A Public Health Report on Mental Health Interventions in Young People

This report examines a public health intervention, specifically a peer education program designed to address mental health issues in young people within a school setting. The report begins by discussing the concepts and principles of modern public health that underpin the intervention, emphasizing the importance of mental well-being and the factors impacting it. It then identifies and explains the key elements of the peer education program, which involves training older students to educate younger students about mental health. The report details the program's three phases: staff training, peer educator selection and training, and exercise delivery. The report reviews evidence supporting the intervention, highlighting the effectiveness of peer educators in delivering information and creating a supportive environment. Furthermore, it describes the evaluation methods used to assess the program's impact and provides recommendations for improvement, such as incorporating mental health into the core curriculum and promoting open communication between students, parents, and educators. The report concludes by emphasizing the critical role of mental health in overall well-being and the importance of proactive interventions in schools.

Public Health

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................2
Discussion of the concepts and principles of modern public health that underpin the
intervention you have chosen......................................................................................................2
Identification and explanation of the key elements of this public health intervention and how
they would be evaluated..............................................................................................................4
Reviewing the evidence that supports this intervention and determine if the intervention is
considered effective or not...........................................................................................................6
Description of the one evaluation that has been carried out on this intervention and discuss
recommendations for the intervention from this evaluation........................................................7
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Health is the outmost factor in the overall life of an individual. To live a healthy and good
life, there is requirement of effective level health presence. This means fit from every different
perspective which is associated with human body i.e. physically and mentally both. Physical
health is not only the aspect that helps humans to live a healthy life. This just playing the
supportive role in performance of multiple functions for the long period of time effectively.
Mental health is the main determinant that helps to keep brain live and effective. This
effectiveness further aid in long term decision making in accordance to which whole life of a
person goes in future. If a person does not have effective mental health, then the life become
worse where not able to perform the actions which are needed to complete for effective living.
Even, in this case not able to maintain the physical strength too. This is so because all the
instructions coming from the brain and if a person is mentally weak then not able to achieve any
strengthened perspective in their body (Brownson and et al., 2017). This is the reason that mental
health is main key of living healthy and prosperous life. There are many factors that have
negative impact over mental health of people specially the young ones. This further resultant into
depression and anxiety that become the cause for mental health issues. This is the reason that
always asked to each and every one to focus over their mental health along with physical. The
main aim of this report is also to identify the intervention that addresses mental health issues in
young people along with ascertainment of its effectiveness. The intervention which is selected
for the respective report is related to Peer Education Program which is developed by Mental
Health Organization. According this young educator who are old student of respective school
teach or educate new students because it is considered that young educators are more friendly in
nature as well as they make other understand every aspects in effective manner. The primary aim
of Mental Health Organization is to aware young people about the mental health as well as they
guide young students that how they can make or develop strong mental health successfully. In
respective organization young old students who already experienced mental issues and now
recover will educate new students in the friendly as well as effective manner. The main aim of
developing this report is to understand about the effectiveness of intervention develop by Mental
Health Organization in respect of mental health.
The aspects covering in this report includes discussion of the concepts and principles of
modern public health that underpin the intervention you have chosen, identification and
1

explanation of the key elements of this public health intervention and how they would be
evaluated, reviewing the evidence that supports this intervention and determine if the
intervention is considered effective or not and description of the one evaluation that has been
carried out on this intervention and discuss recommendations for the intervention from this
evaluation.
MAIN BODY
Discussion of the concepts and principles of modern public health that underpin the intervention
you have chosen
Modern Public Health is mainly concerned with evaluation and addressing of determinants
of health across population. Further it has been evaluated that public health is an essential
element that maintain community health and safety. This is mainly associated to threat to health
that are based upon health evaluation of population. It has been determined that maximum
number of children’s in school is struggling to overcome the mental issues that are affecting their
mental health. These issues are leading towards increasing self farm depression and anxiety rate
among young individual and children. In order to overcome this new intervention make it count
campaign will assist in the fascination of good mental health. It has been identified that it is
essential for each and every individual and children in a school to have excess of good mental
health as it is a fundamental approach.
In addition to this it has been identified that there are different type of principles of
modern public health that include maximization, respect for autonomy, efficiency and Justice.
By taking advantage of modern health positive mental health in schools can be effectively
promote. In this students encourage to spend their 30 minutes or an hour in every week on other
socially rather than focusing upon academic activities. Along with this organisation of Wellness
week can also helps in promoting positive mental health.
Along with this by taking advantage of efficient health management system health issues that
having facing by school children’s can be effectively overcome. In this, four essential
components of modern public health that are structural, cultural, technical and strategic proves to
be effective through which decision can be undertaken to facilitate positive health among
children’s. In addition to this it has been identified that modern public health is having three core
concepts that are policy development, assessment and assurance that effectively allow in
2

monitoring of students through which identification of their health problems can be undertaken.
Make it count intervention provide proper investigation and diagnosis of health issues and
problems that are impacting upon students in adverse manner and are leading towards depression
and other illness. Along with this it has been identified that modern healthcare is mainly having
three form of principles that include health services health protection and interrelation with
common core.
According to the evaluation it has been identify that principle of modern public health
practices include and underpin certain aspects that are related to participation, equity,
effectiveness, social justice, accessibility, acceptability and affordability. These principles are
required to be effectively access in order to gain better understanding of disease or issue in order
to further promote and protect them along. Along with this as per the evaluation it has been
identified that by taking advantage of the concepts of modern health like public health in
different sensors health promotion and population health accomplishment of corporate objectives
can be done. These principles and concepts help in implementing different type of practices and
measure through which positive health practices can be facilitated among students through which
they can overcome health issues that are impacting them in adverse manner. In addition to this at
last it can be determined that now a day it is essential for everyone to take care of their mental as
well as physical health. In current time young people are also experiencing issues related to the
mental health due to which sometime they take major step like suicide and so on. There are
several practices which parents, school and university may adopt for promoting mental health
among the young students. Along with this, there are numbers of reasons due to which young
people experience mental health issue such as pressure of exam from parent and teacher,
growing social media activeness, addictive to the modern technology world, feeling loneliness,
isolated, and feeling cheated from friend or close one and many more reasons. In respect of this
there are various practises which parents, university and school may adopt for the promoting
mental health such as encourage social time according to which school and university authority
conduct interaction session with whole class so that they understand each other. Along with this,
parents must communicate or interact with their child on regular basis because through it student
or young people feel comfortable as well as they get encourage to share their good and bad time
properly. In addition to this, there must be regular motivation and counselling session at school
and colleges related to mental health because this will promote effectiveness of mental well
3

being as well as it also provide guidance related to how to promote proper mental health. It is
also essential that parents, school and university must have open door policy so that students feel
comfortable to discuss their issues and problems with them properly.
Identification and explanation of the key elements of this public health intervention and how they
would be evaluated
The public health intervention selected is known as Make It Count: Mental health in schools. The
main reason behind its selection that large number of school children’s are suffering from the
issue of mental illness due to the reason of depression and anxiety (Make It Count, 2020). This
intervention was also formulated with the aim that mental is not extracurricular. This means
needed to include in the main learning course of children so they can understand about this along
with symptoms. The one more is also to provide learning about the measures that will help to
overcome from mental issues (Frumkin, 2016).
Here, in this regard, Peer Education Project was introduced under this intervention. This
is the programme that includes the providence of information to school children about mental
health issues in detailed manner for the purpose of improving their understanding and
knowledge. The detailed description about all the key elements related to this programme is
presented below;
The Peer Education Project is a school-based program that plans to give youngsters the
aptitudes and information they have to defend their psychological wellness, and that of their
companions. The task was conceived out of the possibility that a key wellspring of help to
youngsters encountering psychological well-being trouble is their companion bunch inside the
school condition. We formed this thought into an answer suitable for schools. Via preparing
more established understudies to convey emotional wellness exercises to more youthful
understudy, the venture plans to sidestep the dividers numerous youngsters set up when being
shown such nuanced, individual subjects by grown-ups whom they feel are isolates from their
own encounters (Peer Education project, 2020).
There are three phases to the execution of the Peer Education Project:
Staff preparing: Staff individuals go to an instructional meeting in how to convey the task,
covering the key ideas, venture structure and materials. Via preparing staff to convey the
undertaking in their own schools, the venture means to construct limit inside schools to run the
task year-on-year (Greenberg and et. al., 2017).
4

Companion Educator determination and preparing: Staff enlist and train a gathering of
Peer Educators from among their 6th structure understudies. A handbook of preparing
exhortation and exercise plans is given to all Peer Educators to assist them with running the
meetings.
Exercise conveyance: Working two by two, the prepared Peer Educators convey the five hour-
long exercises to Year 7's. Understudies get an exercise manual containing key data and
worksheets (Khoury and et al., 2018).
The aspects taught under the programme includes:
 The undertaking presents psychological well-being as something that we as a whole have,
as physical wellbeing.
 It urges understudies to consider approaches to remain well, how to look for help and
bolster companions.
 It additionally presents regular legends around emotional wellness, and the shame and
separation individuals experience accordingly.
Investigations of friend conveyed wellbeing instruction propose that peer instructors
can be compelling in light of the fact that:
 Youngsters see them as more solid wellsprings of data than grown-up instructors,
introducing data in manners that are both clear and significant
 youngsters may feel progressively good posing inquiries of companion instructors
 Peer-conveyed projects can expand on existing job demonstrating and coaching
 Peer Education utilizes existing interpersonal organizations to impact change, continuing
effect Past the instructive meetings themselves (Savarese and Lund, 2017).
Studies likewise recommend that there are additionally various advantages for the
companion instructors themselves, including:
 The improvement of significant open talking and help aptitudes
 Improving their own self-assurance and regard
 Improved information about the current theme
 Acknowledgment by their friends as pioneers.
5

Reviewing the evidence that supports this intervention and determine if the intervention is
considered effective or not
It is very important to determine and analyse the effectiveness of intervention in order to
resolve the issues or problem in correct and accurate manner. There are different ways and
techniques which is supportive in reducing depression of anxiety issues. It is crucial to analyse
and evaluate the impact on intervention for maximizing its impact and gaining outcomes in
proper manner (Rios-Ellis and et.al., 2015). Make it count is the foundation for mental health and
it support different people who has struggling to cope up with the issues related to mental health.
It has been analysed that there are various issues or problems that is related to mental health such
as depression, self harm, anxiety and many more. Make it count foundation is focusing on
resolve this issues form children and young people as mental health is not extra curricular. In this
intervention to resolve students mental health issues are determined as well as better steps are
taken in order to deal with these issues in correct manner. In this intervention is consider as Peer
Educational Project and the motive of this program is to educate young individual and provide
them complete knowledge so that they are able to safe guard mental health as well as provide
direction to their peers. In this different approaches are used such as providing training to staff
member, peer educator selection and training as well as lesson delivery. This is very effective
and efficient intervention in order to reduce mental health issues form individual as well as
support them to live a health and appropriate life style. This intervention is considered to be
effective as in this proper training to young people and staff member is provided so that they can
guide others. Through this approach better and accurate steps for overcome depression, anxiety
and other mental health issues can be resolved. It is has been analysed that young people are
more appropriate and credible source in order to provide information to other which is more
clear as well as relevant. It is quite difficult for adult educators for presenting information is
better manner as compare to young individual (Gürkan and Kömürcü, 2017). This is one of the
main reasons for the effectiveness of this intervention as well as overcoming issues. Training to
young people regarding education of mental issues is effective intervention as young people are
more comfortable while answering the questions for peer education (Scheil, Bowers-Campbell
and Campbell, 2017). It will lead to increase information and understanding about the issues of
mental health as well as getting correct answers in more friendly and appropriate way for resolve
this issues and overcoming problems related to mental health. Peer will be able to deliver
6

programmes in more correct way as well as mentoring people for providing them right path in
order to resolve issues of mental health. In addition to this it is in mental health organization peer
help each other in order to develop and maintain strong mental health so that students not take
any improper action due to weak mental health. So in respect of this respective organization
develop a culture according to which young old students of respective school will educate as
well as guide new students so that they able to develop strong mental health. This process if
effective for the both new as well as old students because when old students interact,
communicate and educate new one then their confidence level get increased as well as they also
feel motivated. On the other hand, when same age group educator teaches new students they feel
comfortable as well as it also leads to positive environment at the workplace. This show that
program which is introduced by Mental Health Organization in order to promote strong mental
health through Peer Education Program is effective for the society as well as educators too. The
respective program also shows that it will help in developing as well as maintaining proper
environment which help in promoting the effective mental health among the young people so
that they not take any improper step like suicide. This is so because young people get disturb in
small things like pressure of exam, result, cheated by love one or friends, study pressure, feeling
isolated from friends and many more. So by this organization students able to build or develop
strong mental healthy which not get effected through these issues. In addition to this, it is
recommended to respective organization to conduct their similar work from the all age group
people because they also face mental issues.
Description of the one evaluation that has been carried out on this intervention and discuss
recommendations for the intervention from this evaluation
The intervention which is taken for the respective report is Peer Education project which is
mainly introduced to provide information related to mental health issues to school children in
effective way (Bhatnagar and et. al., 2020). This is so because through it awareness can be
generated in the young people so that they understand effectiveness of mental health as well as it
also helps in aware about the methods or practices which can be adopted student for maintaining
their effective mental health. In addition to this respective education project provide as well as
develop information and aptitude respectively in the youngsters, through which they can defend
their psychological or mental wellness. According to the respective program training is provided
to the older pupil in order to deliver lessons related to mental health to the young students. Along
7

with this, the main aim of respective project is to break the wall which is adopted by young
people when they are being taught about such nuanced.
The respective project is run on three basis i.e. train staff, delivery of lesson and peer
educator training and selection. According to this society who developed this intervention
generally train their staffs so that they develop proper project structure as well as material which
help in training students or young people about the effectiveness of mental well being. There are
also proper books as well as guidelines which help in learning as well as conducting work
according in the respective project effectively (Sharma, Branscum and Atri, 2020). In respective
project lessons are related to the introduction of mental health and how it impact on a person as
well as it also provide training that how an individual help themselves as well as others in
maintaining metal health properly. In addition to this there is also guidance which is related to
the common myths related to the mental health as well as it also includes information related to
stigma and discrimination which are faced by a person and their result related to it.
In addition to this, there are several recommendation which are provided to Peer education
project so that their work or project will be conducted in effective manner as well as it will also
help them in attaining their desire goal of aware people about mental health will conducted
properly. Some of the main recommendations for respective project are mentioned below:-
 In respective project old student teach the young students who are facing mental health
issues. This is effective ideas because when same time of people communicates each
other then it becomes positive communication which helps in improving metal health.
But it is suggested to respective project management that they must provide opportunity
to old student that they go outside and communicate with the others because that will
help them in leaving a normal life with other. By this old students able to achieve their
career goal which help in motivating young students, which also leads to situation when
young students able to understand effectiveness of healthy mental health in proper
manner.
 It is also effective for mental health organization students to conduct their sessions in
different school, colleges or university because when other see young student delivering
such a good lesson about the mental health they also get motivated. In addition to this,
people also get encourage to develop strategies, adopt it and maintain it properly in order
to have healthy mental health. It also help in aware society about the effectiveness of
8

maintaining balance and healthy mental health as well as session will also help individual
in knowing practices for adopting so. It also attract people toward the mental health
project i.e. peer education project which leads to enhancement in investors, goodwill,
market value and so on.
 It is one of the essential recommendations to the mental health organization to expand
their project all around the world because around the world there are numbers of young
students or individual who go through mental illness. Due to this some student or people
take their life to the end, by the project of mental health organization they able to aware
people as well as motivate them that how they can be mentally strong as well as it also
help them in learning how to face others without impacting on their mental health.
Through this it can be also be ensure that young individual between the ages of 12 to 25
learn to leave their life properly by handling their mental condition in effective manner.
 Along with the school for young students mental health organization must also conduct
regular or weekend workshop at their school in which all age group people can come and
join. But in that educator will be old students of the mental health organization. This is so
because around the world there are several other people who experienced mental health
as well as how are 25 and above in age. This can be take place due to any reason such as
workplace issue, family issues, and relative issues and so on. In respect of this so when
respective organization conduct workshops for all people then these people also can join
and try to recover their mental health. Moreover they see young people are delivering
lecture about mental health they also feel motivated as well as encouraged which increase
chances that they are maintaining proper mental health.
These are the main recommendation which Mental Health Organization may adopt for
promoting more about their Peer education project around the world. Along with this, it will also
help in expanding awareness about effectiveness of mental health among the young people as
well as it also Helps Company in enhancing their market value as well as goodwill effectively at
the local, national and international level. In addition to this it will also enhance awareness about
the mental health effectiveness among the all age group people so that they will also adopt
healthy as well as good practices such as regular yoga and exercise, adopt balance diet and many
more.
9

CONCLUSION
By conducting analysis of above mentioned points it can be determined as well as
conclude that in a life of a human being it is essential to maintain proper health which is both
physical as well as mental. This is so because if they not do so they may go through several
health issues which decrease their motivation level as well as sometime it leads to depression. So
in order to leave a healthy life a person need to adopt several practices such as adopt yoga as
well as exercised every day as that help in maintain and balancing both mental as well as
physical health. It is considered that a person required only health physical health for leaving
effective life but this is wrong it is essential that person need to have both mental as well as
physical wellbeing to leave life effectively. In addition to this, in order to aware peoples about
the effectiveness of health life government, social institution, universities, school and other
people are taking initiative. In which these people motivate as well as encourage a person to
leave healthier as well as how they can adopt so effectively. Along with this, there are numbers
of mental health interventions which are developed by government for the society well being. In
this there will be proper guidelines, key elements, methods and so on are mentioned which help a
person in developing, adopting and maintaining proper mental health.
10

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bhatnagar, T. and et. al., 2020. Lopinavir/ritonavir combination therapy amongst symptomatic
coronavirus disease 2019 patients in India: Protocol for restricted public health
emergency use. Indian Journal of Medical Research. 151(2). p.184.
Brownson, R. C. and et al., 2017. Evidence-based public health. Oxford university press.
Frumkin, H., 2016. Urban sprawl and public health. Public health reports.
Greenberg, M. T. and et. al., 2017. Social and emotional learning as a public health approach to
education. The future of children, pp.13-32.
Khoury, M. J. and et al., 2018. From public health genomics to precision public health: a 20-year
journey. Genetics in Medicine. 20(6). pp.574-582.
Savarese, G. and Lund, L.H., 2017. Global public health burden of heart failure. Cardiac failure
review. 3(1). p.7.
Sharma, M., Branscum, P.W. and Atri, A., 2020. Introduction to community and public health.
John Wiley & Sons.
Rios-Ellis, B. and et.al., 2015. Creating a model of Latino peer education: Weaving cultural
capital into the fabric of academic services in an urban university setting. Education and
Urban Society, 47(1), pp.33-55.
Gürkan, Ö.C. and Kömürcü, N., 2017. The effect of a peer education program on combating
violence against women: A randomized controlled study. Nurse education today, 57,
pp.47-53.
Scheil, K.A., Bowers-Campbell, J. and Campbell, J.M., 2017. An initial investigation of the Kit
for Kids peer educational program. Journal of Developmental and Physical
Disabilities, 29(4), pp.643-662.
Online
Make It Count. 2020. [Online]. Available Through:
<https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-schools-make-it-count>
Peer Education project. 2020. [Online]. Available Through:
<https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/projects/peer-education-project-pep>
11