Health promotion and disease prevention
The Canadian health care system places great emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. As a matter of fact, health promotion is one of the central tenets of the Canadian Health Care system. In this paper therefore, I will provide an in-depth description of the terms health promotion and disease prevention. Further, I will identify the key determinants of health as well as justify why health promotion and disease prevention are such important functions of the Canadian health care system. Last but not least, I will identify four health promotion and/or disease prevention programs that have been implemented by the Canadian government.
Body
Health promotion is defined as both the art and science that enables people to not only increase their control over their health but also to improve it (WHO, 1986 as cited in WHO, 1998). It aims to one, help people discover the association between optimal health and their core passions, two, boost their motivation in their endeavor for optimal health and three, help people adopt lifestyles that move them towards optimal health (O’Donnell, 2009). In essence therefore, health promotion is a comprehensive social and political process geared towards enabling people to have more control over the determinants of their health and thereby improve their health. The WHO (1984 as cited in WHO, 1998) defines disease prevention as the measures aimed at preventing the occurrence of disease as well as those that arrest the progress and reduce the consequences of an already established disease. This implies that disease prevention measures can be categorized into a number of levels depending on the stage of the disease. Primary prevention measures are geared towards preventing the first occurrence of a disease. Secondary prevention measures seek to arrest an existing disease and thus mitigate its effects via early detection and appropriate treatment. Tertiary prevention on the other hand aims at preventing the occurrence of relapses or the establishment of chronic conditions.
The public health agency of Canada (1996 as cited in Public Health Agency, 2010) identified the following factors as the twelve key determinants of health; income and social status, education and literacy, social support networks, social environments, physical environment, employment/working conditions, child development, biologic and genetic make-up, gender, health services, culture, personal health practices and coping skills.
Health promotion and disease prevention are vital components of the Canadian health care system for a number of reasons. Firstly, the health promotion framework is cognizant of the fact that health is influenced by a number of factors like physical environment, culture and lifestyles. As such, it offers a means through which health policies and practices aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of these factors on the health of Canadian citizens can be developed and implemented. Further it provides an opportunity for individuals and communities to make choices as well as participate in the achievement of their own optimal health. For instance, it equips people with the ability to manage and change their surroundings. Of utmost importance however is the fact that health promotion provides an approach through which the health challenges facing the Canadian Health Care System such as the glaring inequities in the health of high versus low income groups and the escalating costs of health care can be addressed (Health Canada, 2004).
Examples of health promotion and disease prevention programs that have been implemented by the Canadian government so far include the “Heart Health Program” which is geared towards preventing cardiovascular diseases, the “Self-Help Connection program” which aimed at promoting the mental health of people living in Nova Scotia through capacity building and the “Active Living Community Action Project” which aims at encouraging physical activity amongst Canadian citizens. Others include the “Annapolis Valley Health Promoting Schools Program” which seeks to prevent chronic diseases amongst school going children by cultivating a culture as well as creating an environment that supports health (Annapolis Valley Regional School Board, n.d.). Last but not least is the “Nova Scotia Breast Screening Program” (NSBSP) which through facilitating access to quality, standardized mammography helps in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer (Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, 2011).
Conclusion
In the end, health promotion measures tend to overlap with those of disease prevention. However, it differs from disease prevention in that the former is broader in its approach than disease prevention is. Lifestyle, economic and social status, culture, gender are amongst the twelve factors identified by the Public Health Agency of Canada as being the key determinants of health. Health promotion and disease prevention are very important tenets of the Canadian Health Care System mainly because they provide a means through which the challenges facing the country’s health care system can be addressed. The “Heart Health Program” and NSBSP are examples of health promotion and disease prevention programs implemented by the Canadian government.
References
Annapolis Valley Regional School Board (n.d.). Annapolis Valley Health Promoting Schools
Programs. Retrieved from http://www.avrsb.ca/content/annapolis-valley-health-
promoting-schools-program.
Health Canada (2004, October 1). Achieving health for all: A framework for health promotion.
Retrieved from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/pubs/system-regime/1986-frame-plan-
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Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (2002, May 6). Ontario programs for health promotion
and disease prevention. Retrieved from
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/hpromo/hpromo.html
Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness (2011, October 12). Provincial programs.
Retrieved from http://www.gov.ns.ca/health/provincial_programs.asp.
O’Donnell, M.P. (2009). Definition of health promotion: embracing passion, enhancing
motivation, recognizing dynamic balance, and creating opportunities. American Journal
of Health Promotion, 24(1), 4.
Public Health Agency of Canada (2010, October 29). What determines health? Retrieved from
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ph-sp/determinants/index-eng.php.
WHO (1998). Health promotion glossary. Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf.
