Whether the Ottawa Charter Continues to Influence the Philosophy and Values of Health Promotion - Essay Example

? Critically comment on whether the Ottawa Charter continues to influence the philosophy and values of health promotion Submission The year 1986 welcomed a global transformation and evolution of the principles, philosophies and values of health promotion with the declaration of the tenets of the Ottawa Charter that were agreed upon by representatives of the international community in the International Conference of Health Promotion which marked the commencement of a symposium that was to be held in subsequent years. The underlying features and characteristics which led to the formulation of the Charter have been the subject of scholarly work and researches that have aimed to explicate the applications of the agreement within the context of the modern scenario and the social, economic and political conditions of the present day. As stated by Nutbeam (2008, p. 435) the contribution of the Ottawa Charter for the progress of the notion of health promotion and determining the concept of public health practices can be regarded as one of the most highly influential measures to have occurred in recent decades. However, a fundamental question which must be answered inquires whether the influence of the Ottawa Charter has continued to persist in the making of present day values, principles and philosophies of health promotion. Henceforth, the essence of this inquiry lies in assessing whether the multi-strategy approach of the Charter which rests on the identification of five action areas and the recommendation of the three basic strategies of; advocating, mediating and enabling is viable, feasible and applicable in addressing the multifaceted issues of today’s complex society that is facing a plethora of challenges due to the interference of determinants, factors and aspects that were not present more than 25 years ago, when the Ottawa Charter was born. For the purposes of fulfilling the aforementioned objectives, the critical aspects that have been assessed, examined and evaluated in the paper are associated with highlighting the core concept of public health by exploring whether the notion of health should be defined within a wider context. Moreover, the paper also explores the establishment of various theories and models that are rooted in the recommendations of the Charter. Accordingly, a critical evaluation of the provisions and implications of the Ottawa Charter identifies whether the agreement itself takes into account the role of evidence and the function of health behaviors to maximize the possibility of desired outcomes in the light of the example of the NHS. This aspect of the paper integrates the concepts of mental health and the external and internal factors that are associated with an individual’s wellbeing within the scope of the discussion. According to the World Health Organization (2013), health promotion can be described as a procedure which allows citizens to enhance the extent to which they have command over the improvement of their physical and mental health, so as to achieve a state in which the individual’s social and health-related interests are maximized. This premise views the concept of health as one that is critical to the promotion of positivity in an individual’s life, by acting as a valued resource rather than the purpose of sustenance (World Health Organization 2013). Therefore, the application of these understandings encompasses the functions, responsibilities and duties of the healthcare sector towards populations by transcending conventional objectives of health promotion in order to enhance the overall quality of life. Based on the extensive scope of health promotion, the formulation of the Ottawa Charter is marked by the establishment and subsequent initiation of five areas of progress that are also known as action means. These areas essentially share a correlation with one another for the purpose of putting forth a comprehensive document that has the potential of serving as the .landmark of future progress in global healthcare. The Ottawa Charter proposes; 1) an integration of health promotion within the scope of healthy public policy, 2) the establishment of supportive environments by incorporating the fundamental societal aspect of health, 3) the promotion of community-based measures to establish a system of social support, 4) a redirection of focus on the aspect of health promotion which educates and raises health awareness through personal skills and 5) a reorientation of health-related facilities to establish a systematic framework by creating an association between the health sector and the social, economic and political forces of the environment (World Health Organization 2013). While, the five action areas that have been highlighted in the Ottawa Charter essentially outline a comprehensive plan the components of which can be implemented to advance health promotion and an appropriate course of action, for researchers and policy makers the most significant constituent of the Ottawa Charter which holds several implications and immense influence to this date are the three basic principles and values of health promotion as highlighted in the agreement. According to the World Health Organization (2013) these values are categorized as; advocate, enable and mediate. The concept of advocacy with regards to health promotion covers the external characteristics that function within the environment, these features range from cultural implications to political factors and the notion of advocacy in this case aims to ensure that these factors impact health promotion in a positive manner (World Health Organization 2013). The strategy of enabling on the other hand is associated with taking pertinent measures to ensure that the provision of health services is made free from socioeconomic disparities and gender discrimination while, the strategy of mediation intends to fulfill the criteria of advancing a coordinated and systematic effort which incorporates the services of all sectors in society to achieve a single objective by taking into account the healthcare needs and requirements of each geographic segment with regards to the influence of the characteristics of the external environment (World Health Organization 2013). As presented through the preceding discussion, the structured pattern of the Ottawa Charter allows the audience to explore the primary premise of agreement which is that of health promotion. It should be noted that since the formulation of the Charter, the notion of health promotion has come under extensive scrutiny due to the fact that the agreement defines the meaning of health and what the term should signify within the context of its public promotion. For Potvin et al. (2009, p. 33) the concept of health promotion is marked by the presence of certain limitations and challenges, the authors claim that one of these drawbacks is associated with the basic definition of the phenomenon and what it intends to represent or achieve. The argument that has been put forth by Potvin et al. (2009, p. 33) essentially claims that the description of health promotion displays limitations and also presents a restricted view of the issue by suggesting straightforward and linear relationships that are not reflective of scenarios that occur in the real world. This statement emphasis upon the fact that the complexity of healthcare does not permit the creation of definitions when promoting public health policy and measures because the extensive application of the concept fundamentally renders generalizations to be null and void. Even though, the claim which refutes the formulation of a definition of health with regards to the advancement of public health also opposes the foundations of the Ottawa Charter which is rooted in the implications of this description the agreement has still garnered extensive support from various spheres of the global community. This support has allowed the tenets of the Charter to impact the development of health behaviors and various theoretical models of health promotion that have been implemented across the globe since 1986. According to Dee Leeuw and Beaglehole (2006, p. 2), the underlying influence of the Ottawa Charter is evident in the development of the Bangkok Charter. Dee Leeuw and Beaglehole (2006, p. 2) state that the signing of the Ottawa Charter essentially laid the foundations of subsequent developments in healthcare by defining a set of principles for the promotion of public health. This factor redirected the focus of such measures from the individual health of patients to the wider factors or determinants that impact health by recognizing the significance of health promotion (Breslow 1999, p. 1030; Kickbusch 2003). Hancock (2011, p. 405) echoes the observation of Dee Leeuw and Beaglehole (2006, p. 2) regarding the substantial implications of the Ottawa Charter on the modern system, principles and values of healthcare as he states that “…the Ottawa Charter has withstood the test of time and remains a vital guide to the philosophy and practice of public health today”. However, for Potvin and Jones (2011, p. 244-48) the recommendations of the Ottawa Charter present a multifaceted depiction of a complex notion which leads to the acknowledgement of the fact that the agreement is not characterized by perfection and does hold certain drawbacks when viewed in the light of the preset day scenario. Indeed, the current challenges to public healthcare are numerous and have been a ramification of multiple unavoidable factors that have emerged with the development and progress of society. A vivid observation in this regard is associated with the geographical challenges of healthcare that have not been accounted for through the provisions of the Ottawa Charter in an effective manner. For example, Coovadia et al. (2009, p. 1) highlight the effect of South Africa’s historical context on the situation of the healthcare system in the country which faces the severe threat of epidemics. On the contrary, the weakness of the healthcare system which operates in China is rooted in the absence of an effective structure and decentralization (Liu 2004, p. 532-38) which is reflective of the role of managerial and administrative deficiencies in the implementation of public health policy. Potvin and Jones (2011, p. 247) understand that the source of the issues that the global community currently faces in the sphere of healthcare is globalization. The fact that this phenomenon has been accelerated by technological advancements suggests that its presence was not a factor that was taken into account during the development of the Ottawa Charter. Potvin and Jones (2011, p. 247) however, declare that the emergence of such observations and modifications in the external environment do not negate the significance of what the Ottawa Charter commands. This notion postulates that the emergence of theoretical models and initiatives such as the Bangkok Charter and the Nairobi Call to Action fundamentally reinforce and underline the continuing significance of the Ottawa Charter which has acted as the vision and philosophical foundation for such measures while, emphasizing upon the depth of the challenges that the global community faces in the field of public healthcare (Potvin and Jones 2011, p. 247). By presenting the three basic strategies that are categorized as advocate, enable and mediate and highlighting five areas of action, the Ottawa Charter in essence is a comprehensive document that demonstrates the execution of practical and rational assessments for the purpose of achieving positive outcomes that can be applied on a global scale. Henceforth, the practical implications of the agreement are also far-reaching such that they encompass various considerations involving the wellbeing of mental health patients. Elder, Evans and Nizette (2009) understand that the Charter believes in and recognizes the importance of both internal and external factors for achieving well-being. This view is established through the definition of health promotion, which is associated with the advancement of mental health and wellbeing through the implementation of the principles and philosophies which have been presented in the Ottawa Charter (Cattan and Tilford 2006, p. 42; Compton 2009, p. 335). A practical example that displays the application of the Ottawa Charter’s recommendations on health promotion and mental health is observable in the policies and programs that have been implemented in New Zealand and Australia in accordance with the tenets of the Charter (Elders, Evans and Nizette 2009). This example poses a significant implication for the functioning of the NHS, as the global adoption of the Ottawa Charter is essentially indicative of the fact that the agreement has passed the test of time and its recommendations are still viewed as a roadmap for developing healthy public policies, programs and initiatives under the banner of health promotion, across the globe. References Breslow, L. (1999). From disease prevention to health promotion. JAMA: the journal of the American Medical Association, 281(11), 1030-1033. Cattan, M., & Tilford, S. (Eds.). (2006). Mental health promotion: a lifespan approach. McGraw-Hill International. Compton, M. T. (Ed.). (2009). Clinical manual of prevention in mental health. American Psychiatric Pub. Coovadia, H., Jewkes, R., Barron, P., Sanders, D., & McIntyre, D. (2009). The health and health system of South Africa: historical roots of current public health challenges. The Lancet, 374(9692), 817-834. De Leeuw, E., Tang, K. C., & Beaglehole, R. (2006). Ottawa to Bangkok -- Health promotion's journey from principles to 'glocal' implementation. Health Promotion International. 21, 1-4 Elder, R., Evans, K., & Nizette, D. (Eds.). (2009). Psychiatric and mental health nursing. Elsevier Australia. Hancock, T. (2011). The Ottawa Charter at 25. Can J Public Health, 102(6), 404-6. Kickbusch, I. (2003). The contribution of the World Health Organization to a new public health and health promotion. American journal of public health,93(3), 383-388. Liu, Y. (2004). China's public health-care system: facing the challenges.Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 82(7), 532-538. Nutbeam, D, (2008). What would the Ottawa Charter look like if it were written today?. Critical Public Health. 18(4), 435-441. Potvin, L., & Jones, C. M. (2011). Twenty-five years after the Ottawa charter: The critical role of health promotion for public health. Can J Public Health,102(4), 244-48. Potvin, L., Anderson, L. M., Hall, M., Hartz, Z. M. A., Mcqueen, D. V., & Salazar, L. (2009). Health Promotion Evaluation Practices in the Americas Values and Research. New York, NY, Springer New York. World Health Organization. (2013). The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ottawa/en/. [Accessed 19th September 2013]. Read More