: HEALTH PROMOTION
Health promotion
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author’s note

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Introduction:
‘Australia: the healthiest country by 2020’, developed by the National Preventative
Health Taskforce was an endeavour to address obesity, tobacco and excessive consumption
of alcohol. The strategy mentioned in the report is an endeavour to promote primary
prevention both in health and non health sectors. The overarching goal of the report is to
reach the goal of healthiest nation by 2020 and response to urgent needs in relation to health
promotion (Australian Government, 2009). The main purpose of this report is to examine
chapter one and chapter two of the National Preventative Health Task Force Report and
evaluate the report from socio-environmental health promotion perspective. The report will
use health promotion theory as an analytical tool to evaluate consistency and feasibility of the
approach mentioned in chapter two. It will also evaluate the effectiveness of the report in
addressing in achieving the objective of healthiest nation by 2020.
Overview of the National Preventative Health Workforce:
Purpose of the document:
The main purpose of the National Preventative Health Workforce document is to
develop a vision for Australia to become a healthiest country by 2020 and provide roadmap
for strategic actions to be implemented across all sectors of Australia. The report focused on
reducing the burden of obesity, tobacco and alcohol that comes under 32% of the total burden
of disease. The main ration behind focussing on obesity is that prevalence of overweight and
obesity has remained steady since the past 30 years. As obesity is a risk factor of many other
diseases like diabetes and consumption of alcohol and tobacco is associated with increase in
long term health issues and pregnancy complication, the focus on these three issues is
considered a good approach (Australian Government, 2009). By the critical analysis of

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statistics related to obesity, tobacco and alcohol, the report mentioned about achieving
specifics goals for each of the health condition.
Relevant aspect of the report:
Some of the relevant aspects of the chapter 1 of the report include the principles
underpinning the strategy, the roadmap for prevention and strategies for ensuring effective
implementation of the project. The significance of the principle is that they have identified
from evidence based literature. This included increasing community well-being by building
roadmap, working together with community to promote prevention, address health equity and
ensuring effective implementation of the project (Australian Government, 2009). According
to Cyril et al. (2015), community engagement is widely used as a strategy to engage in health
promotion and it is particularly used when focussing on disadvantaged population. The list of
strategic directions are some vital features of the Taskforce report as it indicates about the
strategy of sharing responsibility, engaging community, acting early, refocusing primary
health influencing markets, reducing equity and closing the gap in health for Indigenous
Australia. The significance of this strategic directions is that it has the ability to implement a
systematic system of change driven by shared responsibility and implementing responsive
regulations to reduce the risk of common disease in Australia (Sharma, 2016). The report also
guides regarding effective implementation of the project by building and sustaining
infrastructure, developing a National Preventative Health Strategy, social marketing and data
surveillance and monitoring. These are important that gives indication regarding how whole
community can work together to reduce the burden of disease and make Australia healthiest
nation by 2020.

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Relation with theories or models:
The National Preventative Health Strategy has relevance with many health promotion
theories and models too. For example, the messages and strategies proposed have links with
the concept of health belief model, social cognitive theory, theory of reasoned action and
transtheoretical model. For example, the health belief model focuses on the prevention of
disease by targeting changes in individual beliefs and behaviour that lead to the condition
(Skinner, Tiro & Champion, 2015). The Taskforce report on urgent need for action to
addressing rising obesity rate identified behavioural risk factors and the report targeted
changing risky behaviour of affected people by engaging with individuals, families and
communities. The proposal was to work with these group to improve their nutrition and
physical activity level (Australian Government, 2009). Hence, this concept is in relevance
with the Health belief model. The Preventative health taskforce report is also in relevance
with the theory of reason action which mentions that an individual’s intention to perform
behaviour is influenced by their intention to perform a behaviour (Montano & Kasprzyk,
2015).This means that any program that focuses on education of target population group
achieves desired health behaviour is an example of application of theory of reasoned action.
For example, in the ‘call to action section of the first chapter, the report demonstrated the
concept of the theory of planned action by stating that public education can help to reduce
rate of death and disease burden due to smoking and tobacco consumption (Australian
Government, 2009).
Relevance with external literature:
The Preventative Health Taskforce report mentioned that the strategies have been
taken from evidence based research literature. The critical aspects of the report have
relevance with research literature. For example, the report mentioned about implementing

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successful social marketing program to enhance awareness about health inequalities and
increasing consultation with key stakeholders (Australian Government, 2009). Da Silva and
Mazzon (2016) gives the evidence that health plans and campaigns can be informed through
social marketing. It is a strategy to increase consumer orientation by integrating marketing of
risk factors and health equities and using social marketing as an approach to promote
behaviour change in public health. In addition, the taskforce report mentioned about
refocusing primary health and integrating primary health care to achieve the goals of the plan.
This strategy has relevance with research evidence too because integrating primary health
care increases the likelihood of providing qualitative preventative health care. Druetz (2018)
justified that integrating primary health care is necessary because there is lack of primary
health care integration in many low and middle income countries. Integration is an urgent
need to ensure that coordinates efforts are implemented to overcome challenges in public
health.
Health promotion theory to assess the National Preventative Health Taskforce:
This section of the report will focus on chapter 2 ‘Obesity in Australia: A need for
urgent action’ of the taskforce report and analyze the feasibility of the report using health
promotion theory. Chapter two of the report targeted reducing the rate of obesity in Australia
as it is a risk factor of many other chronic diseases in Australia. The chapter emphasized on
taking urgent action to address cause of obesity as there are many social, political and
environmental determinants of obesity. The main goal is to reverse the trend towards rise in
obesity in Australia by 2020 and one of the targets set to achieve the long term outcome was
to assure healthy start to life for children by promoting positive parenting. This strategy is in
relevance with the concept of theory of reasoned action as it focuses on addressing attitude
and subjective norms related to a behaviour so that people become aware why it is important

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for them to change their behaviour and adapt new health behaviour (Montano & Kasprzyk,
2015).
The message for reversing the rise in obesity is also consistent as there is a focus not
only on raising awareness and reducing unhealthy behaviour among Australians, but also
taking multi-sectoral response so that people gain access to health food and unhealthy food
items are hard to use. For example the key action areas mentioned about driving
environmental changes, promoting changes within the food supply, reducing exposure to fast
food through advertising and promoting sponsorship of energy dense food. The action areas
are feasible to be implemented because it targets environmental factors that contribute to
obesity stakeholders (Australian Government, 2009). For example, fast-food advertising is
one factor that increases children’s interest in unhealthy food items and this is highly
associated with intake of fast food and unhealthy drinksin pre-school children. Dalton et al.
(2017) gave the evidence that food marketing is a critical factor that has an impact on young
children food and taste preferences. As children do not have understanding to evaluate the
purpose of advertising, they may be vulnerable to poor food consumption. Hence, by
adapting the strategy of reducing exposure sponsorship of energy dense food and changing
food marketing style, the Preventative health workforce report not only aims to brings food
marketing reform but also change people’s perception towards healthy food. Therefore, by
taking the approach to bring reform in food marketing, the report took an indirect approach to
change people’s interest in fast food and unhealthy food items. It is relevant with the concept
of perceived behavioural control given in the theory of reasoned action.
The workforce report aimed to embed physical activity and healthy eating among
Australians and to achieve this goal, the report planned to decrease sedentary behaviour and
promote active living by suggesting the need to develop program that reduces reduction in
sitting time among office workers and limiting delivery of long hours of teaching where

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children need to sit for at least 90 hours in class. This strategy is feasible because it can help
in bringing innovations in work style and teaching method so that sitting time can be reduced.
The message is consistent with the concept of the theory of reasoned action because it is
working to address subjective norms that contribute to obesity. Dalton et al. (2017) argues
that many individual prefer sitting for longer hours and low muscular activity during obesity
contributes to accumulation of body fat. The strategy proposed by the workforce report is
feasible because past research evidence shows success of interventions to reduce sitting time
in classroom. For example, Köykkä et al. (2019) gave the evidence by implementing Let’s
Move It intervention to reduce sedentary behaviour among school children, the intervention
was effective in increasing interruptions during sitting and reduce the sitting time for student.
The concept of bringing changes in classroom environment and teacher’s behaviour is an
effective approach as per the theory of reasoned action. The intervention is likely to change
descriptive norms and increase intention of teachers towards change in teaching style so that
more sitting reduction strategies can be implemented in Australians schools.
Another strength of the report is that it considered different resources that is needed to
reduce obesity and promote active lifestyle among Australians. The proposal is holistic as it
is addressing behavioural, environmental as well as attitudinal factors that increase physical
activity. For example, many people give the reason that they do engage in physical activity as
they do not have access to enough green space. However, by proposing the strategy of
modifying urban designs such as increasing green space and pathway continuity, increasing
access to facilities, parks and trails and increase in land use mix, the report has pointed out to
adequate environmental resource too that can reduce odds of being obese. Mytton et al.
(2012) justifies that heterogeneity in green space is linked with overall physical activity.
Therefore, bring changes in this area is likely to enhance Australian’s engagement in
recommended level of physical activity. Hence, the plan is effective and feasible to be

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implemented. Consistency in message is found as it is relevance with health promotion
theory. It works to increase active lifestyle of Australians by bringing changes behavioural
intention and behaviours related to physical activity and television viewing. It has adequately
identified attitudes, subjective norms, behavioural intention and perceived behavioural
control, which are important theoretical constructs of the theory of reasoned action (Didarloo
et al., 2017).
Conclusion:
The report gave an insight into the purpose and relevant aspects of the Preventative
health workforce report related to ‘Australia: the healthiest country by 2020’ and described
about the goal of being the healthiest nation by implementing effective strategies to reduce
obesity, tobacco and alcohol in Australia. By critical analysis of the content of chapter 1 and
chapter 2, it can be said that the report has worked well to identify different theoretical
constructs of theory of reasoned action that could lead to risk of obesity and other health
problem for Australians. The report is feasible as it has been taken from research based
literatures and consistency in message is found because the intervention proposed are
realistic and it is taking community wide approach as well as environmental approach to
change norms related to unhealthy behaviours. From this report, readers can learn about the
role of changing attitudes, subjective norms and behavioural control while implementing
health promotion plans.

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References:
Australian Government. (2009). AUSTRALIA: THE HEALTHIEST COUNTRY BY 2020.
Retrieved from: https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2008/10/apo-
nid940-1167226.pdf
Cyril, S., Smith, B. J., Possamai-Inesedy, A., & Renzaho, A. M. (2015). Exploring the role of
community engagement in improving the health of disadvantaged populations: a
systematic review. Global health action, 8(1), 29842.
Da Silva, E. C., & Mazzon, J. A. (2016). Developing social marketing plan for health
promotion. International Journal of Public Administration, 39(8), 577-586.
Dalton, M. A., Longacre, M. R., Drake, K. M., Cleveland, L. P., Harris, J. L., Hendricks, K.,
& Titus, L. J. (2017). Child-targeted fast-food television advertising exposure is
linked with fast-food intake among pre-school children. Public health nutrition, 20(9),
1548-1556.
Dalton, M. A., Longacre, M. R., Drake, K. M., Cleveland, L. P., Harris, J. L., Hendricks, K.,
& Titus, L. J. (2017). Child-targeted fast-food television advertising exposure is
linked with fast-food intake among pre-school children. Public health nutrition, 20(9),
1548-1556.
Didarloo, A., Sharafkhani, N., Gharaaghaji, R., & Sheikhi, S. (2017). Application of theory
of planned behavior to improve obesity-preventive lifestyle among students: A
school-based interventional study. International Journal of Pediatrics, 5(11), 6057-
6067.
Druetz, T. (2018). Integrated primary health care in low-and middle-income countries: a
double challenge. BMC medical ethics, 19(1), 48.

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Köykkä, K., Absetz, P., Araújo-Soares, V., Knittle, K., Sniehotta, F. F., & Hankonen, N.
(2019). Combining the reasoned action approach and habit formation to reduce sitting
time in classrooms: Outcome and process evaluation of the Let's Move It teacher
intervention. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 81, 27-38.
Montano, D. E., & Kasprzyk, D. (2015). Theory of reasoned action, theory of planned
behavior, and the integrated behavioral model. Health behavior: Theory, research and
practice, 95-124.
Montano, D. E., & Kasprzyk, D. (2015). Theory of reasoned action, theory of planned
behavior, and the integrated behavioral model. Health behavior: Theory, research and
practice, 95-124.
Mytton, O. T., Townsend, N., Rutter, H., & Foster, C. (2012). Green space and physical
activity: an observational study using Health Survey for England data. Health &
place, 18(5), 1034-1041.
Sharma, M. (2016). Theoretical foundations of health education and health promotion. Jones
& Bartlett Publishers.
Skinner, C. S., Tiro, J., & Champion, V. L. (2015). Background on the health belief
model. Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice, 75.