Health Promotion
You have recently been assigned Health Promotion as a new priority for the upcoming year. Review the C-Span Health Promotion (Links to an external site.) video and determine how you can use this information to promote health within your community. Explain the importance of health promotion and the impact on the nation and the world. How much should the government play a role in our health? How much should the individual take control of his or her own health? Would it be a more effective strategy to invest in preventive healthcare rather than treating sickness and disease? Provide an argument for and against health promotion.
Sample Solution
Health promotion is a key component in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and its importance has been recognized by governments across the world. The C-SPAN Health Promotion video highlighted several important aspects of health promotion,
including its benefits to individuals, families, communities and ultimately, nations as a whole. The video also emphasized the need for government support in promoting good health practices in order to maximize these positive outcomes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health promotion as "the process of enabling people to increase control over their own health." By empowering individuals with knowledge about proper nutrition and exercise, they are able to make healthier choices on their own without relying solely on medical interventions or treatments when they become ill. This can reduce the overall financial burden of treatment costs and lead to better preventive care down the road. Furthermore, increased public awareness through campaigns such as those featured in C-SPAN's video can help create an environment that supports healthy living choices by providing greater access to resources such as affordable fresh foods or gyms with low membership fees.
At the same time, it is important for each individual to take responsibility for his or her own health care decisions. Research shows that lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking or exercising more can have significant impacts on one’s wellbeing; however making lasting change requires personal discipline and commitment which cannot be mandated by governments alone. Investing in preventive healthcare tends to be more cost effective than treating illnesses once they appear; however this requires investments from both patients willing to make lifestyle changes and government policies that incentivize long term preventative measures while discouraging unhealthy habits—such as high taxes on sugary drinks—that may otherwise offset any gains made with improved healthcare access.
In conclusion, while individual responsibility plays an important role in promoting good health practices within any community, national governments must play an active role by providing education opportunities around healthy behaviors and investing sufficient resources into preventive healthcare services that enable individuals who lack economic security achieve better quality of life on their own terms. Doing so will ensure that every citizen has access necessary tools required for leading a healthy lifestyle regardless of income level or other social markers which could potentially cause disparities within vulnerable populations receiving adequate healthcare coverage .