Public Health England: Analyzing the Act FAST Stroke Campaign

This essay examines the "Act FAST" stroke campaign launched by Public Health England on February 1, 2018, which aimed to raise public awareness of stroke symptoms and the importance of immediate medical attention. The essay analyzes the campaign's effectiveness in relation to health and well-being, discussing three key concepts: biomedical, ecological, and psychological. It further explores the holistic approach to health, emphasizing the importance of a balanced lifestyle and occupational therapy in stroke management. The campaign's strategies, including the use of various media platforms, are evaluated, alongside the lasting effects of strokes and the framework for patient care. The essay concludes by highlighting the campaign's role in educating the public and promoting prompt action in the event of stroke symptoms, referencing statistics on stroke prevalence in the UK and the importance of early intervention.

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In this essay, there will be a discussion about the “Act FAST” stroke campaign. This
campaign held on 1st February 2018. The objective of this campaign was to increase
awareness among the general public about the notifiable symptoms of strokes. This campaign
majorly focuses on TV, radios, social media and outdoor advertising for spreading the
message to the vast number of audiences in an effective and efficient way (Public Health
England, 2019). This essay will focus on the concept of health and wellbeing in relation to
analysing the effectiveness of this campaign. Three different concepts of health and
wellbeing will be described in this study.
Act Fast campaign highlights to spread awareness among people that condition of stroke
should be considered as a medical emergency and people should immediately call on 999
after noticing symptoms of the strokes. Symptoms of the strokes include loss of vision or
blurred vision in both eyes or in one eye, sudden confusion, sudden fall or unsteadiness,
sudden dizziness, sudden weakness in any particular part of the body, etc. These are
symptoms of the strokes that should be taken consider on the serious note and this campaign
majorly highlights that encountering these symptoms should be reported on the 999 with
immediate efforts. For better and sustainable well-being people should be aware of the
problem of strokes and its adverse implications. Apart from this, Act FAST campaign also
highlight that people should learn about this problem even if they are not the one who is
suffering from this disease because it may be possible that in future they may encounter with
this challenge. Moreover, knowledge of identifying symptoms of strokes is necessary because
there is a high probability that in public places or offices or getting to together, they may
encounter with people who are suffering from the problem of strokes. In this case, if people
have appropriate knowledge then they can identify the symptoms and they can place a call on
999 for an immediate response (Briand, et. al., 2018).

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This campaign incorporates contribution in reducing the impact of a stroke by majorly two
ways. Firstly, it focusses on educating the audience about the problem, symptoms and actions
that should be taken whenever such a problem happens either with ourselves or with any
other people in the country. This campaign creates awareness among the people by educating
them with the symptoms of the strokes and later on this campaign also suggest the action plan
that should be operated immediately with effective efforts. Under the actions, it was
suggested that whenever a person identifies the symptoms of strokes then it should be
reported to the 999 immediately so that the medical team can further take care of that person.
This is the best way through which the adverse effect of the strokes can be reduced and it is
also beneficial for the people who are suffering from the strokes because after this campaign
even unknow person or general public started reported the problem of other people to 999 in
order to arrange medical emergency for them (Lappin, Darke and Farrell, 2017).
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the concept of health as a state of complete
medical and social well-being not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The concept of
health includes biomedical concepts, ecological concept and psychological concepts. As per
the biomedical concept, perfect health incorporates proper body function with better
immunity performance and the body should be free from diseases. In other words, it can be
said that as per the biomedical concept when the body incorporates perfect health and when
the body is completely free from the disease then a person is considered a healthy person.
The perfect health biomedical concept is entirely based on the germ theory of the disease. As
time evolved, the development and research in the field of health and well-being have
obtained that the biomedical concept of health was inadequate. Apart from this, the
ecological concept of health describes well-being as a dynamic equilibrium between an
individual and his/her environment. This concept describes that disease as a maladjustment of
the human organism to the environment in an effective and efficient way possible. The

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ecological concept implies the absence of pain and indulging in the environmental activities
to ensure optimal function of human health (Marsh, et. al., 2018).
Apart from this, the psychological concept of the health shown that well-being of the health
and power of the immune system is not only related to the biomedical phenomenon but this is
also related to the psychosocial concept as the health of the person. Due to the psychosocial
concept, the health of an individual is also influenced by social, cultural and psychological
implications. These are the important factor that shapes the thinking of the people in an
effective and efficient way possible. For example: when an individual forms negative
psychology then it causes various problems related to health. Forming negative psychology
also weakens the immune system of an individual. On the other hand, when an individual
forms positive psychology then it is observed that they can handle emerge pain of their body
in an effective manner. Forming positive psychology also helps in strengthening the immune
system in an effective and efficient way. The psychological concept of health defines that
while considering the implications of health and well-being psychological concepts should
also be taken into consideration because it is the important parameters that shape the proper
well-being of an individual (Mavaddat, et. al., 2017).
Moreover, there is one another concept of health which is above the biological concept,
psychological concept and environmental concept of health and well-being. This concept is
known as holistic concept which is a synthesis of all the above concepts. The applications of
holistic concepts recognize the strength of economic, political, social and environmental
influences on health. Apart from this, the holistic concept is also describing as a
multidimensional process that involves the wellbeing of an individual as a whole instead of
considering it as another factor. Moreover, according to various scholars, this concept of
health is known as the promotion and protection of health in an effective and efficient way
possible. Furthermore, this concept of well being also incorporates that all psychological

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concept of health is the major reform which implies that forming positive psychology has a
positive impact on the health and well-being. Apart from this, the famous quote on this
holistic health approach by Dalia Lama describes “Calm mind brings inner strength and self-
confidence, so that's very important for good health” (O’Keeffe, et. al., 2017).
The holistic approach plays a vital role in strokes challenge because when an individual
encounter or when an individual faces a long journey of rehabilitation in front of them that
arises due to strokes then this approach effectively helps them to fight with the emerging
challenges regarding their functioning and independence. In other words, a holistic approach
helps patients to understand the positive impact of living a well-balanced lifestyle. As a
balanced lifestyle will help the patients who are experiencing strokes in an effective and
managed way rather than just taking medications when strokes encounter (Naidoo and Wills,
2009). For example: when a stroke encounters then people take medications but a holistic
approach suggested that following a balanced lifestyle includes taking regular medications.
Thus, regular medications can reduce the probability of strokes as compared to taking
unregular medications. Apart from this, the holistic approach also suggested focusing on
suggested therapy because it can emerge the fewer chances of strokes. However, it is noticed
that strokes patients neither take regular medication and neither follow any therapy. In this
campaign, it was shown that not the following discipline in treatment can lead to adverse
complications (Pawłowski, et. al., 2018).
When the problem of the stroke encounter in the life of an individual then it is possible that in
future the possibility of strokes creates an even worse situation for them which leads to
making them struggle with the basic tasks such as eating, remembering information,
communication, etc. Thus, the problem of the strokes makes difficult for the victim to take
active participation in life. Moreover, in this campaign, it is guided that there is a basic
framework that can help an individual and his beloved to take care of them at the time of

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strokes. The suggested basic framework in this campaign includes retaining self-care and
safety parameters. As self-care, it is an important step which can help a victim to deal with
their problems of strokes effectively and efficiently. Apart from this, other safety parameters
that are suggested in this campaign were to call for emergency medical help. Moreover,
performing work-related task analysis and work with modification so that victims of the
strokes can be cure early. Apart from this, occupational therapy is an effective way that can
reduce the probability of strokes in the future. Following this therapy will resultant in better
conditions at the physiology level (Pérez-Piñar, et. al., 2017).
Occupational therapy is a vital component that includes the rehabilitation process due to its
powerful implications. Occupational therapy entirely focuses on curing strokes patients with
the applications of instrumental abilities. As, the applications of occupational therapy are also
connected with the psychological concept because under this therapy it is analysed that when
an individual encounter with strokes related problems then it is also observed that he/she also
going to be an encounter with frustration, isolation and other mental factors. Thus,
occupational therapy suggests that psychological concept also plays an important role in
curing patients who are experiencing strokes. Mental health support plays a vital role in
curing the strokes related problem but it does not describe that patients should completely
eliminate to take medicines (Fenton, 2015). They should keep continuing their medication but
with medications, they should also incorporate the application of mental health so that they
will get benefit from two levels. At the physiological level, they will be benefited from the
medications and at the psychological level, they will be benefited when they start to
incorporate positive beliefs effectively. As positive thinking will not only help them in
dealing with the strokes related problem but it will also help them strengthen their immune
system. Moreover, occupational therapists are experts in modifications and it will help
patients to accomplish their goals with better accessibility (Sober and Levin, 2017).

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As in this campaign important aspects of the strokes related problems are covered in
significant manners. It starts with the motive to spread awareness among the people for this
problem as it is analysed that in England the problem of strokes has majorly affected many
people. According to the statistics, there are about 100,000 strokesin in the UK each year and
there are more than 1.2 million survivors of the stroke in the UK. The lasting effect of strokes
incorporates speech and language problems, swallowing, adverse changes in emotional
functioning, memory loss, etc. However, it is can be analysed that strokes have an adverse
effect on the physiology level as well as on the psychology level (Naidoo and Wills, 2009).
In this essay, it is concluded that the Act FAST campaign operated with the major purpose to
make people aware of the arisen problem, symptoms, action plan and lasting effects of the
strokes. The symptoms of the strokes include blur vision, memory loss, etc. Apar from this,
Act FAST campaign also focus on another points that states whenever these symptoms
encounter then it should be reported to the 999 because it is a medical emergency. In this
essay, three concepts of well being are also discussed. These concepts are biological
wellbeing concept, environmental wellbeing concept and psychological concept. Applications
for holistic approach also discussed in this essay.

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